Vikings (a History Of The Norse People)

Arranged thematically, Vikings: A History of the Norse People is an illustrated guide to the Norsemen, from exploration, trade and settlement to weaponry, religion, and their legacy.

“From the fury of the Northmen, good Lord deliver us.” – Anonymous monk, Noirmoutier, France, 9th century AD Beginning in 789AD, the Vikings raided monasteries, sacked cities and invaded western Europe. They looted and enslaved their enemies. But that is only part of their story. In long boats they discovered Iceland and America (both by accident) and also sailed up the Seine to Paris (which they sacked). They settled from Newfoundland to Russia, founded Dublin and fought battles as far afield as the Caspian Sea. A thousand years after their demise, traces of the Vikings remain all the way from North America to Istanbul. They traded walruses with Inuits, brought Russian furs to Western Europe and took European slaves to Constantinople. Their graves contain Arab silver, Byzantine silks and Frankish weapons. In this accessible book, the whole narrative of the Viking story is examined from the eighth to the eleventh centuries. Arranged thematically, Vikings: A History of the Norse People examines the Norsemen from exploration to religion to trade to settlement to weaponry to kingdoms to their demise and legacy. But today questions remain: what prompted the first Viking raids? What stopped their expansion? And how much of the tales of murder, rape and pillage is myth? Illustrated with more than 200 photographs, maps and artworks, Vikings: A History of the Norse People is an expertly written account of a people who have long captured the popular imagination.

Introduction

Chapter One
Origins of the Vikings

Chapter Two
The Old Norse Religion

Chapter Three
Viking Law and Social Order

Chapter Four
Viking Society

Chapter Five
The Early Raids

Chapter Six
Viking Weapons and Combat

Chapter Seven
Explorations, Settlement and Trade

Chapter Eight
The Viking Kingdoms

Chapter Nine
The End of the Viking Age

Chapter Ten
The Legacy of the Vikings

Index

Martin J. Dougherty is the author of Norse Myths, The Wars of the Roses and Celts: The History and Legacy, among many other books. A former defence consultant, he also writes on personal self-defence and modern military technology. He lives in northern England.