All language subtitles for The.Last.Journey.Of.The.Vikings.S01E03_English

This is a story about the people who
came sailing across the ocean.

It's a story about a long and
perilous journey of upheaval,

which came to change populations
and influence politics, trade,

culture, religion
and entire societies.

It's a story about the Vikings,
and how they transformed the world.

For most people, the Vikings are seen
only as plunderers and pirates.

But is that the whole truth?

The process of converting Scandinavia
to Christianity is a long story.

They were skilled tradesmen, in part
because of their ability to travel.

They're going abroad
to take what they seek.

In this series we will dig deeper
and gain more insight

into who the Vikings really were.

And the truth turns out
to be surprising.

THE LAST JOURNEY OF THE VIKINGS

At the end of the first
Viking invasion of France,

the plundered cities began
to build walls and fortifications,

making the Viking
attacks more difficult.

But despite this,
the Viking fleets grew in number,

as more and more people continued to
join the voyages to Francia,

hoping to find glory and wealth.

When the Frankish defenses,
for a time, became too strong,

the Vikings instead set their sights
on England.

At the end of the ninth century,
however, the Vikings once again

see their chance
to return to Francia.

But this time,
they don't go back simply to loot.

It is now that the Vikings
decide to become Europeans.

And soon a new duchy,
Normandy, will be created.

But how and why did the Vikings
become Normans?

In order to answer that,

we have to know more about the
Vikings' failed attacks on Francia

in the late ninth century, when
Charles the Bald was still king.

THE GOOD LAND

During the 880s, the Carolingians
actually managed to re-establish

their power and initiative
in their defense

against various
Viking raiding groups.

And they begin to
refortify their borders and push

these groups back out to the sea.

Charles the Bald,
who was the Frankish emperor

and the grandson of Charlemagne,

had repeatedly been forced to
pay ransom to the Viking invaders.

But during his reign the Frankish
defenses were developed,

with the addition of a cavalry,

as well as fortified bridges
along the rivers.

But when we come back
to this question of

whether these Viking groups
somehow failed during the 880s,

I think we need to, again,
think about this notion of whether

there was a concerted
kind of Viking strategy.

These groups were still being
quite successful in the field,

they were still managing to
extract tribute and plunder

out of the Carolingians.

So whether or not any particular

engagement ended in
a victory for them,

I think, might be kind of narrowing
the focus a little too much here.

But although the Frankish resistance
is becoming increasingly structured,

the Vikings once again
decide to attack Paris.

And so, another siege of the
metropolis is launched.

What happened in 885 and 886 in Paris

isn't necessarily to be considered
as a failure for the Vikings.

Paris is indeed besieged
for several months,

there are fights between
Vikings and Parisians.

And, even if the Vikings
can't seize Paris,

they still get an important
monetary compensation.

So, actually, Parisians
defend themselves against

the Vikings attempts of
raid and plundering.

The Vikings hold for several months
and eventually accept to retreat

in exchange for monetary compensation
coming directly from the King.

On top of it, they're authorised

to sail up the Seine
and to plunder Burgundy.

In the months that followed, they
plundered the surroundings of Sens.

It seems inconsistent to have the
King authorising such a thing,

but it was apparently
the understanding they came to.

They didn't manage to seize Paris
in the end, that's true,

but they still gained
a lot out of it.

While the siege of Paris
may have been relieved,

various Viking groups were still
being quite successful in the field.

They were still managing to extract
tribute from the Franks,

they were still causing
quite a lot of damage

in many parts of the kingdom.

So again, I think we need
to come back to this idea of

whether there was any
concerted strategy in the first place

and think about these groups more
on their own terms as

autonomous raiding fleets and armies

operating with their own
individual goals.

If we want to consider
the question of how and why

the Vikings became European,

we must start by saying that there
was no Europe as such at the time.

Scandinavians integrated into
a dominant culture on the continent

which was linked to the
Anglo-Saxon culture too,

so the North Sea in general.

So they adopted some elements
of that culture.

We see that the integration happened
mostly when Scandinavians

tried to settle down in regions
outside of Scandinavia.

It was often then, through
power games and alliances games,

that they accepted new ways of life,
but also a new religion.

In Scandinavia, the process may
have taken more time,

but we also see,
during the 11th century,

that the Scandinavian elites
considered they were on par

with the elites in
the rest of Europe,

which had the same values
and ways to express power,

and used Christianity as
well to secure that power.

