A Brief History of: The Vikings The Last Pagans Or The First Modern Europeans?

‘From the Fury of the Northmen deliver us, O Lord.’

Between the eighth and eleventh centuries, the Vikings surged from their Scandinavian homeland to trade, raid and invade along the coasts of Europe. Their influence extended from Newfoundland to Baghdad, their battles as far-flung as Africa and the Arctic.

But were they great seafarers or desperate outcasts, noble heathens or oafish pirates, the last pagans or the first of the modern Europeans?

This concise study puts medieval chronicles, Norse sagas and Muslim accounts alongside more recent research into ritual magic, genetic profiling and climatology. It includes biographical sketches of some of the most famous Vikings — from Erik Bloodaxe to Saint Olaf, and King Canute to Leif the Lucky.

Extending beyond the traditional ‘Viking age’ of most books, A Brief History of the Vikings places sudden Scandinavian population movement in a wider historical context, presenting a balanced appraisal of these infamous sea kings and explaining both their swift expansion and its supposed halt. Supposed because, ultimately, the Vikings didn’t disappear — they turned into us.

About the Author: Dr Jonathan Clements is the author of many books on East Asian history, including biographies of emperors and empresses, statesmen and warriors. His works have been translated into over a dozen languages.