Norse Lands in the Viking Age (2025)

Norse Lands in the Viking Age

The dates of the Viking Age are not clearly drawn, but many wouldconsider the start to be the year 793 (the raid on the monastery atLindisfarne, left) and the end to be the year 1066 (the battle at StamfordBridge, right). During this time, the Norse people moved out of Scandinavia andexploded on the consciousness of Europe with their Viking raids. This article is a brief introduction to the lands occupied andinfluenced by the Norse people in the Viking age.

Prior to the Viking Age, Scandinavia had been occupied for millennia. Asthe glaciers retreated at the end of the last Ice Age, hunter-gatherersmoved into the area. Farming and cultivation began in the area around4,000 BCE. The working of bronze became widespread by 2,000 BCE, withthe working of iron beginning around 500 BCE.

Artifacts from these early periods are extremely rare. Some of the bestevidence comes from human sacrifices from the early iron age. The bodiesand other offerings were deposited into peat bogs, and some of theremains and artifacts are very well preserved.

The end of the Roman era (circa 400) brought about the Migration Periodin Europe, with mass movements of peoples throughout the continent.Scandinavia seems to have escaped most of those movements, other thanthe departure of the Angles and the Jutes to Britain. During thisperiod, the power of organized chieftains, holding their power throughmilitary might, began to grow.

The Vendel period (circa 600-800) saw the continuing consolidation ofpower by local and regional chieftains. Large scale constructionprojects (such as the Danevirke rampart in southern Jutland) wereconstructed, suggesting the rise of regional kings.

In the 8th century, something happened in Scandinavia to cause thesepeople to start moving out of Scandinavia into Europe. As they moved outthey were looking for three things: new land to settle; new partners fortrade; new victims for raids.

It's not clear what change might have trigger this movement.Some scholars have suggested that the Scandinavian lands becameoverpopulated. While the first son in the family was on the fast trackto inherit the farm, subsequent sons needed to find their own land to farm.New land could be purchased if one returned home from a trading voyageor a raiding expedition with new found wealth and fame. Alternately, newland could be found abroad for those willing to relocate.

This explanation is unconvincing. Even at its most populous, it appears that Scandinaviawas not very densely settled; more arable land was available during this period.

Whatever the trigger might have been, the outward movement was aided bythe Viking ships, which had reached an advanced stage of development bythe start of the Viking age. The ships made it possible for Norse peopleto travel greater distances carrying more cargo with a greater chance ofarriving at their destination safely than other European ships of thetime.

The interactive map below shows approximate extent of Norse settlementand influence during the Viking age. Norse occupied lands are shadedgreen. As the Norse people were assimilated into the local culture, theshading turns grey. Sites of important battles, raids, and otherincursions are shown with a red starburst.

In some regions, the Norse settlers were assimilated into the localculture. For example, in Normandy, the Norse settlers were never themajority. Economic and cultural ties with the Norse homelands faded, andover a few generations, the Norse settlers fully adopted a ChristianFrench culture. Similar assimilation occurred in Russia. In other lands, the Norse invaders were violently and bloodily pushedout.

A striking aspect of the Viking age is the extraordinary homogeneityacross the Viking lands. The Norse people in the Viking age had anidentity that distinguished them from other Europeans. Norse language,clothing styles, art, and jewelry were remarkably similar from Greenlandto the Baltic lands.

Changes in styles were communicated and adopted from one end of theNorse lands to the other in extremely short time spans. For instance, amajor change to the runic alphabet was adopted throughout the Norselands in less than a generation. New artistic styles, similarly, werequickly adopted. This rapid spread of new ideas suggests excellentcommunications between the Norse lands and widespread exchange of ideasand material objects.

The death of Haraldr harðráði at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066is generally taken as the end of the Viking age. While other Vikingraids occurred after this date, none of them had the intensity, theorganization, or the chances for success of the earlier raids. In addition, the Scandinavians found themselves more and more as thevictims of raids perpetrated by others. In particular, the Danes weretroubled by Wendish raiders from the east.

The Scandinavian kings consolidated their power, and the Christianchurch exerted increasing influence. The forces that pushed the rest ofEurope into feudalism were strongly felt in the Norse lands as well. TheViking Age was over.