The Vikings from Scandinavia profoundly influenced the history of Europe, especially England.

In 2018, the Icelandic football team successfully entered the World Cup in Russia and became the country with the smallest number of people participating in the World Cup. The country has a population of only 330,000, which is a miracle. After it was confirmed that we had successfully qualified for the World Cup, there was a Viking war cry for more than a minute inside and outside the stadium. At that time, I felt trembling all over while sitting in front of the TV, as if I had returned to the era when the Vikings were invincible.

In the game "Age of Empires", the Vikings, as a powerful nation, have become the best among various civilizations with their powerful economy, invincible infantry, as well as their powerful navy and warships.

In reality, every August, the "Slavic and Viking Culture Festival" is held on the Baltic Island of Wolin. At the festival, people dress up as Slavic warriors and ancient Vikings. , celebrate the Viking celebrations together.

As a nation that has shone like fireworks in history, although the Vikings have disappeared in the long river of history for thousands of years, the legacy of the Vikings can be seen everywhere in European history and culture. The traces left behind are nothing short of miraculous.

The Viking Age appeared from the 8th century to the early 11th century AD and was also known as the Pirate Age. In that era, the Vikings traveled all over the world. They reached Greenland in the north, Newfoundland in today's Canada in the west, and near the Volga River in the interior of Russia in the east. What was the Viking Age like when it created such brilliant achievements? "Viking Age and England" is different from previous descriptions of the Viking nation by medieval historians. It strives to peel off the bias caused by subjective perceptions in the legend in the gaps of history. It covers politics, economics, sociology, etc. Dimensions to display the characteristics of the Viking Age and present a comprehensive, three-dimensional and objective Viking Age to readers.

Over the centuries, the total number of Vikings who expanded from Scandinavia was very large. In the writings of the Anglo-Norman chronicler Huntingdon, the Vikings It has completely different characteristics from other conquerors of England, such as the Romans, Saxons, Normans, etc. That is, the Vikings never had the idea of ??ruling the land of England, but to destroy it. But in fact, many of the Danes in Scandinavia (the name given to the Vikings in the book "Viking Age and England") also settled in England, built cities in the north, and ruled the kingdom. If we say that they It would be unfair to be just a spoiler.

In history, the Vikings have profoundly affected the political ecology and historical processes of many countries. From the second half of the 9th century, the leaders of the Viking army that invaded England have become the protagonists of legend, especially Ragnar Lodbrok. He and his eight sons, such as Ivar, Ubbe, and others, appear together in chronicles, poems, and sagas in Denmark, Iceland, and other places. Ragnar Lodbrok was a Viking warrior and snake slayer who earned his nickname "Stuffed Breeches" by wrapping his legs in tarred woolen breeches during battles with venomous snakes. . His troops led the siege of Paris in 845, the climax of the Viking invasion of France. The story of Ragnar Lodbrok and his sons is well represented in the Saga of Ragnar Lodbrok and the Anglo-Norman Chronicles, but from a modern historical perspective, There seems to be no real evidence that Ragnar Lodbrok ever actually existed.

In The Viking Age and England, the author quotes Alfred's view that the legend of Ragnar Lodbrok and his sons "is a kind of deformed survival. , in medieval England, before the Danes lost their identity, such legends arose among the Danes in Northumbria. "That is, Ragnar Lodbrok appears to be a historical figure associated with the Danes. A product of the comprehensive development of literary legends.

The Vikings are often called "Danes" because, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the earliest recorded Viking invasion occurred in AD 793, when the Vikings sacked Woodland Sfarne. monastery. In fact, among the "Danes" there were not only Danes, but also Norwegians and Swedes. The area where the Vikings gathered was also called the "Danish Legal Area". In 871 AD, Emperor Alfred the Great began to lead the war against the Vikings, but it was unsuccessful. After the efforts of subsequent generations of kings, he finally gradually recovered the lost lands and formed a unified England.

It was in the struggle against the Vikings that the Anglo-Saxon kingship continued to be strengthened.

Interestingly, England and Denmark are old rivals on the World Cup stage, and the two countries have always been entangled in history.

After the unification of England, Essect ordered the massacre of the Danes, also known as the Vikings, in England. This aroused strong dissatisfaction with the Danish King Wens, who launched a force against Essect. attack. Then Wensi's son Canute once again led the Viking troops to invade England and became the king of England.

Moreover, Canute can be said to be the king who truly completely ruled England.

Before the Norman Conquest in 1066, Canute had ruled Britain for more than 20 years, covering England, Scotland, Denmark, Norway, Ireland, Iceland, etc., basically including all the original Viking territories, known as for the "Scandinavian Empire".

At the same time, after a long period of contact, the Vikings integrated with other European countries in religion, culture, and politics. They eventually transformed from wandering to settling down and became the early residents of the Nordic countries. And the age of Vikings is gone.

Eleanor Parker, the author of "The Viking Age and England", is a PhD student at Oxford University, focusing on Anglo-Scandinavian literature in Britain after the Viking conquest. This work of hers uses a rigorous attitude and researches a large number of documents to restore the real Vikings in history. While maintaining a strong authority, it is also very readable. It is a rare book for understanding the Viking Age.

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