Viking Age
Walrus Ivory Chessmen - Bishop, Queen, and Warder
National Museums of Scotland
Photo: Courtesy National Museums of Scotland
The trade connections across the North Atlantic established by the Vikings lasted well into the medieval period. These 13th
century ivory chess pieces were carved from Greenlandic walrus ivory by craftsmen in Norway, but were found on the Isle
of Lewis, Hebrides, Scotland.
During the Viking Age, from A.D. 750-1050, Viking influence covered a huge expanse, reaching
from the Caspian Sea in the east and the Mediterranean in the south, throughout Northern
Europe, across the Atlantic, and touched the homelands of diverse native groups in Eastern North
America.
In addition to being the fierce warriors of popular stereotype, Vikings were master craftsman,
shrewd businessman, and fearless explorers. Their activities stimulated political changes in
Europe and Russia; created lasting new societies in Iceland and Greenland; and led to the
discovery of North America 500 years before Columbus. Now, at the turn of the new
millennium, we invite you to follow in their wake!
Beginning with the attack on Lindisfarne Monastery, England, in 793, small bands of
Scandinavian warriors made violent incursions into European towns and religious centers. The
historical accounts of their daring raids on these bastions of Northern European culture are
undeniable, although the frightened monks likely exaggerated and dramatized the details of the
events.
But Viking pillaging of places such as Lindisfarne were not brought on by a love of violence, as
popularly assumed. Rather, the intense political rivalry between Viking chieftains demanded the
constant influx of precious goods, primarily from raids but also from trade. Successful leaders
then gave these items to their followers in exchange for loyalty.
The Viking Age was a time of transition and upheaval in Scandinavia. Viking raiders returned to
their homes with foreign slaves, new materials, and revolutionary ideas. Viking chieftains often
converted to Christianity as a condition of peace agreements.
In the process, Norsemen changed -- sometimes violently -- not only the politics of those they
met but also their own culture. In Scandinavia, Christianity began to replace traditional pagan
religion, small farm production gave way to organized craft centers in places like York and
Birka, and local areas gradually lost sovereignty to national kings. By the early 12th century,
Scandinavian had become integrated into medieval, Christian European society, and descendants
of Vikings who had settled abroad had little in common with their pagan ancestors.
Life in a Christian Monastery, ca. 585
In the latter part of the fifth century the barbarian hordes overwhelmed the
last vestiges of the Roman Empire sinking Europe into what would come to
be called the "Dark Ages." In defense, and under the influence of the Italian
monk St. Benedict, monasteries spread throughout Europe. They provided
islands of intellectualism as the world around them devolved into anarchy.
The monasteries preserved the intellectual legacy of Rome as well as the
text of the Bible while simultaneously nurturing scholarship and the desire to
maintain moral values.
It was a harsh life. St. Benedict established the Benedictine Rule that
reflected the two primary principles of monastic life - Ora et labora or prayer
and work. The monks lived by a strict timetable of prayer, labor and study.
Much of their day was spent in transcribing the Bible and ancient texts left
from the Roman Empire, preserving these sources of knowledge for future
generations.