3. raiders and invaders Flashcards
(77 cards)
lindisfarne
-off the coast of northumberland
-important monastery from the seventh century
-by the eighth century, one of the holiest places in britain
-monks included scholars and talented artists
when did the vikings attack lindisfarne?
8 june 793
what happened during the lindisfarne raid?
-they ransacked lindisfarne
-they stole treasures of gold, silver and silk
-monks who tried to stop the Vikings were killed or taken as slave
-the lindisfarne gospels survived
-the raid was deeply shocking to the people of christian europe
anglo saxon chronicle on the attack on lindisfarne
the heathens miserably devastated God’s church in lindisfarne island by looting and slaughter
how did the lindisfarne raid change the viking’s relationship with western europe?
for centuries, the vikings had been developing strong trading links with western europe, but with the attack on lindisfarne the traders became raiders
how did viking raids advance?
-during the first half of the ninth century, no monastery or trading town along the coasts and rivers of western europe was safe from viking raids
phase 1 of the viking raid on england:
-for more than 30 years after 793 there were many small-scale hit-and-run raids
-first, raids were carried out by only two or three ships, the number of ships gradually increased
-raids took place in the summer, avoiding winter storms
-vikings never penetrated very far inland
-targets were nearly always isolated monasteries on the coast
phase 2 of the viking raid on england:
-from around 830, the scale and nature of the viking raids changed
-larger groups of vikings began to arrive in western europe, often in as many as 30 or 40 ships
-number of ships increased steadily over the next twenty years
-by 850, raids could involve as many as 100 ships
-larger forces were more adventurous
-they began to travel far inland down navigable rivers and to attack trading towns as well as monasteries
phase 3 of the viking raid on england:
-from around 850, the vikings began to set up winter camps in places that they could easily defend
-in the 850s, they over-wintered at thanet in the thames estuary
over-wintering
meant that the vikings could begin their raids in the early spring as they did not have to wait for the winter storms to end
phase 4 of the viking raid on england:
in 865, the scale of the attacks changed completely
-in that year a large viking army invaded england
-viking raiders had become invaders
reasons for viking attacks
-shortage of good farmland
-the wealth of western europe
-the growing power of kings in scandinavia
-the weakness of western europe
-better ships
shortage of good farmland:
-much of the scandinavian land could not be cultivated so there was a shortage of land for farming
-some historians think that there was an increase in population in scandinavia in the eighth century, this lead to more pressure on the scarce amount of good farmland
perhaps vikings travelled overseas to seek out good farmland in more fertile areas and settle there
the wealth of western europe:
-the 8th century was a time of growing trade in western europe, several market towns had become rich
-scandinavian traders had brought home information about the trading towns and lands of the west
-they had seen the isolated monasteries on the coasts and knew that they contained huge quantities of gold, silver and silk
-viking raiders wanted to obtain western goods, but they decided to steal them instead
-they saw the monasteries and trading towns as easy targets
the growing power of kings in scandinavia:
-from the late eighth century, the power of kings in all three scandinavian lands was growing
-one jarls could enhance their reputation was by raiding - seizing riches and fighting bravely
-jarls were expected to provide their followers with rewards and opportunities to make their name
-raids gave the jarls a chance to gain glory and to provide their followers with silver and gold
the weakness of western europe
-in the ninth century, england was divided into a number of small kingdoms
-scotland and ireland were made up of areas that were ruled by local chieftains
-the opposition to viking raiders was sometimes fierce and effective, but overall there was no united opposition to the scandinavian attacks
better ships
-some historians think that advances in ship building enabled the vikings to attack western europe
-holes for oars positioned lower down the sides of the ships meant they could travel faster
-the use of square sails also gave the ships greater speed
-some historians have argued that these innovations helped to transport viking raiders across the north Sea to britain and ireland
why were monasteries easy targets?
-the monastic desire to get away from the distractions of ordinary life meant that many monasteries were located at isolated coastal sites
-this made them vulnerable to an attack from raiders in ships
-monasteries were undefended
-monks did not have weapons so they were unable to resist viking raiders
what did christian’s believe that the attack of monasteries by the vikings was?
-part of a wider attack on western christianity
-some historians have argued that the viking raids were a form of ‘psychological warfare’, an attempt to undermine the beliefs of christians and to show that the christians’ god was vulnerable and not superior to the pagan gods of scandinavia (more commonly it is believed that monasteries were rich pickings)
rich pickings in monasteries
-supporters of monasteries liked to make gifts of precious and valuable items
-full of gold and silver objects, which could be melted down by the vikings
-imported wine to celebrate mass and -high-quality textiles (eg: silks) for making church vestments
-plentiful supplies of food
(a successful raid on a monastery was like hitting a financial jackpot)
ransom of monasteries + evidence
-vikings learned that some things had great value to the christians so they could demand a ransom for them
-probably first noticed religious books because of the gold and silver on the outside, but later realised that the pages inside also had a value
-manuscripts were treasured by christians, who were prepared to buy them back
ransom of monks + evidence
-viking raiders realised that it was more profitable to hold monks ransom, rather than kill them
-many abbots were from aristocratic families who were prepared to pay a high price for their safe return
EVIDENCE:
in 914, the king paid a ransom of £40 to free the bishop of archenfield, captured in a raid on south wales
viking attack on south coast of britain
-the king’s local representative went to meet the vikings to escort them to dorchester because he assumed that they were traders
-the vikings turned on him and his party, and murdered them
-the attack may have been caused by a misunderstanding, but it made it clear that the vikings were dangerous
how long did it take to reach orkney and the shetland islands?
ships from norway could reach the shetland Islands in only two days, with the orkneys less than another day away
