A Brief History of the Vikings

Nonfiction, History, European General
Cover of the book A Brief History of the Vikings by Jonathan Clements, Little, Brown Book Group
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Jonathan Clements ISBN: 9781472107756
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group Publication: February 7, 2013
Imprint: Robinson Language: English
Author: Jonathan Clements
ISBN: 9781472107756
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
Publication: February 7, 2013
Imprint: Robinson
Language: English

'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 and expeditions extended from Newfoundland to Baghdad, their battles were 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. It explains why the Danish king Harald Bluetooth lent his name to a twenty-first century wireless technology; which future saint laughed as she buried foreign ambassadors alive; why so many Icelandic settlers had Irish names; and how the last Viking colony was destroyed by English raiders.

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. It presents a balanced appraisal of these infamous sea kings, explaining both their swift expansion and its supposed halt. Supposed because, ultimately, the Vikings didn't disappear: they turned into us.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

'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 and expeditions extended from Newfoundland to Baghdad, their battles were 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. It explains why the Danish king Harald Bluetooth lent his name to a twenty-first century wireless technology; which future saint laughed as she buried foreign ambassadors alive; why so many Icelandic settlers had Irish names; and how the last Viking colony was destroyed by English raiders.

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. It presents a balanced appraisal of these infamous sea kings, explaining both their swift expansion and its supposed halt. Supposed because, ultimately, the Vikings didn't disappear: they turned into us.

More books from Little, Brown Book Group

Cover of the book The Gorse Trilogy by Jonathan Clements
Cover of the book The Five-Minute Writer by Jonathan Clements
Cover of the book Disciples of the Whip by Jonathan Clements
Cover of the book DIY Sex and Relationship Therapy by Jonathan Clements
Cover of the book More Than My Job's Worth by Jonathan Clements
Cover of the book A Sister's Bond by Jonathan Clements
Cover of the book The Selfish Pig's Guide To Caring by Jonathan Clements
Cover of the book The Damascened Blade by Jonathan Clements
Cover of the book Summer Half by Jonathan Clements
Cover of the book George Orwell by Jonathan Clements
Cover of the book World War II: The Autobiography by Jonathan Clements
Cover of the book The Blackbird's Tale by Jonathan Clements
Cover of the book The Betrayal of Father Tuck by Jonathan Clements
Cover of the book The Renaissance Popes: Culture, Power, and the Making of the Borgia Myth by Jonathan Clements
Cover of the book The Mammoth Book of Polar Journeys by Jonathan Clements
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy