Vikings and Goths

Vikings and Goths PDF Author: Gary Dean Peterson
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476624348
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 323

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Book Description
The Vikings descended upon Europe at the close of the 8th century, invading the continent's western seas and river systems, trading, raiding and spreading terror. In the north, they settled Iceland and Greenland and reached North America. In the east, Swedish Varangians established a river road to the Orient. With the collapse of the Viking commercial empire, Sweden and the other Scandinavian countries struggled to survive, their hardships exacerbated by internal strife, foreign domination and the Black Death. This book details the development of Scandinavia--Sweden in particular--from the end of the Ice Age, through a series of prehistoric cultures, the Bronze and Iron ages, to the Viking period and late Middle Ages. Recent research suggests a Swedish origin of the Goths, who helped dismember the Roman Empire, and evidence of Swedish participation in the western Viking expeditions. Special attention is given to Eastern Europe, where Sweden dominated commerce through the conquest of trade towns and the river systems of Russia.

Vikings and Goths

Vikings and Goths PDF Author: Gary Dean Peterson
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476624348
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 323

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Book Description
The Vikings descended upon Europe at the close of the 8th century, invading the continent's western seas and river systems, trading, raiding and spreading terror. In the north, they settled Iceland and Greenland and reached North America. In the east, Swedish Varangians established a river road to the Orient. With the collapse of the Viking commercial empire, Sweden and the other Scandinavian countries struggled to survive, their hardships exacerbated by internal strife, foreign domination and the Black Death. This book details the development of Scandinavia--Sweden in particular--from the end of the Ice Age, through a series of prehistoric cultures, the Bronze and Iron ages, to the Viking period and late Middle Ages. Recent research suggests a Swedish origin of the Goths, who helped dismember the Roman Empire, and evidence of Swedish participation in the western Viking expeditions. Special attention is given to Eastern Europe, where Sweden dominated commerce through the conquest of trade towns and the river systems of Russia.

How the Barbarian Invasions Shaped the Modern World

How the Barbarian Invasions Shaped the Modern World PDF Author: Thomas J. Craughwell
Publisher: Fair Winds
ISBN: 9781616734329
Category : Middle Ages
Languages : en
Pages : 328

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Book Description
Veteran author Thomas J. Craughwell reveals the fascinating tales of how the barbarian rampages across Europe, North Africa, and Asia -- killing, plundering, and destroying whole kingdoms and empires -- actually created the modern nations of England, France, Russia, and China.

A History of the Vikings

A History of the Vikings PDF Author: Sir Thomas D. Kendrick
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136242392
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 437

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Book Description
First published in 1968. The barbarians of the distant and little-known north, of Scandinavia, that is, and of Denmark, became notorious in the ninth and tenth centuries as pests who plagued the outer fringes of the civilized This volume is an English narrative of the Vikings and their activities in the west, far north as well as east and south-east also.

Alaric the Goth: An Outsider's History of the Fall of Rome

Alaric the Goth: An Outsider's History of the Fall of Rome PDF Author: Douglas Boin
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393635708
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
Denied citizenship by the Roman Empire, a soldier named Alaric changed history by unleashing a surprise attack on the capital city of an unjust empire. Stigmatized and relegated to the margins of Roman society, the Goths were violent “barbarians” who destroyed “civilization,” at least in the conventional story of Rome’s collapse. But a slight shift of perspective brings their history, and ours, shockingly alive. Alaric grew up near the river border that separated Gothic territory from Roman. He survived a border policy that separated migrant children from their parents, and he was denied benefits he likely expected from military service. Romans were deeply conflicted over who should enjoy the privileges of citizenship. They wanted to buttress their global power, but were insecure about Roman identity; they depended on foreign goods, but scoffed at and denied foreigners their own voices and humanity. In stark contrast to the rising bigotry, intolerance, and zealotry among Romans during Alaric’s lifetime, the Goths, as practicing Christians, valued religious pluralism and tolerance. The marginalized Goths, marked by history as frightening harbingers of destruction and of the Dark Ages, preserved virtues of the ancient world that we take for granted. The three nights of riots Alaric and the Goths brought to the capital struck fear into the hearts of the powerful, but the riots were not without cause. Combining vivid storytelling and historical analysis, Douglas Boin reveals the Goths’ complex and fascinating legacy in shaping our world.

Vikings and Goths

Vikings and Goths PDF Author: Gary Dean Peterson
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476662185
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 323

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Book Description
The Vikings descended upon Europe at the close of the 8th century, invading the continent's western seas and river systems, trading, raiding and spreading terror. In the north, they settled Iceland and Greenland and reached North America. In the east, Swedish Varangians established a river road to the Orient. With the collapse of the Viking commercial empire, Sweden and the other Scandinavian countries struggled to survive, their hardships exacerbated by internal strife, foreign domination and the Black Death. This book details the development of Scandinavia--Sweden in particular--from the end of the Ice Age, through a series of prehistoric cultures, the Bronze and Iron ages, to the Viking period and late Middle Ages. Recent research suggests a Swedish origin of the Goths, who helped dismember the Roman Empire, and evidence of Swedish participation in the western Viking expeditions. Special attention is given to Eastern Europe, where Sweden dominated commerce through the conquest of trade towns and the river systems of Russia.

