From: d89-jsp@nada.kth.se (Jan Sparrendahl)
Subject: Re: Vikings (Berserkers)
Organization: Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 20:30:52 GMT

The vikings consists of danes swedes and norwedians and is called "varjags" 
or "va"rings" in Russia. The viking large scale traveling was trigged by over-
population and eagerness to battle reputation and adveture. The political 
environment conreibuted. That is the strengthening of central power in
the kingdoms. That made the freedom-loving welthiest landowenrs to emmigrate.
The improvement of the ship building technolgy was nexcessary for this. Before
ships was only rowed.(Nydam,Kvalsund)

About 500 AD the danes lived on the Danish islands, in Skaane and later at
Jylland. 
About the year  600 the king of the swedes is enlarging his realm to the 
whole of Sweden (not present day sweden) and from 650 he rules the Baltic 
sea together with the people of Gotland. 
From the 8th century the balitic sea is closed for the Frisian trade. Norway 
is devided into several smaller kingdoms and pesant republics. 790-840 The 
vikings are looting on mainly keltic land: Lindisfarne (793), Jarrow, 
Monkwearmouth (794), Rechru, Skye, Iona (795). From 799 the Frisian-Saxian 
coast is looted and Charle Magne ordered costal guards. Characteristic is 
that the vikings is atacking in the spring and returns to home to the winter. 
After 840 (the death of Ludvig) the expeditions turn into large campains.

The Danish vikings plunders the towns along the rivers in the frankish realm
The lauche expeditions to Portugal and Austuria (844), the Balearic Island
Provance and Toscana (859-862) and after their return to England they sieze
Northumbria and East Anglia (danelagen) Only king Alfred of Wessex manage to
build a navy and make some resistance. The latter campains (980-990) is 
commanded by the danish king. Under king Knudt denmark and England is united.

The Norwedian vikings collonise the Shetland island and the Orkney islands in
the 8th century and later Island and the Hebrids. Many settle at Irland.
After the unification of Norway (872) by Harald (860-933) many norwedians leave 
Norway to (from 874) settle on Island (discovered 860). Landnamstiden (the age
of land taking) is ended when law is introduced on Island (930) Greenland is
disovered 930 and America about 1000. Some of them settle on the Kola peninsula 
and around the White sea.

The Swedes settle at Haithabu (Hedeby), Jomsborg,Truso, Dago" ,O"sel, 
Grubin, Riga,Novgorod,Rostov,Kiev,Tchernigov and of course Finland.

The viking age had effects on europeand history:
Normady.
896 Danish vikings settle at the mouth of Seine.
911 The agrrement in Saint-Clair-sur-Epte at signed between Rollo the walker 
and the Frankish king Karl the stupid.(898-923) Rollo gets a duchy at both 
sides of the mouth of seine provided he accepts respodibility to defend the 
river. He is batised in 912 and become the subject of the frankish king.

Italy
1059 At Melfi the nomands confirm the superioroty of the pope. Robert Guiscard
is made duke (dux Apuliae et Calabriae). The Normands concer all Bysantine
land in italy and take Sicilly (Messina 1061,Palermo 1072) wich was held by
arabs. 
1130 Roger II (1105-1154) is unifying Sicilly with Kalabria and Apulia and makes
Palermo capital. Amalfi is taken 1137 and Napoli 1139.
1186 Henrik VI (later emperor) is marrying the daughter of Roger II. The 
Normandic heir Konstanta and inherrit the Normandic realm 1194
England
1016-1036 Knudt is 'elected' king of the english and he makes England the 
center of his Nordic sea realm. He marries the widow of Ethelred and is 
baptized.
Knudt gives land to his hird (guard) but there is no general apropriation.
The army is sent home to denlark. The unity of england is abandoned and 
duchys are formed. Edvard, the son of Ethelred organises a civil sevice that 
is run by nordic people. This resultd in a conflict with the leader of the 
anglo-saxian party, Godwin from Wessex and after the death of Edvard, Godwins
son Harald is made king. He defeates the Nodic people at Stamford bridge but
is eventually defeated and is killed. 
At Haistings 14 oct 1066 duke Vilhelm of Normany concers england.
Russia
Russia is formed as the swedish varjags settled among slavik tribes and form
larges realms. Under Rurik the unification is organized from Novgorod.
858 Askold and Dir arrive at Kiev on their way from the varjags to the greeks.
Their first assault on Konstantinople was defeated 860.
882 Oleg the wise (872-912) unifies Novgorod in the north with Kiev in the 
south. Kiev is made capital in this new state, the Realm of Kiev. The realm is 
threated by nomadic tribes from the east like the Kumans.
944 Igor is attacking Konstantinople without success and accept a trade 
agreement 
959 The widow of Igor, Helga (Olga 945-962) is baptized.
961-972 Svatosav is dominating international trade. He anihilates the realm of
Kazar Khan (966) defeats the Volga Bulgars (decendents of the Huns) (967) and
is thus in war with the byzantine empier and is defeated. (971) When he returns
he is atacked by the Petjengs, byzantine allies and is killed. His succesors
are of Rurik decent
978-1015 Vladimir the Holy as 980 made soverein by the varjags. He marries 
Basileios II, sister of the bysantine princess Anna and is baptized. (988)
Kieve becoms a religous center.
After getting rid of their co-rulers Vladimir and Jaroslav the unified russian 
state is formed. The vajagian upper classes is assimilated into the slavic 
natives in the 10th century. Ater several attacks on the VolgaBulgars (965 and
985) relations between the two states improve. The VolgaBulgars had become
wealthy becase of the trade between the north and east of Russia.
Kiev becomes the spiritual and cultural center of russia.
After the slavification the realm declines mainly due to conflicts between the
decedants of Rurik and the 'seniorat priciple'. Russia falls appart 1054 and
the conflicts are used by Konstantinople. in the 12th and 13th century most
parts of russia disapear as organized states and only Novgorod and Pskov 
survives.

Most of the information is from a rather popular book. As a filan remark I 
must stress that I dissaprove of using the word viking as a label for all 
people that lived in Norway, Sweden and Denmark in the beginning of the
Viking age. The word is a descripten of those who saled away. 

I don't whether the popular explenation of the world berserk is describing
someone who is fighting and vomiting but it should be considered.
I apologize for the spelling. I was in a hurry.

Arthur
 
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