So that cultural integration process
between north and south

happened over several centuries.
It didn't happen overnight.

That integration process
also took place

in the context of special interests,

so with an often opportunist mindset
which allowed the Scandinavians

who wanted to establish
themselves politically

in the Anglo-Saxon England or in
Normandy to achieve their goal.

After a period of illness,

the Frankish emperor Charles the
Bald dies, on October 6, 877.

After his death, the Frankish
coastal defenses diminish,

and the Vikings see an opportunity to
increase their numbers in Francia.

And now begins a new era,

one where the objective is not only
looting. But also integration.

When the Scandinavians
established themselves in Europe,

and some of them
relocated in the south,

it was natural for them to
become full members of society.

They wanted to integrate.

One of the first things they did
was learn the language

and convert to the local religion,
Christianity in this case.

The Vikings were polytheistic,

which meant that
they worshipped several gods.

This religion existed in all
Germanic tribes of northern Europe

until it was ushered out
by Christianity.

There are a number of reasons why
the Vikings are now converting

from their old faith
to become Christians.

The Christianisation process happened
for a number of reasons

and in a lot of different ways.

I think, when we're looking at

these Viking groups
operating on the continent,

there's certainly
an element of pragmatism.

The opportunity to engage in
trade or to engage in diplomacy

with not only the Carolingians,

but also with the Anglo-Saxon kings
in England.

The conversion of Scandinavia to
Christianity is a long story.

And a story that lasted
several centuries.

In the early eighth century, already,
there are the first missions in

Friesland also having eyes
on the Danes.

And throughout the eighth century,
there is close contact

between the Christian sphere and the
non-Christian sphere in Scandinavia.

It also happens through trade.

Throughout the
eighth and ninth centuries

there's contact between merchants,

most likely Christians, coming
from the North Sea's trading posts

and Scandinavian merchants.

So, through trade, information is
already being transferred

and most likely, there are already
conversions of individuals,

merchants deciding by themselves to
convert to Christianity

most often in order to be
granted access and the right to trade

in the Anglo-Saxon
and Frankish cities.

Ultimately, it became difficult
to own land and engage in trading

unless you were a Christian.

Certain trading posts existed where
people weren't allowed

to trade with heathens.

So the Vikings allowed themselves
to be baptised,

but viewed it as a temporary thing.

By doing so they were granted
permission to remain

and conduct trade in these places.

As the years went by, it became
more important to present yourself

as Christian in order to
conduct trade

and partake in the political game.

In historical records we see a
surprising number, perhaps,

of quite powerful leaders of raiding
fleets accepting baptism

as part of their diplomatic contact
with the Carolingian kings

and also in Anglo-Saxon England
we see this too.

And this served a number of
pragmatic reasons.

It meant that these leaders
could be incorporated into the

the Christianised framework
of diplomacy and kingship

that existed in Europe at this time.

It allowed the Carolingians and the
Anglo-Saxons to deal with

these leaders of these
raiding fleets as

legitimate political figures
rather than simply as outsiders.

And what this is doing
is really integrating

the Scandinavians into
this diplomatic network

of Christian Europe.

It was beneficial for them
to be allied with the church.

When they originally introduced
Christianity to the Vikings,

they portrayed Jesus
slightly differently.

Jesus was not seen as the humble
servant that turned the other cheek.

Rather he was presented as
the strong conqueror

that defeated and christened
people from many different lands.

Strength and victory were ideals
in their society.

Not so much being humble,
sensitive and loving one another.

The Vikings believed in taking care
of society's weaker members as well.

Christianity simply didn't present
war as the foremost ideal.

But the idea of goodness,
taking care of those less fortunate,

existed in both religions.

It is hard to understand how much
this era transformed the mindset

of people who converted to
Christianity in Scandinavia.

Was it really a change of belief,
of the way of looking at things,

or was it more of an acceptance

of new values, new practices,

that mixed up,
at least for a given time,

with the ones they already had.

In the beginning of
the eighth century

and, especially,
in the early ninth century,

conversion to Christianity takes
place among individuals.

People decide, in certain
circumstances,

to accept a new religion.

In connection with the Frankish
expansion to the North,

high classes are more and more
interested in Christianity.

They very often seek to facilitate

diplomatic agreements and create
alliances.

That same game comes back
in the late ninth century

in texts written by
a monk named Notker.

He refers to how the Danes
would often attend the court

in order to be baptised.

And weren't hiding that their goal
was to receive the gifts

that were given with baptism.

