Scandinavia
in the Time of Hakon “the Good”
By Eric
Schumacher
When we think of the Viking Age, we often think of events that
happened beyond the borders of Scandinavia, such as the raid on Lindisfarne in
793, the invasion of England by the Great Heathen Army in 865, the attacks on
Paris, the discovery of America, and so forth.
One hears far less about life on the homefront,
in the geographical areas that are now Norway, Denmark and Sweden. As this is
the backdrop of my Hakon Saga novels, I thought I would take you back to the North in the time of
the Viking raids, highlight some of major themes of that day, and perhaps
dispel some misconceptions.
Countrymen They Were Not
When I first began studying the Vikings, I
thought of them as raiders from three distinct countries; but that wasn’t the
case at all. For much of the Viking Age, the geographic areas we now call
Norway, Denmark, and Sweden were actually a conglomeration of petty kingdoms.
Norway was not a unified kingdom with one king until 872, though some might
argue it took another thirty to forty years for the land to truly come together
under King Hakon “the Good”, the protagonist of my novels. Denmark’s first sole
king was Harald Bluetooth, who came to power in c. 958, and who didn’t really
subjugate all of the Danish lands until later in his reign. Sweden did not have
an undisputed king until c. 970. But even with those monarchs, most people
still thought of themselves as hailing from a particular area, not a country;
and if they swore allegiance to anyone, it was most likely to their local
chieftain or earl, not their king.
Internal Wars
Mention of the Viking Age often conjures images
of warriors attacking other kingdoms in their dragon ships. This they did, but
that does not mean the homefront lacked for strife. For centuries, the petty
kingdoms of Norway, Denmark and Sweden fought each other. From c 850 to 870,
King Harald Fairhair fought the kings of Norway’s petty kingdoms for total
control of the realm. The same goes for Harald Bluetooth in Denmark in c
970-990, and Eric the Victorious in Sweden in the later half of the 900s.
Moreover, the Danes war off an on with the Franks and Norse. The Norse people
war with the Swedes and Danes, and so on. The constant strife may be one reason
why the Vikings look elsewhere for land. It is certainly one reason why the
Vikings are such vicious fighters.
Politically Savage and Savvy
In comparison to continental Europe’s proximity
to England, it is easy to think of much of Scandinavia as remote, and
therefore, disconnected from the politics and affairs of other European
countries. The opposite seems to be true. Scandinavians were very aware of
other realms and world events. The Danes of Jutland had an ongoing dispute with
the Franks and Saxons. There is documented proof that traders sailed from
Wessex in England all the way to the far reaches of what was then called the
North Way. Men from Swedish areas traveled east and down through the rivers of
modern day Russia and Ukraine to Constantinople. Tales of their exploits and of
events in different lands most certainly traveled. The information that made it
back to Scandinavia was one of the reasons why the Vikings were so successful
in their raids. They knew what was happening in different kingdoms and how best
to exploit situations for their advantage.
Staunch Believers
In comparison to the rest of Europe, the
Scandinavians were slow to accept Christianity. For the first half of the
Viking Age, Christianity did not take hold there, despite the work of
missionaries (mostly notably Ansgar) in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. While
Norway saw the first Christian king with Hakon the Good, the missionaries who
came to help him convert the land were killed. When Norway finally accepted
Christianity in c. 1000 AD, it did so grudgingly, and often through the use of
force. Denmark’s monarch Harald converted in c. 970, though it took much longer
for the people to convert, nor did the king’s conversion do anything to stem the
tide of Danish raids on Christian lands. In fact, the Danish raids on England
grew to all-out invasions under the Christian kings of Denmark. While Sweden’s
monarch also converted to Christianity in the late 10th century, he converted
back to the old gods later on; and it would take another century or so for the
Swedes to “defeat” the old gods.
I hope that this gives you a broad picture of
Scandinavia during the Viking Age. As in the rest of Europe, it is tumultuous
time. The Scandinavians at home were no less susceptible to violence or danger
than peoples of the lands they attacked. It is just not something we think
about when we think of the Vikings.
Eric Schumacher
Eric Schumacher (1968 - ) is an American
historical novelist who currently resides in Santa Barbara, California, with
his wife and two children. He was born and raised in Los Angeles and attended
college at the University of San Diego.
At a very early age, Schumacher discovered his
love for writing and medieval European history, as well as authors like J.R.R.
Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. Those discoveries continue to fuel his imagination and
influence the stories he tells. His first novel, God's Hammer, was
published in 2005. Its sequel, Raven’s Feast, was published 2017. A
third, yet-to-titled book, is currently in the works.
For more information, connect with him at one
of these sites:
God’s Hammer
History and legend combine in the gripping tale
of Hakon Haraldsson, a Christian boy who once fought for the High Seat of a
Viking realm.
It is 935 A.D. and the North is in turmoil.
King Harald Fairhair has died, leaving the High Seat of the realm to his
murderous son, Erik Bloodaxe. To solidify his claim, Erik ruthlessly disposes
of all claimants to his throne, save one: his youngest brother Hakon.
Erik's surviving enemies send a ship to Wessex,
where the Christian King Athelstan is raising Hakon. Unable to avoid his fate,
he returns to the Viking North to face his brother and claim his birthright,
only to discover that victory will demand sacrifices beyond his wildest
nightmares.
Raven’s Feast
It is 935 A.D. and Hakon Haraldsson has just
wrested the High Seat of the North from
The land-hungry Danes are pressing from the
south to test Hakon before he can solidify his rule. In the east, the Uplanders
are making their own plans to seize the throne. It does not help that Hakon is
committed to his dream of Christianizing his people - a dream his countrymen do
not share and will fight to resist.
As his enemies move in and his realm begins to
crumble, Hakon and his band of oath-sworn warriors must make a stand in Raven’s
Feast, the riveting sequel to God’s Hammer.
Such an interesting post, Eric. Thank you so much for sharing your insight with my readers!
ReplyDelete