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The Vikings

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36
The Viking Legacy
2023-11-23
The course of Medieval history was fundamentally altered by the Viking Age. The feudal states of Western Europe were born.

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35
From Vikings to Crusaders
2023-11-23
By 1100, the Viking age had passed. On the eve of the Black Death (1347 - 1351), all three Scandinavian kingdoms shared similar fiscal and institutional weaknesses.

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34
Christianization and Economic Change
2023-11-23
In the 11th century, distinct national churches emerged in the Scandinavian kingdoms. Christianity brought new prosperity and population growth.

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33
Kings of the Swedes and Goths
2023-11-23
Sweden, in resources and population, seemed destined for primacy in Scandinavia, but the Yngling kings of Uppsala did not profit from the Viking expansion in the East. In contrast to Norway and Denmark, Sweden lacked powerful sea kings that could forge a territorial state under hereditary Christian monarchs.

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32
St. Olaf of Norway
2023-11-23
Converted in England, Olaf rose from a Viking raider to become a great Christian king of Norway, which he liberated from Danish rule in 1015. His heavy-handed rule led his subjects to expel and then kill him at the Battle of Stikelstad in 1030, but they later repented, and he survives in memory as Scandinavia's first royal saint.

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31
Jarls and Sea Kings of Norway
2023-11-23
Harald Finehair, a king in Upplond, imposed his rule over Norway after defeating a coalition of jarls at the naval battle of Hafsfjord c. 875.

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30
Collapse of Cnut
2023-11-23
At Cnut's death, his sons clashed for control while also fending off Magnus the Good of Norway. In 1066, with Cnut's sons both dead and his nephew Svein Estrithson holding Denmark, Magnus's uncle Harald Hardardi attempted to wrest England from Cnut's distant relative Harold II.

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29
Cnut the Great
2023-11-23
Cnut the Great (1014 - 1035), along with his father Svein Forkbeard, reclaimed England for Scandinavia, but viewed himself as a pan-European king in the mold of Charlemagne. Though not remembered fondly by his subjects, his maintenance of a powerful fleet, innovative use of proxy rule, and savvy employment of marriage alliances turned Denmark into a Christian North Sea Empire.

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28
Formation of the Kingdom of Denmark
2023-11-23
Denmark was forged under threat from the Holy Roman Empire to the south. Responding to Henry the Fowler's 934 invasion, the pagan king Gorm the Old raided the southern frontier, securing Jutland.

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27
St. Anskar and the First Christian Missions
2023-11-23
In a Viking-Age Scandinavia well served by the traditional gods of war, sailing, and prosperity, the Carolingian missionary St. Anskar had little success convincing the Vikings that Christianity was a powerful religion of victory.

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26
Transformation of Scandinavian Society
2023-11-23
From 790 - 1000, a massive influx of silver led to the minting of Scandinavian coins and resulting monetized markets. Newly wealthy individuals, increasingly women, enjoyed their largess through imported luxury goods and personal ornamentation found in ever-more opulent ship burials.

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25
From Varangians into Russians
2023-11-23
Prince Vladimir of Kiev's momentous conversion to Orthodox Christianity in 989 was revolutionary. The Rus adopted literacy and the Slavic language, imported Byzantine builders to create masonry churches, shifted patronage from pagan poetry to Christian works, created cavalry and a military elite, and converted a slave-trade economy into an agricultural economy.

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24
The Road to Byzantium
2023-11-23
The shift in Swedish trading activity from the Volga in the east to the Dneiper in the west was also a shift away from the Islamic world and towards a Byzantine Christian civilization that greatly impressed the Swedes. The Rus became mercenary allies and trading partners with the emperors in Constantinople and imported imperial institutions into an incipient Russian kingdom.

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23
Swedes in the Baltic Sea and Russia
2023-11-23
By the 8th century, intrepid Swedes had moved into the Russian forest zones, acquiring slaves to trade with Khazar middlemen that controlled the Volga. These Swedes, or Rus, braved rapids and marauding steppe-peoples, adapting to a foreign land and adopting some indigenous customs and institutions.

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22
Western Voyages to Greenland and Vinland
2023-11-23
The daunting climate and the ultimate paucity of marketable trade goods prevented Greenland from becoming a viable settlement, while Vinland settlements foundered due to hostile Algonquins and remoteness from the Scandinavian homeland. The American fascination with these voyages reveals a sentiment the Icelanders would have appreciated, a yearning for connection with an ancient past.