Of course, Notker laughs at the Danes
and their poorly hidden intentions.

Their lack of sincerity during this
process must be quite exaggerated.

But there must be some element
of truth as well;

converting to Christianity,
going through baptism,

aren't done out of sincere
devotion or belief in a single god.

It is rather done in expediency. Only
as long as there is something to win.

This also brings the question
of the way we see

conversion into a
new religion.

Indeed, on one side,

there obviously is a social aspect

to any change of religion,

but there is also a very personal

aspect concerning someone's faith.

From an archaeological
point of view,

it is very difficult to rebuild the
way people were thinking

during the Viking Age.

This also applies to written
sources since, very often,

texts from that era refer to
political events,

baptism as a ceremony,

as a political and social event,

but not really to more spiritual
thoughts of those affected.

It's likely many journeyed south and
allowed themselves to be baptised,

but when they travelled home,

they returned to the old ways
and the old Gods.

We have found necklaces
and amulets that could be

both the hammer of Thor and a cross,
depending on how you wear it.

There were casts for making
both the hammer of Thor and crosses.

This indicates that the
line between the two religions

was blurred for the Scandinavians.

As Christianity and the Church
spread its influence,

they brought with them new social
rules and women in particular

were affected by this.

They weren't allowed to
practise crafts.

It was considered inappropriate.

And it had to be done under
supervision by a man.

They required a male guardian
of sorts.

Prior to the spread of Christianity,

women had the opportunity
both farm to their own land

and rule over themselves as well as
practising various crafts,

such as ceramics,
cloth making or baking.

Especially when larger cities emerged

where they could make a living
practising their craft.

The judicial system also changed.

Women weren't allowed to inherit
and they lost their say in marriages.

The church also encouraged girls
and widows to join monasteries.

And when they did,
they were encouraged to donate

their worldly possessions
to the church.

With this, their role in society
was weakened.

Women were not allowed to be strong.

She couldn't hold a position of power
or be an independent woman

who made her own choices; instead
other people had to do it for her.

Women always played a
fundamental part,

but the value of their contribution
was diminished.

Their contribution
wasn't worth as much.

They were meant to cook,
and raise the children.

This wasn't as important as
the role of men,

being out in the world
in various ways.

This view emerged with
the spread of Christianity.

I think today, that the idea of
giving up ones religion and accepting

a new set of beliefs would be a huge
thing for an individual to take on,

and certainly for at least some
people during the Viking age,

I think that must have been
very much the same.

At the same time, I think
it's important to acknowledge that

the pre-Christian
belief systems of Scandinavia

during the Viking age,

they didn't conform to any kind
of religious doctrine.

This was not a religion in the sense
that we would today understand it,

but more a kind of belief system,

a way of seeing the world
and interacting

with the world around you.

And in that sense, if you have a
polytheistic outlook

on religious beliefs,
you have many gods,

and in addition to those you have
a whole range of spirits

and supernatural creatures that
live in the world around you,

and you interact with these
on a daily basis,

then the idea of taking on
another deity as part of this

may not have been as outlandish
or as traumatic as we might think.

There is an acknowledgement of other
beliefs and maybe there was

some way that these
could be integrated

into people's existing belief systems
rather than replacing them directly.

In the late ninth century
and early 10th century,

as more and more Viking groups in
Francia learn the language

and convert
from paganism to Christianity,

they start to naturally integrate
into Frankish society.

And as more Vikings are integrated,

they also become a significant and
dangerous power to be reckoned with.

In the late ninth century, Vikings
had been present in Normandy

and the Channel for several decades.

They had already settled in
a more or less permanent way

in different areas

of Brittany and around
the Seine's estuary in Normandy.

For the Frankish emperor,

it became important to have
good diplomatic relations

with the Vikings and their leaders.

And in 911 an experienced
Viking chief steps forward.

What we see at this time as part of
diplomatic negotiation,

a Viking leader who we know
in the historical record as Rollo

is granted a swathe of territory in
what is now Normandy.

Rollo had already taken part

in several Viking incursions
on the Seine, and for several years.

He was well known to the
Frankish authorities.

In this environment,
where on one side,

Viking incursions are taken up again
in the 880s to 890s.

They are a threat to the area,
a real one.

And, on the other side, the fact that
several groups of Vikings

are already settled more or less
permanently in different areas.

The Scandinavians
are already quite present

and they are starting to
be not only a permanent threat,

but quite an annoying one.

