55 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Absorbing, but fragmented, December 1, 2009
This review is from: The Vikings: A History (Hardcover)
One of the first difficulties in writing a history of the Vikings is deciding what defines a Viking. The derivation of the term "viking" is a matter of controversy, and even whether the word is Scandinavian in origin. And what period is to covered? Robert Ferguson basically chose as the era of interest to stretch from the late 8th century when Viking raiders suddenly burst upon the shores of Western Europe and "roughly speaking all the Scandinavian peoples were Heathens" until "roughly speaking all the Scandinavian peoples thought of themselves as Christians" (the 11th century or thereabouts). But an even more fundamental difficulty in undertaking the construction of a coherent history of the Vikings is the absence of firm pre-Christian Scandinavian written records. At a time when more or less reliable chronicles were being recorded in France and Germany and England, Norway and Denmark and Sweden were still very much lands of myth and legend. The archaeological record is somewhat sparse and erratic, so to a considerable extent Ferguson must present the Vikings as seen through the eyes of English, Frankish, Byzantine, and even Muslim chroniclers. He has created a kaleidoscopic history, absorbing to read but necessarily fragmented, peopled by an extraordinary cast of characters sometimes dimly seen. Their true names, their family backgrounds, often even their places of origin, remain unknown except as recorded in distorted form by usually hostile and always foreign observers. Ferguson follows the Vikings in their wanderings from the Arctic coast of Scandinavia to North Africa, from the Middle East to Spain and Portugal and even beyond to Greenland and North America. At times, the great array of so many similar names -- so many Haralds and Eriks and Olafs -- is nearly overwhelming, but Ferguson in the end keeps a steady grip on his central story of how the lands of Thor's Hammer fell to the domination of the Christian Cross.
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25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good but not great, February 2, 2010
This review is from: The Vikings: A History (Hardcover)
Robert Ferguson's new history of the Vikings is a remarkable book. It in Ferguson succeeds at setting out the broad historical outlines of Viking history and describing the unique character of Viking life and culture. He falls a bit short, however, in a thesis which he proposes, argues for strongly, and then mostly abandons.
But first, this book's many strengths. Ferguson is especially good at incorporating archaeological evidence in his work. His first chapters deal with Viking burial remains, such as the Oseberg ship, and what such gravesites can--and cannot--tell us about the Vikings. Further chapters discuss the Jelling Stones and the frequency of buried coin hoards. Ferguson also dwells at length on some of the less well-remembered journeys of the Vikings, such as their forays into Russia and Spain, and their gradual assimilation with preexisting cultures in places like Normandy and Russia. His chapter on the Viking presence in late Anglo-Saxon England is exceptionally good, perhaps the best chapter in the book.
The only thing keeping me from giving The Vikings five stars is one of Ferguson's central theses, that the Viking Age began as a reaction to Carolingian efforts to convert continental Viking peoples (i.e: the Danes) to Christianity. Ferguson argues quite strongly in favor of this interpretation, claiming that the targets of Viking raids were pointedly Christian locations like monasteries (Lindisfarne) and other religious centers. The Viking Age, according to Ferguson, was a distinct dichotomy of heathen versus Christian, with the heathens doing the raiding and the Christians praying for it to stop.
This is an interesting thesis but is hardly borne out by the facts. In fact, Ferguson's own book contradicts it repeatedly. Vikings were by no means strictly non-Christian, and Christians were by no means the only targets of Viking raids. There was a notable Christian minority among the Viking peoples from early on and heathen Vikings often pillaged the land of other heathen Vikings. Later, Christian Vikings raided heathen sites in Scandinavia. Perhaps Ferguson is merely suggesting the idea, but he argues so strongly for it at the beginning of the book (before mostly forgetting it in later chapters) that I couldn't help but notice every contradictory passage in his own history.
That said, this is still a very good history of the Viking Age, especially in light of Ferguson's mastery of archaeological evidence and his thorough knowledge of all the primary sources. Be aware of Ferguson's flawed early thesis, but don't hesitate to read this book anyway.
Recommended.
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Uncertainty leads to an honest history, March 1, 2010
This review is from: The Vikings: A History (Hardcover)
To start, Ferguson's book gives a nice review of the Vikings' many geographical influences. Instead of focusing a chapter on weapons, culture, time period, etc., the book is more focused on Viking conquest and settlement in Eastern Europe, England, Normandy, etc. However, the aspect that set this book apart was the acknowledgment of source conflict and uncertainty. Many aspects of Viking history are only recorded by one or a handful of medieval scribes, who would often bias their stories to suit their own family or religious needs. Ferguson is careful to bring these sources together to give a balanced picture. His handling of medieval Christianity was also very fascinating, particularly his thesis that the Viking raids may have been spurred on by over-zealous conversion tactics by the Frankish-Holy Roman Empire. Additionally, the reader also got a feel for the gradual conversion of the Vikings from Heathendom to Christianity, which was seen by many Viking rulers as a way to gain access to mainland European culture and society. Highly recommended for those interested in early European history.
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