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The Viking Age effectively began in 793 with an attack on the monastery at Lindisfarne. "The church of St. Cuthbert is spattered with the blood of the priests of God," fumed the Northumbrian cleric Alcuin. Adventurers who roamed from Constantinople to the new world, conquerors of England, settlers of Russia, the medieval Scandinavians never lose their capacity to fascinate. As the Vikings roamed, their influence spread, from their ingeniously designed longboats to their stormy pantheon of gods and goddesses. Robert Ferguson combines his own expertise with the latest archaeological evidence to create a superb portrait of the Vikings, a people whose profound impact has made them a compelling subject since that first fateful raid on Lindisfarne.
List of Illustrations ix
List of Maps xi
Introduction 1
1 The Oseberg Ship 9
2 The culture of northern Heathendom 20
3 The causes of the Viking Age 41
4 'The devastation of all the islands of Britain by the Heathens' 58
5 The Vikings in the Carolingian empire 83
6 Across the Baltic 108
7 The Danelaw I: Occupation 132
8 The settlement of Iceland 154
9 Rollo and the Norman colony 174
10 The master-builder: Harald Bluetooth and the Jelling Stone 196
11 The Danelaw II: Assimilation 216
12 When Allah met Odin 245
13 A piece of horse's liver: The pragmatic Christianity of Håkon The Good 263
14 Greenland and North America 280
15 Ragnarök in Iceland 298
16 St Brice, St Alphege and the Wolf: The fall of Anglo-Saxon England 325
17 The Viking saint 348
18 Heathendom's last bastion 364
Notes 383
Index 421
CecMonster
Posted April 9, 2010
...and is writing, it seems, for people who know it as well. I found that this book tended to bounce around a lot in history. Though this is inevitable, it should be kept at a minimum, as constantly doing so makes it hard to place people, events, and developments in relative chronological order (making it difficult to discern cause and effect). Also, the book would occasionally become wrapped up in a particular burial site, ritual, event, source, or historical figure, and the overall history seems to suffer on its behalf. The final shortcoming is the lack of maps. It is hard to understand any history if you don't have a firm grasp on the relevant geography. The contradiction is that one must know the history in order to know what geography is "relevant." Hence, it is best for texts to include ample maps. This one does not do so.
I found the portions on linguistic interchange and legal foundations very interesting.
I probably would have enjoyed this book more if I had been more familiar with general Central and Eastern European and British history (and geography), as well as having a broad working knowledge of Scandinavian history. I guess one could say that my dissatisfaction with this book is attributable to my shortcomings as a reader. True, but most people aren't Viking gurus, and so they should steer clear of this book until they have already read a couple of other books about our friends of the north.
6 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Very informative and full of facts on the Viking culture. It was awesome to be able to read and absorb the chapter of the Viking influence in my native country Latvia. I also found this book in some way to be a bit humorous in my own personal understanding. I bet trying to convert that group back in those days must have felt something like trying to talk to a cave man or something. However, the fact that the author does bounce around between events and time periods, thats what made this book such a drag to read. I think that if it was written in a way where all the events put into this book were somehow in a chronological order, it probably would have been different and better.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 29, 2009
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...
MADE ME GO TO SLEEP!!!!
2 out of 28 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.8569180
Posted June 22, 2011
Great book, if a bit dry at times. This is an exciting topic and the book is written in an engaging fashion, although as with any historical treatise, the information can at times be dense and less than exciting. As other reviewers have mentioned, the book skips around a bit in historic dates but i did not find this as problematic as others did. I can't recommend this book highly enough for those who are ready to delve deeper into the history of the people of the Scandinavian region, and the effect they had on the surrounding areas as well as the entire western world at the time.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.jcmMN
Posted February 23, 2013
This book is full of information and insight into Viking culture and I really enjoyed it - particularly as a Norwegian American doing research on my ancestry. Be prepared, however, to wade through segments that are complicated and vacuum-packed with names and dates. You may have to really work at reading this book - as did I - but if you are interested in gaining an understanding of Viking history and times it is well worth it. You will learn much and no doubt find some surprises and even a few laughs. Good (though heavy) read.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Robert Ferguson has written some excellent biographies. This History of the Vikings has a special place in the many books about the Viking Age. Johannes Brondsted (THE VIKINGS 1960) a compelling compression, Gwyn Jones (A HISTORY OF THE VIKINGS 1984) has literary flair, Else Roesdahl (THE VIKINGS 1998) is a full and fascinating survey. Now, this book by Robert Ferguson has merit and rightly finds its place with the above and other scholars of many disciplines. In this history of the Viking World, every aspect of Viking life is examined. This book is recommended to a broad readership! Dag Stomberg
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.carpeoreo
Posted January 17, 2010
Engaging history of a fascinating people. Well worth a read if you are at all interested in the Vikings & their culture.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Overview
The Viking Age effectively began in 793 with an attack on the monastery at Lindisfarne. "The church of St. Cuthbert is spattered with the blood of the priests of God," fumed the Northumbrian cleric Alcuin. Adventurers who roamed from Constantinople to the new world, conquerors of England, settlers of Russia, the medieval Scandinavians never lose their capacity to fascinate. As the Vikings roamed, their influence spread, from their ingeniously designed longboats to their stormy pantheon of gods and goddesses. ...