It's with this background that the
leader, Rollo, comes to an agreement

with the King to gain control over
territories in Normandy

in order to remedy

a more or less
already existing situation

of the Seine's estuary
and thus access to Paris

and to the richest areas
in the Kingdom.

This is the context that allows Rollo
to get the first territories

of what will later become Normandy.

This agreement with Rollo is
a clear way for the Frankish power

to control him and make him an ally.

This will have enormous
consequences...

The agreement was formalised in 911.
We haven't found this document,

but it is referred to in different
sources from 918.

And the purpose of this, primarily
from the Carolingian perspective,

is to establish a strong, powerful
adversary in a region where

where he's become almost a
protector of the Carolingian Kingdom,

because their job, essentially,
in holding this territory,

is to stop other potential incursions
from taking place.

It has its merits to position
capable warriors

by the mouth of the river Seine.

This ensured they were prepared for
potential hostile invasions.

In addition, by granting them
this land they eliminated

the probability of further
Viking raids.

It was still a possibility, but
having local Norsemen

living there, they might have
negotiated and discussed things

with the locals before
they took up arms.

Very quickly it seems that the
territory of Normandy grows

as more land is granted and this
area, this new Scandinavian enclave,

starts to expand quite rapidly.

And a part of this we see an
acculturation into Frankish society.

Not only the adoption of Christianity
which is an ongoing process,

but also a move towards
a more Frankish way of life.

Quite quickly, I think,
within a number of years,

we're not gonna be seeing, or hearing
rather, Scandinavian languages spoken

in the Normandy region.

We're gonna see a disappearance
of Scandinavian custom

and the emergence of what really
looks like a Frankish territory.

They rapidly adapted
Christian graves and culture.

It didn't take long for them to
become fully fledged Frenchmen.

From brief excursions,
to staying over the winter...

and to eventually be granted
their own share of the land...

within the span of roughly 150 years

meant that the Norsemen had an
established presence in Francia.

The early winters in Francia
granted the Vikings

enough social attachment to
establish diplomatic relations

and discussions on warfare
and common enemies

that, in turn, strengthened their
presence in Francia.

I think trying to put a single
determining factor on why these

processes of acculturation
take place is quite difficult.

In one sense, I think there's an
element of pragmatism here.

If you're going to be establishing
yourself within a new landscape

and among a new society, there has to
be a degree of integration

to ensure peaceful coexistence.

At the same time I also
think this is natural.

As people come together
and coexist and

communicate and
learn from each other,

there's going to be an exchange of
culture and an exchange of ideas.

And I think, in that sense,
that this is a process that

can't necessarily be quantified
or put into a box:

This is why it happened.

Over time, this is something that
would naturally take place

as we see in the continuing
evolution of Normandy

to what it becomes in
the 11th century.

When we think that Normandy was
established as a political territory

based on Scandinavian colonisation,

it can seem surprising that
on an archaeological level

we have almost zero material evidence
of that Scandinavian presence.

One of the possible
explanations is that

the integration of the Scandinavians
happened very quickly

through those marriage alliances.

And very quickly they adopted
a way of life close to that

of the Frankish populations who
used to live there beforehand.

So we don't notice in
an obvious way in archaeology

that Scandinavian presence.

Rollo's reign of Normandy
lasted until 928,

he is believed to have died in 930,
at the age of 70.

Rollo's offspring and his followers
became known as The Normans.

There was periodic fighting
between Rollo's children,

grandchildren and the French King.

But by the end of the 10th century,
the region saw a return to stability

when the great grandson
of Rollo married

a woman who moved there.

And they created a peaceful
society that catered to

both the Norsemen and the Europeans
that already lived there.

The union of Gunnor, the daughter of
a rich family in West Normandy,

and Rollo's grandson,
Richard I of Normandy,

proved to be one of the
most important

political marriages in the region.

She ruled the land following her
husband's passing

as their son was still young.

She left her imprint on the area
and managed to collaborate with

the Scandinavian people

and countries, as well
as the rest of Francia.

The attempt to stabilise
relationships between

Scandinavian elite warriors settling
in Normandy and Frankish authorities

includes marriages that also play
an important part.

Within personal alliances,

risk of conflict
among members of a family

is theoretically diminished.

In practice,
it is often far from true,

but it is done to limit conflicts.

In those marriages,

women play a major part.

Not in an obvious or active way,

they don't decide who they
are getting married to,

they are mostly arranged marriages,
things are decided for them,

but through these marriages they
manage to establish

some kind of authority of obvious
importance in politics.

