vikings raids essay

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle allows us to distinguish several phases of Viking activity stretching over some 250 years. There is no doubt that a number of factors were working in combination in order to bring about this long series of attacks. Some theories suggest that the Vikings were simply an extension of normal Dark Age activity made possible and profitable by special circumstances. The descendants of Norse emigrants believed their ancestors were fleeing from the tyrannical growth of royal power in Norway. In contrast to this Bjorn Myhre plays down the extent of dramatic change in Norway as a reason for the Viking expansion and instead argues that the raids of the ninth and tenth centuries were devised by chieftains in search of wealth and silver which could then be fed back into a Scandinavian gift exchange based economy. West European written sources indicate that the Vikings first sought easy money, and then in time trading bases and land to dominate and inhabit. Whatever the school of thought, it is undeniable that Scandinavian society was undergoing considerable changes during this period. ‘Never before had so many decisive changes taken place in such a short space of time, and never before or since have Scandinavians played so great a role abroad.’ 

In order to assess the extent of the impact these raids had on England and Ireland, and indeed the political upheaval they caused, we must first look at the phases in which the attacks occurred. The first phase of Viking activity in England is determined to begin with the attack on Lindisfarne in 793, where ‘the ravages of heathen men miserably destroyed God’s church with plunder and slaughter’. These series of attacks were both speedy and effective. The very nature of these attacks ensured they were met with unorganised resistance. Regardless of the severity of these initial raids, they were, however, only seasonal raids. The Vikings always returned to their homeland for winter. The second phase of Viking activity shows their return with larger fleets and armies and with a bolder approach of heading further inland with their attacks. Now too, they made permanent settlements and stayed on their conquered land over winter, which enabled them to engage in an earlier start on raiding the following spring. Many permanent settlements were made in Ireland and Scotland. The Irish ‘who were in a permanent state of anarchic disunity’ suffered the most during the initial raids. A series of uncoordinated attacks on targets coupled with their inability to organise a sufficient defence force meant that, from the early stages of raiding, they suffered severely.

The third phase of Viking activity shows a dramatic shift in focus. The Vikings were adept at exploiting the changing balance of power. They were sensitive to political problems and quick to take advantage of them, both in Europe and within its individual kingdoms. Their invasions depended on the political situations and local defences of the countries in which they were interested. With this in mind, they turned their attention to England. For most of the 9th century England had escaped the devastation of the raids that fell on Ireland and Francia. By the mid-ninth century England still comprised of four independent kingdoms; East Anglia, Wessex, Mercia and Northumbria. She was very vulnerable and her attackers knew this. At this point the Vikings were highly mobile forces, moving rapidly around the country. The Northumbrians were preoccupied with a civil war while Mercia on the other hand was rife with political instability caused by ‘dynastic change and rivalry’ and the Vikings exploitation of these situations was to wage successful campaigns. They succeeded in conquering East Anglia, Mercia and Northumbria, demonstrating the ease with which they damaged political structure and control of England. However they failed in securing Wessex from Alfred the Great. Thanks to a split in the Viking army, Alfred managed to maintain Wessex and drive the Danes out of his kingdom and onto Francia. This lull in Viking activity close to home gave Alfred the space he needed to reorganise. He gave his defence forces a complete overhaul and was determined not to back down to his intruders. ‘The overall effect of these measures was to deny the Viking armies the freedom of movement which they had enjoyed in the 860’s and 870’s’. Ireland too was better prepared for this phase of attacks and Viking activity declined considerably there giving way to a period known as the ‘Forty Years Rest’.

This long ‘hiatus in Viking activity’ was brought to an end when the kings of Wessex conquered all the Scandinavian settlements and the Vikings were forced to retaliate. This time the Vikings returned with renewed vigour but they found conditions considerably different. The conquest of the Danelaw had taken just seven years. While much praise can be given to the efficient army Alfred left after his death, it was however Danish weakness that allowed an English victory. Once they had settled in their newly conquered lands, they lost their most powerful weapon in battle, their mobility. For the first time England was a unified kingdom.

Vikings adopted the political customs of the conquered countries in that they assumed the kingships of those regions in roughly the same geographical boundaries. They entered into the prevailing political pattern of their chosen territories by external means and then internal means. This was aided by their intermarriage with indigenous families, often for political reasons, such as the union between Silitric-Hiberno, the Viking king of York to the sister of the King of Wessex in 926. These bonds secured their position and authority and ensured that Scandinavian leaders and their children would remain important in politics for years to come.

Ireland was also affected strongly by the impact of the Vikings, but to a lesser extent than that of England. Before the invasions of the Norse, the Irish were a race of cattle farmers, living mainly inland and there was little commerce or trade within Ireland or between Ireland and the rest of Europe. After the Norse had settled the Irish concentrated on the coastal areas and a rich system of trade developed. This shows that the Vikings had a significant impact on the culture and society of the Irish, without which they would not have developed so quickly. Much the same as in her neighbouring country, Ireland was experiencing political instability before the arrival of the Vikings. The country was divided into competing high kingdoms where the high kings had little control over the quarrels that went on within their territories. Taking full advantage of this the Vikings launched their successful campaigns. However, once they began making permanent settlements ‘the conflicts became increasingly blurred as the Scandinavians became absorbed into the indigenous population of Ireland.’ 

The tenth century saw the decline of Viking power, although their invasions did not cease. In England during the late 940s and early 950s political support wavered between the King of Wessex and the Danish rulers in Northumbria, Olaf Silitricsson and Eric Bloodaxe. Eric was expelled in 954 from York, the last Scandinavian King of that territory. However most settlers did not leave with him but stayed and retained their lands. Men of Scandinavian descent subsequently ‘continued to play a prominent part in local affairs in many parts of eastern and northern England.’ However, their time as total rulers was over.

The effects the Vikings had on the political regimes of England and Ireland, and indeed in Europe, are obvious, but an unjustified amount of blame is placed on them for causing political change and disruption. Vikings made a steady income as professional warriors and were often recruited by dissatisfied lords who subsequently harried their kings. This was particularly the case in Ireland and thus they became involved in Irish power politics.

Its undeniable that as a result of the pressures and threats from the Vikings the political dynamic of both England and Ireland changed drastically, more so in the case of England. Here, they broke up the existing power structure by eliminating the kingdoms of East Anglia, Northumbria and Mercia. Now the English were forced to look for greater unity under the only remaining Anglo-Saxon kingdom, Wessex. ‘When the Danelaw was conquered by Wessex in the 10th century, the English were, for the first time, united under one crown.’ Aspect of Scandinavian governing styles, such as the importance of noble patronage and the power of the nobility themselves, were introduced. The necessity of military strength and its King was highlighted, as were the advantages of inter-racial alliances. The Scandinavian invasions therefore had introduced and reaffirmed trends and factors that remained significant in Englands political development for many centuries.

Bibliography:

Haywood, John, The Penguin Historical Atlas of the Vikings, Viking & Penguin Books 1995

Richards, Julian D, Viking Age England,

Sawyer, Peter, Kings and Vikings

Sawyer, Peter, The Oxford Illustrated History of the Vikings, Oxford University Press 1997

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