The conversion of Scandinavia
Subtitle: Vikings, merchants, and missionaries in the remaking of Northern Europe
By: Anders Winroth
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: 2012
Place of publication: New Haven
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 250
ISBN-13: 9780300170269
Subjects: RELIGION / Christian Church / Growth; Commerce; Conversion; Vikings; Economics; RELIGION / Christian Church / History; HISTORY / Medieval; Christianity; Religion; Economic conditions; HISTORY / Europe / Scandinavia; History
Description: "In this book a MacArthur Award-winning scholar argues for a radically new interpretation of the conversion of Scandinavia from paganism to Christianity in the early Middle Ages. Overturning the received narrative of Europe's military and religious conquest and colonization of the region, Anders Winroth contends that rather than acting as passive recipients, Scandinavians converted to Christianity because it was in individual chieftains' political, economic, and cultural interests to do so.  Through a painstaking analysis and historical reconstruction of both archeological and literary sources, and drawing on scholarly work that has been unavailable in English, Winroth opens up new avenues for studying European ascendency and the expansion of Christianity in the medieval period"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction : Europe, Scandinavia, and Hallfred the Skald; title: The dynamic eighth century : Scandinavia comes of age; title: The raids of the Vikings; title: The power of gifts; title: Carving out power; title: Weland, Ulfberht, and other artisans; title: The lure of the exotic; title: Networks of trade; title: The story of conversion; title: Writing conversion; title: The gift of Christianity; title: Kings of god's grace; title: Scandinavia in European history.