While the English called the Vikings a vile
people, the Vikings themselves would disagree. To them, their fearsome and bloody raids made
complete sense according to the Norse mythology that their Viking society was based on. It was about bravery and going to battle against
dangerous enemies. It was also about winning the fight and enjoying
the spoils that came with it. There were various principles and ethics involved,
just not Christian ones. In fact, Christianity helped bring about the
end of the Viking way of life. Let’s learn more about why the era of raids
ground to a halt in this episode of The Infographics Show, What Happened to the Vikings? The Vikings age was a long one, ranging from
the year 793 to 1066. Those who lived the Viking life could be found
in the North Atlantic and Scandinavian regions of the world. Now it is important to recognize that not
everyone from these areas was a Viking. The word itself is defined as either raider
or pirate, and only a minority of the population actually participated in raiding. Further, of the ones who did, they would only
do so when the timing was right. Before they went raiding, the land of their
farms would need tending first. In other words, they were farmers before anything
else and a type of businessmen second. Raids were what they thought of as an opportunity
to make money or gain possessions that could then be used to further their entrepreneurial
ambitions, nothing more and nothing less. Profits could improve their farms or could
help them maintain their ships. Raiding was also only a pastime of the young;
older men were expected to stay behind and care for their families. It was also understood that while Vikings
could raid, they could not steal. To steal was dishonorable, whereas there was
much glory in winning a fight. Only upon conquering the enemy was it right
to take the valuables they owned. Examples of this belief are found in an old
Norse saga from 1240 AD. In this saga, a raiding party is captured
but escapes during the night and takes off with their captors’ possessions. Yet they stop before heading on home. What gives them pause is that they believe
what they have done is wrong and a form of thievery. They set about making things right by returning
to the home of their captors to kill them all. Only then can they take their goods since
they fought for them first. Though this is a tale, it is based on truth. The concepts that the Vikings lived by were
bravery, honor, and courage, and they believed in a pagan religion in which there were many
gods of several talents that tied in to the world around them in observable ways. They could not understand or appreciate the
Christian way of life or those who supported Christian views of one all-knowing God of
whom there was, to them, little evidence of existing. They therefore had little tolerance for the
Christians they came across while on their raids. This is how the Vikings earned their less
than flattering reputation; because, while it would normally be frowned upon to kill
the unarmed and loot their belongs, this only applied to those who were Norse. Therefore, from the year 793 to 1100, as they
terrorized coastal Europe, the Vikings would kill any person they encountered who got in
their way, including monks. They figured that if Christian religious leaders
could be killed in a church, then their God was not a strong or powerful one after all. And plunder, from a church or not, was all
theirs for the taking. Unfortunately, monasteries were often key
targets for the raiders, as they often held a lot of readily available money. Though the Vikings would take not just take
silver and gold. They often snatched up anything and everything
of value that they could, including things such as iron tools, clothing, food, and even
people for use as slaves. Now, eventually all of this changed. Many agree that by the year 1066 the raids
had pretty much stopped. This was due to many reasons. One of these is changes that took place within
Norse society. Previously, many men were free and owned their
own land. For these reasons they had both the time and
resources to contribute to the raiding effort. However, later on, Norse society no longer
had such a wide distribution of wealth. Instead, there were just a few with both land
and money. The majority were now much poorer and didn’t
own the land that they worked. They could not afford to leave it to pursue
any wayfaring adventures. In addition to this, the coastal lands that
they raided could put up a better defense. At first, these areas had been largely free
from central control. With only local authority figures in charge,
it was relatively easy to mount an attack and have the upper hand in the battle that
would ensue. However, these lands eventually came under
the rule of various kings. This meant that now there were armies trained
in war that could defend against a Viking attack. The Vikings knew how to use weapons but relied
on their advantage of surprise for their success. This was no longer as much of an advantage
against trained guards. Further, key targets were shifted from offshore
locations to areas more inland and beyond the reach of Viking parties. Structures were also changed and strengthened
in ways that made them less vulnerable. This tilted the odds in favor of those they
were raiding and against the raiders themselves. With less to gain and more to lose, this was
likely quite a deterrent. In addition to all of this, Christianity found
its way into the Norse culture. Missionaries succeeded in converting much
of the Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish populations. Some rulers in the Scandinavian region forced
conversion of their subjects as well. Unsurprisingly, many raiding practices were
at odds with Christian beliefs and so their support began to decline. Further, by the 11th century, the Catholic
Church upheld two edicts banning violence by Christians against other Christians with
the threat of excommunication for those who did not obey. Most of those in the surrounding lands had
by this time become Christian as well, so fighting them to take their spoils was no
longer an option. One of the final events that brought an end
to the Viking way of life was the Battle of Stamford Bridge. This began when the last Viking king, who
was also the King of Norway, attempted to reconquer English lands. With this goal in mind, he brought 300 ships
and 11,000 of his men to England’s shores. Only this time, it was the English who launched
an attack. King Hardrada died during the conflict when
an arrow pierced his throat. This brought a stop to the last significant
raid and also ended the age of the Vikings. Now that we have covered the lives of the
Vikings from their days of glory to their end, what do you think, were the English right
in calling them a vile people or were they misunderstood? Let us know in the comments! Also, be sure to check out our other video
called What Was Life of a Viking Warrior Like? Thanks for watching, and, as always, don’t
forget to like, share, and subscribe. See you next time!
