The Viking Timeline: What Happened & When?
The Viking Age lasted just a few centuries. But what happened, and when did it happen? The Viking timeline is examined in depth.
The Viking era began after the Germanic Iron Age ended. Norsemen used rivers and oceans to explore Europe for trade, raiding, and conquest from about the year 793 to 1066.
Of course, history from a long time ago isn't always accurate. Most of what we know about the time period comes from Icelandic sagas, which are tales written hundreds of years after events occurred. If they have happened at all. This is one of the most common criticisms leveled at Viking tales.
The people that the Norsemen conquered appear to leave the few historical documents that exist. While those accounts are likely to paint a one-sided view, they do help us begin to put together a Viking timeline.
When reading these dates and facts, keep in mind that many historians disagree on the specifics! In some cases, the dates are unclear, and in others, it's unclear if the events took place at all.
The early days
Raids on the British Isles began in 791. Christian monasteries on small islands, which were mostly vulnerable, were the first targets. In 793, at Lindisfarne in north-east England, one of the most successful early raids took place. According to English Heritage, it was identified by Anglo-Saxon writers as “Heathen men came and miserably destroyed God's church on Lindisfarne, with plunder and slaughter.”
The Oseberg ship was sunk at 830. The Oseberg ship, discovered near Tonsberg and buried around this time, is perhaps the finest artefact to have survived the Viking period. The ship was discovered with the skeletons of two women. The ship is currently on display in Oslo, while a replica bobs in Tnsberg's harbor.
Norse settlers arrived in Dublin in the year 840. They occupied the ecclesiastical settlement and started to establish their own camps, which would eventually become the Republic of Ireland's capital.
Far and wide
In the year 844, Muslims in Spain repelled a Viking raid. To raid Seville, Vikings sailed up the Guadalquivir river. A Muslim army fought back, and the Vikings were deterred from attacking Spain again by the Muslim response.
Vikings established a kingdom in York in the year 866. Vikings from Denmark conquer York in northern England and create a kingdom. The Northumbrian kings Aelle and Osbert, on the other hand, were not apprehended. At the Jorvik Viking Centre, you will learn more about York's viewpoint on the period's past.
Control and establishment
Harald I took control of Norway in 872. Harald Fairhair (Harald hrfagre) was the first King of Norway, according to medieval Icelandic historians, and ruled until 930. After the Battle of Hafrsfjord, he was credited with uniting Norway. This event is commemorated in Stavanger's famous swords sculpture.
The Danelaw pact, 878-890. The Treaty of Alfred and Guthrum is concluded, establishing Alfred's and the Danes' political split in England. Corpus Christi College in Cambridge has a copy of the Old English text.
Southern Europe
Raids on the Mediterranean in the year 900. The Vikings conducted a series of attacks in the Mediterranean. A few years later, Olef the Wise, a Swedish general, led a force to Constantinople, which is now Istanbul. He was well compensated for turning around and fleeing.
911: In France, Rollo founded Normandy. After besieging Paris, the Franks grant Viking chief Rollo land. The Normans were the descendants of Rollo and his followers who adopted the local languages.
Battles in Britain
The Battle of Tettenhall / Wednesfield took place in the year 910. The Northumbrian Vikings were defeated by a joint force from Mercia and Wessex. The last great Danish army to ravage England was defeated in this battle.
Battles of Corbridge, 915-918. An army of Englishmen led by Norse King Rgnald defeated the Scots on the banks of the Tyne River. The Battle of Bloody Acres is the name given to the second encounter.
Even farther, even wider
941: The Rus Vikings launch an assault on Constantinople. Since the Byzantine fleet and army were dispersed, the Rus and their allies took advantage. The Imperial capital was effectively defenseless. The Rus' victims were said to have been brutally murdered by the Rus'. It was only one of the conflicts between the two parties.
Greenland was discovered by Erik the Red in 981. Erik the Red arrived in Greenland with 25 ships, people, and goods after being expelled from Norway and Iceland. More than 3,000 Vikings were said to be farming on Greenland over the next 20 years.
Newfoundland was first seen by Viking ships in 986. The only authenticated Norse site in North America is L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site. While Leif Erikson is credited with discovering the area, legend has it that it was Bjarni Herjolfsson who first discovered it after being blown off course on his way to Greenland. Erikson would go on to lead an expedition to the New World about 10-15 years later.
The influence of Christianity
In the year 995, Norway's Viking King constructed a Christian church. Olav Tryggvasson, the founder of Trondheim, founded Norway's first Christian church. He'd spent time on the Scilly Isles, where a seer is said to have predicted a war in which Tryggvason would be seriously wounded before converting. He survived a violent attack shortly after the meeting and converted as a result. He returned to Norway to take the throne, and thus the slow conversion of Norway began.
In the year 1000, Christianity was introduced to Iceland and Greenland. While the faith had already started to spread, Norway's King Olav began to convert chieftains, and the faith truly took hold. Those who refused were also subjected to trade restrictions.
The last days
The North American settlement was abandoned in the year 1015. Due to a lack of supplies and the long journey needed to trade with Scandinavia, the region known as "Vinland" was abandoned.
The Battle of Stiklestad takes place in the year 1030. In the Battle of Stiklestad, Norway's Christian King Olav Haraldsson was defeated. Throughout Europe, churches and shrines dedicated to Saint Olav were founded. However, some historians dispute the battle's veracity, arguing that Olav was killed by his own people.
Battles in England in 1066. At the Battle of Stamford Bridge, England's King Harold Godwinson defeated Norway's Harald Hardrda, while at the Battle of Hastings, William Duke of Normandy defeated Saxon King Harold.
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