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21
Skaldic Poetry and Sagas
2023-11-23
Icelanders preserved memories of their Scandinavian homeland and transmitted tales of the ancient Germanic gods through recited poems, consistent with an oral culture in which even law was recited publicly from memory. From the 10th century onward, literature became ever more ornate and sophisticated, culminating in the great collections of Norse poetry and mythology, and the prose sagas.

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20
Iceland - A Frontier Republic
2023-11-23
The rugged terrain of Iceland necessitated egalitarianism. As men left home to hunt, fish, and tend pastures, women ran the households, handled legal settlements, and even acted as delegate chieftains.

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19
The Settlement of Iceland
2023-11-23
Iceland filled with settlers between 870 and 930. Some sought relief from an overcrowded Norway, some sought free land, and others desired freedom from the tyrannical Norwegian king Harald Finehair.

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18
Norse Kings of Dublin and Ireland
2023-11-23
In 917, Hiberno-Norse kings reestablished rule over Dublin and its hinterland, and many key ports. With Norse immigration in decline, however, they lacked the numbers to dominate the island.

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17
Viking Assault on Ireland
2023-11-23
In 432 - 433, St. Patrick brought Roman Christianity to Ireland, but not Roman government. So in the Viking Age, Ireland possessed great, learned, clan-supported monasteries surrounded by chieftain-led tribes. Norse Vikings devastated the monasteries, dominated the river systems and coastal ports, and co-opted local chieftains, transforming Ireland into a hub for the slave trade to Muslim Spain.

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16
The Danelaw
2023-11-23
Many Danes settled in the northern areas of England conquered by the Great Army. In the 9th and 10th centuries, Anglo-Danish rule brought lasting changes in language, customs, and legal institutions.

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14
The Duchy of Normandy
2023-11-23
In 911, Frankish king Charles the Simple faced the Viking sea king Hrolf and a massive Viking fleet en route to Paris. With no money to offer as ransom, Charles offered Hrolf the land around the town of Rouen.

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13
Viking Raids on the Carolingian Empire
2023-11-23
Vikings raided the Carolingian Empire throughout the 9th century, disrupting trade routes and depleting imperial coffers through the extraction of tribute (Danegeld). Local vassals stepped into the power void and claimed fiefs, while veteran Viking companies put down roots in the empire at fortified camps and bases.

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12
Christendom on the Eve of the Viking Age
2023-11-23
The Carolingian Empire, which had actually conquered Germanic peoples under Charlemagne, possessed the economic and military strength to challenge the Vikings. But partition in 843 and civil conflicts between the nobles weakened Carolingian defenses, even as Frankish prosperity invited Viking raids.

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11
Merchants and Commerce in the Viking Age
2023-11-23
From 675 - 840, Western economic and political activity revived, fueled by improved agriculture, growing towns and monasteries, and renewed Mediterranean trade. But it was the need for slaves in the Islamic world that led Vikings to pioneer extensions of this trade, southwest to Islamic Spain and southeast to Constantinople and Baghdad.

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10
Warfare and Society in the Viking Age
2023-11-23
Swords, bows and arrows, javelins, spears, and axes made up the Viking arsenal, but their greatest weapon was unit cohesion. Trained since youth, they were expert in winter travel and foraging, the building of fortifications, and coordinated attack in advanced formations like the "shield wall.

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9
A Revolution in Shipbuilding
2023-11-23
Without the advances in shipbuilding that occurred in the 9th and 10th centuries, Viking success in raiding and trading would have been impossible. Viking vessels evolved from the earliest paddleboats to the great cargo and war ships that carried Viking goods and armies farther and faster than anyone else in the Medieval world.

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8
Legendary Kings and Heroes
2023-11-23
The Epic of Beowulf (c. 675 - 725) and The Saga of Hrolf Kraki (c. 13th century) look back to the 6th century when legendary kings of Denmark and Sweden ruled from great halls and won great victories, albeit without the Viking longships of the 9th and 10th centuries. These figures were role models and inspirations to the sea kings and territorial rulers of the Viking Age.

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7
Runes, Poetry, and Visual Arts
2023-11-23
As a non-urbanized culture, Viking society expressed its visual genius in elaborate woodcarving and intricate jewelry, not architecture. Gods were represented by charming cult statues and contacted through magical runic drawings.

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6
The Norse Gods
2023-11-23
Norse religion was integral to Scandinavian life. A creation myth tells of primeval frozen wastes and sacred trees.

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5
The Age of Migrations
2023-11-23
As the Roman political order collapsed in Western Europe, Scandinavians poured in: Anglo-Saxons in England, Franks in Gaul, Swedish Goths in Italy and Spain, Danes in Frisia. Cultural ties were so close that Scandinavian legends celebrated legendary West Germanic figures for centuries.

