The Viking longship remains one of the most extraordinary machines of the medieval world. It carried raiders,...
Vikings
The Viking Era, roughly late eighth to mid eleventh century, marks a restless chapter in European history. Norse sailors pushed out from Scandinavia not only to raid but to trade, settle, and argue loudly about law. Monks noticed first. “Never before has such terror appeared in Britain,” wrote Alcuin of York in 793, sounding like a man who had just lost his roof. Further east, Ibn Fadlan observed their funerals with fascination and clear discomfort. From longships to marketplaces, the Vikings were less chaos incarnate and more highly motivated neighbours with excellent boats.
Olaf Guthfrithson, also known in the sources as Amlaíb mac Gofraid or Anlaf Guthfrithson, remains one of...
The Battle of Fulford is often treated like the forgotten opening act of 1066. Everyone remembers Stamford...
The Vikings had a talent for turning up unexpectedly, causing chaos, winning fortunes and occasionally leaving an...
The Short Answer Yes, Viking berserkers were probably real, though not quite in the way films, television...
The Carolingian sword was the dominant sword of Western and Northern Europe between the eighth and early...
Viking longships have a habit of making every other early medieval vessel look rather unfortunate. Put a...
When the Great Heathen Army landed in England in 865, it was unlike the Viking raids that...
It is one of those questions that looks simple until you try to answer it properly. “Viking”...
The Battle of Tettenhall was a coordinated strike that shattered Viking momentum in England. At its centre...