Customer Reviews

The Vikings: A History

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Ferguson is fabulous! I had trouble putting this book down. I felt I was living the Viking era. The first book on Norse history that mades the cultural and cosmological belief system of the Vikings clear to me. There is no bias in this history. The Vikings are brutal, but they are also traders and colonists. Since most of our information about the Vikings is derived from Christian sources, it is refreshing to read something of Charlemagne's brutality toward the Heathen Saxons. Could this have influenced the Viking raiders' viciousness? It seems likely.

If you know little about the history of the Vikings, this is not the place to start. But if you are reasonably well-read, Ferguson's book adds depth and color to the Viking history and experience.

"The Vikings" presents its selections of Viking history in part through archeological and literary sources. The result seems almost anecdotal at times, but it is through anecdotes that Viking life, society and history take on added dimensions.

If, for example, you do not know about the raid on Lindisfarne that many say began "The Viking Age" you will learn little of the specifics from Ferguson. What you will learn is how the chroniclers in England saw the raid, how it was perceived by Bishop Alcuin in the court of Charlemagne and, speculatively, why the Vikings may have chosen to attack Christian sites as retaliation for forced conversion of Danish (Viking) Heathens by forces under Charlemagne.

Ferguson covers most of the standard parts of Viking history, the raiding and conquest of Normandy, the trading network through the Russian river system, the settlement of Iceland, the Greenland and North American adventures, the centuries-long struggle for England and the coming of Christianity to Norway. He adds attention to the Vikings in the Mediterranean and Iberia and interactions with Islam.

What sets his approach apart from other writers I have read is the central role of literary sources and archeological data. Instead of telling us what happened, frequently he lets us see the facts on the ground (through archeology) or hear the voices of those affected (throgh quotations from annals, correspondence and the like).

Throughout, the broad sweep of "the forest" is less obvious than the particular "trees," that make it up. A first time reader of Viking history may come away with a confused understanding from a disjointed narrative. One who knows the outlines well will find his knowledge of Vikings and their age richer for the effort.

Our book group read this book for February. Although the book is well researched and has a wealth of detail about the Vikings, it suffers by not having an overarching theme or organization. It loosely is divided up into chapters that each divide up by geography, there is no discussion of how any of the actions in one area tie to those in another areas. The author does a good job at two things, tying in archeology and the information in the sagas, but at the end all we know about the Vikings is that they were a rough heathen raiders who were converted to Christianity and who passed into history. I think that for your first book about Vikings you need something that is more chronological and that discusses what happened to end the Viking age.

Fabulously well-researched and well-written book by a lifelong scholar of Viking studies. Careful marshaling of the evidence on many points of disputation. Good story-teller. Wished it wouldn't end.

There have been many books written on the Vikings, and everyone has their own stereotypical - and in most cases, inaccurate - idea of who the Vikings were and what they were like; media has done much to reaffirm these clichés. Thankfully, there is The Vikings: A History by a "leading authority in the field of Scandinavian studies," Robert Ferguson. Ferguson puts all the misconceived and incorrect notions of Vikings to rest, launching into a comprehensive history of these northern peoples and what affect they had on Europe from the eighth centuries on through the first millennium. Ferguson pulls from many sources, and presents not just the viewpoint of the Vikings and their achievements, but also short histories on the northern British Isles, Charlemagne, and the various kingdoms of the European continent, showing how greatly affected they were by the Viking attacks and takeovers. The Vikings: A History will clear away the image of a horn-helmeted brute and replace it with a developed, complex culture that was intelligent and creative, and had reasons for the attacks against the various peoples of Europe.

Originally written on January 15th 2010 ©Alex C. Telander.

Originally published in the Sacramento Book Review.

For over 500 book reviews and exclusive author interviews, go to [...]

This is an excellent resource to learn about the Vikings' pre-Christian cultural practices as well as their raiding and settlement activities in Russia, England, Ireland, Iceland, and beyond. It presents genetic evidence for the partial Scandinavian descent of some of the people living in parts of present-day Britain and Ireland. Viking personalities discussed at length include King Cnut, King Guthrum, Ivar the Boneless, and many more. The writing is clear and the 32 photographs are well-chosen.

"The Vikings" is a comprehensive overview of the seafaring raiders from Norway, Sweden, and Denmark from around the raid of Lindisfarne in 793 to the complete conversion of Scandinavia to Christianity in the 11th century. The information presented is dense and comprehensive, but the mechanical and ponderous writing make reading this book a less than pleasurable task. It may have been inevitable, however, that such a comprehensive retelling of the Viking age would be difficult to weave into an engaging narrative given the plethora of names, many that sound similar, and the dispersed locales and participants of the events involved, combined with the ever shifting political landscape of the entire European region. I have given this book 4 stars because the research that went into it was obviously thorough and painstaking, but I would not recommend this book to the casual reader.