What did the Vikings ever do for us?

y

Rev Dr Simon Coupland- April 2105 Recent Lecture

Simon Coupland gave an entertaining and provocative account of the Vikings and their impact with particular reference to their raids on the continent of Europe. He posed a number of questions to highlight frequently over-simplified theories put forward by scholars who approach the subject from a purely historic or archaeological perspective and portray the Vikings as either bloodthirsty plunderers or peaceable traders.

Viking attacks on the Continent were similar to those experienced in Britain and inspired the same degree of terror among existing inhabitants. However, the raiding bands were composed of disparate groups of people who shared common identities but were happy to fight as mercenaries against other Nordic bands. Thus there is no simple answer to the question “Who were the Vikings?” The raiders who attacked France in the 9th century came mainly from Denmark, whilst the Norwegians tended to voyage to the north and west and the Swedes explored countries to the east.

It is generally accepted that historical accounts tended to exaggerate the impact of conflict, slaughter and pillage inflicted by the raiders. This is illustrated by the news of the death of Bishop Gunhard during a raid on the cathedral of Nantes in 843AD, which spread rapidly across Europe. The 11th century Chronicle of Nantes recounts that the Bishop was cut down whilst celebrating mass in his cathedral, whereas more contemporary sources suggest that he hid during the raid and was subsequently captured and either killed or taken to the ships to be ransomed or enslaved.

Charles the Bald is known to have expended large sums in order to pay off Viking raiders but there is little evidence that such payments or plunder had a significant impact on the wealth of the royal treasury. The Annals of St Bertin state that in 848AD Vikings ravaged and burned the vicus of Melle, the site of extensive silver mines and an important centre for minting coins. Whilst some coins from Melle were discovered in the Cuerdale hoard in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire, there is evidence that coins for the royal treasury continued to be minted during the 850s and 860s.

According to numismatic evidence, the wealthy trading port of Dorestad appears to have enjoyed an economic upturn between 790AD and 840AD but no coins have been discovered after 870AD. The Annals of Fulda state that in 850AD the Viking leader Rorik travelled up the Rhine and was received into allegiance by the emperor Lothar, who put him in charge of the port in exchange for tribute. Whilst Rorik may have neglected his duties, archaeological evidence of the extension of jetties shows that the Rhine was already changing course and silting up. Thus decline of the port cannot be attributed directly to the impact of Viking raiders.

In answer to the question “How can we trace fear of the Viking raids?” historians have pointed to the number of coin hoards, usually buried during times of unrest, and the construction of fortified buildings, suggesting that European kings were becoming better at organizing their defences. This evidence does not appear entirely reliable since the coin hoards from Carolingian Frisia peak between 840 and 850AD after the intensity of Viking raids had reduced. Whilst some forts were constructed by Louis the Pious, other fortifications were built by powerful local nobles, hastening the introduction of the feudal system



Simon Coupland argued that Medieval and subsequent historians have given the Vikings a bad press. Artefacts found in hoards such as the Vale of York may have been looted from Carolingian monasteries but church inventories still testify to their considerable wealth. Reports of raids by Viking bands sailing up the Seine, Rhine and Loire and causing devastation were mainly written by clerics whose coffers were primarily targeted by the invaders for plunder or by kings for money to pay the Vikings off.

Whilst the Viking raids undoubtedly inspired fear, there is less archaeological proof of widespread pillage on the Continent. Much of the evidence points to the adoption of more settled patterns of living and trading, as the Vikings assimilated into the existing population. Having converted to Christianity, they rapidly integrated into European society.

In 911AD Charles the Simple ceded land between the Seine and the Loire to the Norse leader Rollo in exchange for peace and protection against further incursion by Viking bands. This created the Duchy of Normandy independent of the French crown and paved the way for Rollo’s descendent, William Duke of Normandy, to launch his conquest of England in 1066. Consequently, it could be argued that that the Norman Conquest was the most important legacy of the earlier Viking raids, in answer to the question “What did the Vikings ever do for us?”

Jennifer Hunt