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4
Weapons of The Vikings
The Vikings were fighting machines, they invested in the best weapons money could buy and the finest armor, slashing their way into the history books. They plundered lands from central Asia to North America and defeated the armies of the greatest empires.

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3
The Ships of the Vikings
The Vikings were great explorers and sailors. They exceeded all others in that area. Speedy, lightweight ships carried Nordic warriors all the way from their Scandinavian homes to lands of conquest. How were these ergonomic ships built and what made them

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2
Early Viking Society and Religion
In this episode of our series, we learn how early Viking society developed, what the sacred rituals really were, and what role women played in Viking religion.

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1
Origin of the Vikings
The Vikings were the last barbarians. From the ice fields of the North to the Russian steppe, these fearsome Scandinavian warriors sailed the globe for three centuries spreading their net of trade and pillage.

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"Vikings" is a gripping historical saga that transports you to the brutal and mysterious world of Ragnar Lothbrok, a legendary Norse warrior turned Viking chieftain. Inspired by the sagas of Viking Ragnar Lothbrok, one of the best-known mythological Norse heroes, the series is an exploration of Viking life, culture, warfare, and exploration during the early medieval period. As you immerse yourself in the show, you find yourself in an era marked by relentless ambition and spiritual conflict. It's a world where the drive for exploration, conquest, and the search for new lands is palpable. "Vikings" masterfully blends historical fact with Norse myths and legendary tales to create a rich, engrossing narrative. The heart of the show beats with the trials and triumphs of Ragnar Lothbrok, his family, and his band of warriors as they strive to become the most powerful and feared in all of Scandinavia and beyond. Intricately woven into the narrative are themes of power, brotherhood, loyalty, and betrayal, fueling deeply personal and bloody rivalries that threaten to tear apart families and kingdoms. The landscape of "Vikings" is relentless and unforgiving, showcasing the stark beauty of the fjords, the harshness of the northern winters, and the tumultuous waters that have to be navigated in order to raid or explore distant lands. Visually stunning and meticulously crafted, the series dives deep into the culture and practices of the Viking people, from their polytheistic beliefs and rituals to their unique societal structures and maritime innovations. Throughout the series, the viewer is introduced to a diverse cast of complex characters, each with their own ambitions, fears, and moral compass. The portrayal of women in "Vikings" is particularly notable; they are depicted as fierce shieldmaidens, influential leaders, and guardians of their families' legacies. The show doesn't shy away from the conflicts that come with challenging traditional gender roles in a society where power is often measured in physical strength and prowess in battle. The Viking raids, which bring terror to the hearts of the Europeans, are fearless expeditions across treacherous seas to distant shores. These raids are not only for plunder and conquest but also for the pursuit of knowledge and trade. The personal sagas intersect with the historical as the show depicts the Vikings' fabled journeys to the British Isles, Frankia, and even the Mediterranean. Viewers are treated to spellbinding narratives of political intrigue, bloody conflict, and interactions between Vikings and other cultures. Throughout its progression into 2020, "Vikings" remains committed to the intricate character development that was set in motion from its inception. As characters rise and fall, the newer seasons introduce fresh faces, presenting their own paths and legends while balancing the legacies of the characters who have etched themselves into the viewer's memory. The series does not hesitate to explore the psychological and philosophical depths of its characters. It examines their internal struggles as they reconcile their desires, their fates, and the inexorable pull of the gods they revere. The Vikings' spiritual beliefs are a constant undercurrent, influencing their decisions, their systems of honor and justice, and their worldviews. "Vikings" has always excelled in its action-packed sequences—the visceral combat, the strategic confrontations, and the sweeping battle scenes captivate the audience, grounding the high drama in earthy realism. The physicality of these scenes is matched by the emotional intensity brought forth by an exceptional cast, whose performances give life to its expansive mythos. Enmeshed in the overarching historical context is a production replete with meticulous costume design, vibrant set pieces, and a hauntingly atmospheric score that altogether brings to life the historical and legendary elements of the Viking Age. By 2020, fans of "Vikings" are continuing on a journey rich in historical detail and narrative complexity. While the series compels its audience with fierce battles and bold expeditions, it's the personal journeys of its characters—fraught with ambition, conflict, and the perpetual quest for glory—that solidify "Vikings" as a truly immersive historical drama. It is this blend of the visceral and the emotional, fact and myth, that positions the show as a compelling exploration of an era shrouded in both history and legend.

The Vikings is a series categorized as a . Spanning 1 seasons with a total of 35 episodes, the show debuted on 2020. The series has earned a no reviews from both critics and viewers..

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