Did the Vikings do anything good?

[Gifu]

It seems like for about 200 years the Vikings just kept sailing to Britain and pillaging everything. I could understand it more if they wanted to conquer (which, I realise, they eventually did decide to do), but for most of those 200 years they were just plundering and murdering. They weren't even stealing from rich lords and noblemen, they were mostly just burning peasant villages and destroying monasteries and taking slaves. Every time anyone tried to create anything or learn anything or write anything or have any sort of peace for 200 years, the bloody Vikings would sail up, destroy everything, and then sail home again.

Haha - they definitely didn't have horns on their helmets!

Agree - it heavily depends on where you're from.

Yes, that's true, but they were also seats of learning and literature at a time when not much was being created or recorded.

This is fascinating!!

Thank you to everyone who took the time to post. I have really enjoyed all the replies. I realise that my question was far too wide-open timewise to be particularly useful. I have just finished reading Marc Morris's book The Anglo-Saxons (the history of England from the 400s to 1066) and it is just exasperating how any time anyone got close to achieving any kind of peace or prosperity, the bloody Norsemen would come and destroy everything. They were so relentless and powerful. England today has much Danish influence and history, but by gosh it is hard to read about the endless sackings for 200 years + where the raiders made no attempt to settle or share any knowledge - just raiders pillaging like seagulls on a buffet.

Before. York was in the Danelaw so run and occupied by Vikings. After 1066 the Vikings pretty much cease to be a presence as such, they were just part of the general population, but they stopped their raiding runs (the Normans were pretty much Vikings who'd moved south, so there wasn't the urge to overrun a country that belonged to their fellows).

Your post isn’t historically accurate. Also new evidence has suggested they were much more integrated. England wasn’t really a whole as it is now, it was in parts so they didn’t take over all. King Alfred!!!

People seem to forget there were two attempts at invasion in 1066. Harald III of Norway landed near Scarborough on 18th September to start his invasion, but were finally defeated at the battle of Stamford Bridge by Harold II, king of England on 25th September.

William landed on the south coast on the 27th September and Harold had to muster his army and march to meet William (Norman - North Man, another flipping Viking!) on 14th October.

Yes - way before 1066.

The Danelaw (agreement the Vikings would rule large chunks of North East England) was introduced in the late 800’s.

The Anglo Saxons were themselves invaders about 400 years before that, pushing the native Britons and Romano - British further West and North.

This would be a good listen for you, OP

They gave us some seriously fascinating tales of their Gods.

Loving all the links on this thread, my book wish list has grown considerably! Thanks all.

Jollies,

Thanks so much for recommending the Gone Medieval podcast. I’m struggling at the moment with life overload and I need to do/ listen to wholesome, interesting and educational podcasts to distract me from the radio interference. I went straight to the latest podcast as I was trying not to use my phone in the car, and listened to them discuss Lady Macbeth. Fascinating stuff. I’m hooked already. Thanks so much.

I love, love this thread. More stuff like this. It’s joyous.

Also I have a question. I’m addicted to the TV show Shetland. I don’t understand how they’ve come to have that unique culture. So, for example, there is a policeman on there who I can’t tell if they are Scottish, or are a Scandinavian talking English. I ask, because this thread highlights how we and north Europe have overlapped. Perhaps another thread, but I’d love to know what the culture mix of the Shetlands is. Also, the Scottish accent. Has that evolved from other cultures? It seems so different from the rest of the island.

Apologies if I am coming out with complete drivel. I’m thirsty for knowledge.

Bluetooth was a Viking.

Where would short range easy wireless connection be today without the Vikings ?

It would probably be called something crap. Like ShortNET or something.

Shetland / Orkney history and culture is so interesting! At one point in pre history Orkney was one of the cultural hubs of Britain! I think they only became part of Scotland in the 14th or 15th century, and geographically very close to Scandinavia so still loads of interesting Scandi links. Worth a trip to Orkney especially :) another easy listen for bitesize interesting history is You’re Dead To Me.

Jolies, you are FAB

I would say that the Romans had spent quite a long time bathing in Britain well before the Vikings! Plus had nice jewellery, textiles and were good at roads

Wonder what it'd have looked like if the Romans had had a foothold before the empire collapsed. Romans fighting vikings would have been interesting. Ds probably plays games like that actually.

My DNA has a percentage of Viking in it, so they did something good, otherwise i would not be alive.

Made some lovely broaches
Advances in seamanship and boat building
Excellent rowers Russians = Rus people = rowers (possibly)
Good a travelling - there is Viking graffiti in the hagia Sofia and buildings in Newfoundland
Became the Plantagenets

@jolies1 Another thanks for the podcast, and I'd love to go to Orkney for the history.
Back to the original Q, DS asked me what I was looking at and when I when I told him, his reply was 'gave us the names for the days of the week'. I think that's a fair answer!

You’ve just reminded me - Dh and I recently went on the Viking boat tour in Dublin - it started off ok for the first 5 mins and we all had to wear plastic horned helmets.
The tour guide then proceeded to moan and whinge about the English for the full one hour “tour” (the boat was around 80% English tourists so it was a little uncomfortable to say the least) as well as telling one black guy from Jamaica “you know your accent and a lot of your traditions come from us Dubliners right?” The guy was not amused!

It was shit and we were so disappointed- we’d really thought we were going to learn some Viking history and he didn’t mention them once.

On returning to the drop off spot he ended the torture by pointing to a group of people drinking outside the Sheldon Hotel and started making fake posh accent sounds and pointed out a woman in a dress he didn’t like and started making puking noises - This was over the microphone! It was actually shocking. I left a negative review on the website (of which there were quite a lot) and I’ve never felt compelled to do that in my life.

So I do not recommend the Viking boat tour in Dublin if you want to know about the Viking’s!

@Michellesbackbrace that's awful! You were right to give a bad review. He sounds incompetent and racist!

If your book didn't include anything on the Danelaw then there's rather a gaping hole in its chronology...

Nothing on the Viking Kings of England Cnut, Harold Harefoot and Harthacnut? Ruled from 1016 to 1042?