23.3 Europe: a.d. 801 to 900  (Page 7/10)

Some were craftsmen, soldiers or peddlers. The top of the chain was the aristocrat (jarl) or chieftain, who was basically a warrior. During the Viking Age this class began to hold land from the king in a proto-feudal manner. The basic livelihood was from the land farming, cattle, horses, sheep and goats. (Ref. 237 ) Additional Notes

The raiders, variously called Norsemen, Vikings or Varangians (in Russia), came from many parts of Scandinavia and were strong, ruthless, blond, Teutonic pirates, but in addition to raiding they also colonized and settled. They were organized with a complex law, had the ability to write and had a vigorous artistic style. (Ref. 45 , 17 ) The Atlantic Vikings were chiefly Saxons, Angles and the kindred Danes and Norwegians, who sailed in long, black galleys, making very little use of sails. Their ships were long and slim, built of oak with symmetrical ends, long, true keel and overlapping wood planks with shell-shapes that allowed them to land in very shallow water. Each one did have a sail amidship, a side rudder and as many as 34 pairs of oars. Those Scandinavians who stormed down through Russia were chiefly Swedish. (Ref. 79 )

Norway

At home in Norway in the first half of the century there were some 31 principalities, some of which were united by Halfdan the Black about 850. Then by 8721 all Norway was conquered and united by Halfdan's son, Harold Fairhair, who reigned with his Queen Gyda for almost 60 years. We have mentioned that walrus ' tusks were in great demand in commerce in this period. A Norwegian, Ottar, sailed clear north to the White Sea in search of this sea animal. Kaupang was a thriving trade town in southern Norway from which Norwegians sailed to Iceland and later to Greenland and America. (Ref. 8 ) Additional Notes

Sweden

Although we have little certain information about the local political organization in Sweden at this 9th century, we do know that because of the prosperous commercial trade from the Arab world and the Russian plains, Sweden had many rich towns like Birka, on an island in the middle of Lake Malar. Additional Notes

Denmark

Early in the century the Danes seem to have been disorganized and dependent on Sweden, which apparently had the oldest monarchy of the three basic Scandinavian countries, although details are unknown. By the end of the century, however, Denmark had unity of its own under King Gorm and Thyra the Beautiful, his queen. The social order in Denmark was based on family discipline, economic cooperation and religious pagan beliefs. Hedeby, on the neck of the Juteland peninsula, was a thriving trade town and great commercial center. (Ref. 43 ) A recent reconstruction of a Viking house from Hedeby shows it had been made of wooden staves or wattle, plastered with mud and roofed with reeds or turf. There was a fire hearth in the middle of the main room, with iron cooking pots, upright looms for weaving, soap-stone lamps and bun-shaped smoothing irons for laundry. There was a central authority with public works and apparently extensive financial resources in the village. (Ref. 79 ) Additional Notes