Scandinavian history in the Viking age - Department of Anglo-Saxon ...

Scandinavian History in the Viking Age
papal correspondence of the period see the register in (B723-24). On the use of numismatic evidence for
the political history of the time see (C260 ff.) and:
[D131] C.J. Becker, ‘Danske mønter som historisk kildemateriale i 1000-tallet’, (O50):123-36 (E.s.)
Saint Knut
[D135] Of Svein’s various sons it is saint Knut, who reigned from 1080 until 1086, who attracts the most
attention. His life and cult are illuminated through various written sources composed soon after, such as
the work of Aelnoth (B647), but he was also responsible for a set of donations to Lund cathedral in 1085
which gave rise to the oldest Scandinavian charter whose text is still preserved (B273-74). His death
seems to have been prompted by a rebellion against his overbearing royal demands, which has interesting
implications for royal privileges even at this late date, particularly in the form of the leidang (C220 ff.).
For a range of studies see:
[D136] T. Nyberg et al., (edd.), Knuds-bogen 1986: studier over Knud den hellige, Fynske studier 15
(1986) [UL 597:01.b.2.15]
The twelfth century
As ever, an awareness of Danish history in the twelfth century is instructive when considering the late
Viking age; see (A35) and:
[D140] H. Koch, Danmarks historie 3. Kongemagt og kirke 1060-1241 (1963) [UL 597:1.d.95.3]
[D141] O. Fenger, ‘Kirker rejses alle vegne’: 1050-1250, Gyldendahl og Politikens Danmarkshistorie 4
(1989) [UL S592.c.98.31]
E. NORWAY
The particularly distinctive terrain of Norway has traditionally been held to be a factor in the country’s
‘old-fashioned’ social make-up right into the mediaeval period; cf. (E6). For the Viking age itself,
however, it is kings’ sagas (B290 ff.) and skaldic verse (B483 ff.) that constitute the bulk of the direct
written evidence, and these sources can only be asked very different historical questions.
General surveys
[E1] A.O. Johnsen, Fra ættesamfunn til statssamfunn (1948) [UL 593:2.d.90.2]
[E2] P. Sveaas Andersen, Vikings of the west: the expansion of Norway in the early middle ages (1971)
[UL 593:2.d.95.9]
[E3] E. Gunnes, Norges historie 2. Rikssamling og kristning 800-1177 (1976) [UL 593:1.d.95.10]
[E4] P. Sveaas Andersen, Samlingen av Norge og kristningen av landet 800-1130, Handbok i Norges
historie 2 (1977) [UL 593:01.c.1.2]
[E5] K. Helle, ‘Tiden fram til 1536’, Grunntrekk i norsk historie fra vikingtid til våre dager (1991), 13-
106 [UL 593:1.c.95.35]
[E6] K. Helle, ‘Norway, 800-1200’, (O72):1-14
[E7] C. Krag, Vikingtid og rikssamling 800-1130, Aschehougs Norgeshistorie 2 (1995)
[E8] J.V. Sigurðsson, Norsk historie 800-1300. Frå hövdingmakt til konge- og kyrkjemakt (1999).
Iron-age and early Viking-age Norway
Norway seems to have been the least densely settled region of Scandinavia, at least by Germanicspeaking
cultures, at the beginning of the Christian era. However, there is evidence for cultural links with
western Europe, particularly the British isles, from before the eighth century (N15 ff.), and although there
are few individual sites to compare with the splendid Iron-age trading centres of Denmark and Sweden
(N144, N150 ff.), the onset of the Viking age certainly brought with it an influx of luxury goods (N30
ff.). For the history of settlement patterns and the move into inland regions, cf. (M40 ff.).
[E10] B. Magnus and B. Myhre, Norges historie 1. Forhistorien: fra jægergrupper til høvdingsamfunn
(1976) [UL 593:1.d.95.9]
[E11] B. Myhre, ‘Agrarian development, settlement history, and social organization in southwest
Norway in the Iron age’, New directions in Scandinavian archaeology, Studies in Scandinavian
76