A History of the Vikings

A History of the Vikings PDF Author: Gwyn Jones
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 9780192801340
Category : Civilization, Viking
Languages : en
Pages : 556

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Book Description
A look at the ancient Scandinavian peoples.

THE STORY OF THE GOTHS FROM THE EARLIEST TIMES TO THE END OF THE GOTHIC DOMINION IN SPAIN

THE STORY OF THE GOTHS FROM THE EARLIEST TIMES TO THE END OF THE GOTHIC DOMINION IN SPAIN PDF Author: HENRY BRADLEY
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 416

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Book Description


Barbarian Rites

Barbarian Rites PDF Author: Hans-Peter Hasenfratz
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1620554488
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 171

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Book Description
Discover the untamed paganism of the Vikings and the Germanic tribes prior to the complete Christianization of Europe • Explores the different forms of magic practiced by these tribes, including runic magic, necromancy (death magic), soul-travel, and shape-shifting • Examines their rites of passage and initiation rituals and their most important gods, such as Odin, Loki, and Thor • Looks at barbarian magic in historical accounts, church and assembly records, and mythology as well as an eyewitness report from a 10th-century Muslim diplomat • Reveals the use and abuse of this tradition’s myths and magic by the Nazis Before the conversion of Europe to Christianity in the Middle Ages, Germanic tribes roamed the continent, plundering villages and waging battles to seek the favor of Odin, their god of war, ecstasy, and magic. Centuries later, predatory Viking raiders from Scandinavia carried on similar traditions. These wild “barbarians” had a system of social classes and familial clans with complex spiritual customs, from rites of passage for birth, death, and adulthood to black magic practices and shamanic ecstatic states, such as the infamous “berserker’s rage.” Chronicling the original pagan tradition of free and wild Europe--and the use and abuse of its myths and magic by the Nazis--Hans-Peter Hasenfratz offers a concise history of the Germanic tribes of Europe and their spiritual, magical, and occult beliefs. Looking at historical accounts, church and assembly records, mythology, and folktales from Germany, Russia, Scandinavia, and Iceland as well as an eyewitness report of Viking customs and rituals from a 10th-century Muslim diplomat, Hasenfratz explores the different forms of magic--including charms, runic magic, necromancy, love magic, soul-travel, and shamanic shape-shifting--practiced by the Teutonic tribes and examines their interactions with and eventual adaptation to Christianity. Providing in-depth information on their social class and clan structure, rites of passage, and their most important gods and goddesses, such as Odin, Loki, Thor, and Freyja, Hasenfratz reveals how it is only through understanding our magical barbarian roots that we can see the remnants of their language, culture, and dynamic spirit that have carried through to modern times.

The Last of the Vikings

The Last of the Vikings PDF Author: John Eklund
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 1663217084
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 253

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Book Description
The Viking Age began like a violent thunderstorm in the year 793 when a band of Norse warriors raided Lindisfarne, a small island off the coast of ancient England. For the next three hundred years, these fearless men dominated life on the European continent. Contrary to popular belief, the Viking aura was not extinguished at the dawn of the second millennium. In truth, it lasted far longer. In a fascinating saga divided into three parts, John Eklund begins by recounting the exploits of some of the most famous Vikings from 793 to 1066, and then describes the adventures of the two latter day heroes from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Gustav Adolf and Karl XII, who through their incredible courage and fighting skills, proved they were worthy of the same level of praise and admiration as their seafaring warrior ancestors. The Last of the Vikings is a concise collection of sagas that shines a spotlight on the hero warriors of the Viking Age that include the greatest of the Norsemen and the king who lost an empire but saved a nation.

The Battle of Vouillé, 507 CE

The Battle of Vouillé, 507 CE PDF Author: Ralph W. Mathisen
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter
ISBN: 1614510997
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 242

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Book Description
This volume highlights the heretofore largely neglected Battle of Vouillé in 507 CE, when the Frankish King Clovis defeated Alaric II, the King of the Visigoths. Clovis’ victory proved a crucial step in the expulsion of the Visigoths from Francia into Spain, thereby leaving Gaul largely to the Franks. It was arguably in the wake of Vouillé that Gaul became Francia, and that “France began.” The editors have united an international team of experts on Late Antiquity and the Merovingian Kingdoms to reexamine the battle from multiple as well as interdisciplinary perspectives. The contributions address questions of military strategy, geographical location, archaeological footprint, political background, religious propaganda, consequences (both in Francia and in Italy), and significance. There is a strong focus on the close reading of primary source-material, both textual and material, secular and theological.