Viking expansion

Author: * Harald Egilsson - 1 Post on this thread out of 216 Posts sitewide.
Date: Feb 7, 2004 - 05:39

Merlin has cited the commonly held view that it was population pressures that forced out many Vikings to seek their fortunes elsewhere. And there certainly was an increase in population due to changes in climate and agricultural methods. But the effect of population increase was not quite as straigtforward as this, and there were other reasons for Viking expansion. I have posted a fuller version of this explanation at Hugrunar, but I shall list the factors that I believe explains the Viking expansion in the eighth and ninth centuries:

The demand for goods from Frankia had created a European market and brought the world within reach

Population increases had encouraged ambitious lords to seek fortunes elsewhere

Lords were able to embark on raids in the summer months while slaves in Scandinavia maintained their farms

Power struggles, especially in Denmark, had forced out exiles into Europe

The increasing centralisation of power in Scandinavia had created kings who were capable of leading large armies to Frankia and England

This is my personal view of the main reasons for Viking expansion, but feel free to disagree.

The answer to Gyrth's question of why the Vikings returned in the 'second Viking Age' in a more cohesive group is explained by the last point, the centralisation of power. In the first Viking age, the early raiders and merchants were discovering the world around them, and finding out where there was wealth, goods and land. As Scandinavia was brought under the control of a small group of powerful lords and kings, they continued the same activities but with greater forces at their disposal. Viking expansion was due to a combination of small groups of plunderers, traders and settlers, followed later by larger groups of more organised men.