Historical Atlas of the Viking World (Historical Atlas)
Publisher: Checkmark Books; Infobase Holdings, Inc.
Published: November 2002
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 192
ISBN-13: 9780816050680
Subjects: European history: c 500 to c 1500; Reference works; c 500 CE to c 1000 CE; World - General; History - General History; History; History: World; Europe; Northern Europe, Scandinavia; Europe - Scandinavia; General; Vikings
First sentence: The Vikings did not emerge fully formed from the North Sea mists.
Description: "From A.D. 790, Viking raiders struck fear into the coastal communities of England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, northern Germany, western and southern France, and the Low Countries (now Holland and Belgium). Using rivers, Vikings struck deep inland to attack monasteries, towns, even walled cities. The very fabric of the Christian Church in northern Europe was threatened with extinction.".

"Settlers followed the raiders. Eventually, the pillaging diminished as the Vikings became Christians. By the late 11th century, Viking settlers, merchants, and even armies had become intermingled and indistinguishable from the populations of northern Europe. Those Vikings who settle around the Seine estuary in France became Normans, adopted the Frankish feudal system and formed the backbone of the new medieval era.".

"But who were the Vikings? Why did they suddenly burst beyond the confines of their Scandinavian homeland? How and why did the Viking era come to an end? How did these people live? How did they acquire such a fearsome martial reputation? And what did they believe in?".

"Angus Konstam's Historical Atlas of the Viking World traces the story of this vibrant European culture from the mists of its mythology to its culmination as one of the most powerful trading cultures of the early Middle Ages. The book also emphasizes that even today we live with the cultural and judicial legacy of these amazing people - the Vikings."--BOOK JACKET.