Their part, as is the case for Gunnor
and many others is,

on one hand to have some
influence on political stakes,

and on the other hand to
make sure their children

will have access to
power and inheritance.

One of the main things at stake for
elite women in Normandy

is to make sure their children
have access to the rights

and inheritance
that should be theirs.

I mean, of course these kind of
marriages would have strengthened

political and personal bonds between
very powerful families

and across borders.

In addition to this I think there
would have been also financial gain

for one or both parties,
but also a chance to, again,

for these people to increase their
power through these relationships.

And these marriages greatly
facilitate the establishment of

what would hope to be stable
dynasties of rule and in that sense

these marriages legitimise

the future rule of the children
born of those unions.

During the 10th century,
the kingdoms grew.

They controlled larger areas of land,

which meant they had access to
bigger pools of resources.

They were also better educated
and taught diplomacy,

how to negotiate

and to read and write in order
to administrate their kingdoms.

They also kept books for taxes.

Much of this was likely done
by the women, the queens,

that took care of their own families
as well as their descendants.

Even though Christianity reduced
the status of women,

some of them actually gained more

power through these
political marriages.

I think it goes without saying that
women have always been prominent

in matters of politics and religion,

we just don't always
read about them in the texts,

which are quite heavily
biased towards

describing the lives of Kings,
essentially.

But as we move into this period,
women do

hold an increasingly powerful role in
dynastic politics,

as people from which you have royal
dynasties and bloodlines.

They become, diplomatically as
well, very important people

through marriages between families,

in an effort to strengthen political
ties and establish bonds,

both between families and across
territorial borders as well.

In addition to this,
women held many important roles

within the ecclesiastical hierarchy
and as members of

higher status families contributed to
the strong relationship

that secular rulers had with the
church and greatly facilitated this.

It also seems that women are
becoming increasingly active in

aspects of political leadership and
playing key roles in the formation

of alliances and relationships
between powerful families.

They were at the seat of power.
If their men left,

travelled abroad or they were
widowed, they were given

complete autonomy over
their Kingdoms.

They could negotiate favourable
marriages for their children,

or taxes, they held the Kingdom
in their hands.

This meant these women
were crucial for the exercise

of power in those days.

An important step in the creation
of wealth and power

is to arrange suitable marriages
where the possessions of a man

and a woman were combined.

And this isn't something that the man
or woman have much say in.

Rather it is up to their families,
their advisers,

that negotiate and discuss matters
such as the size of the dowry,

what possessions will be
part of the marriage,

which becomes a very official union
of these two individuals.

They become symbols for
the creation of alliances

within the sphere of power
that they live.

This creates a strong bond
between groups,

that everyone involved is
keen to maintain.

This leads to an increased wealth
for the families

and hopefully greater stability
in their countries.

The greater the alliance,
the more power it creates,

and hopefully it will
keep war at bay.

So it isn't just about
the families involved

and that they try to gather
more power,

rather it's about entire countries
and populations.

And it's a lot of responsibility
being put on these individuals

that often were quite young
when they wed.

They didn't have a say in the matter.

What matters is that they have
children to ensure

the survival of the family and
the union of their lineages.

But kings and queens can become
widows or widowers,

then new alliances
must be formed.

The King should not be unwed
when the possibility

to strengthen an alliance with
a new territory or family exists.

Instead new marriages are arranged.

If we try to imagine Cnut the Great
and Queen Emma's court,

it's far from being easy.

First, there is an
important element to remember.

For both of them,
it wasn't their first marriage.

Cnut had been married in the past to
Ælfgifu who was Anglo-Saxon.

He had been present in England

for several years already when
he married Emma.

Regarding Emma, she had been married
to King Edward the Confessor.

So she had already been an
Anglo-Saxon queen for several years.

On one side, we have Cnut's Danish
origins and on the other,

we have Emma's Norman origins.

On a cultural point of view,
we could expect a blending marked

with Danish and Norman cultures,
so largely Frankish,

as well as the Anglo-Saxon culture.

In reality, I think it was more like
a synthesis of all of this

and that the elites' way of life was
generally not associated with

a culture or a region in particular,

but rather was common to most
elites in north western Europe

in the early 11th century.

The reason why the Vikings chose to
integrate into Frankish culture

and became Europeans was the great
advantages that came along with it.

Only Christian Europeans
could own land in Normandy.

And owning land was far more
important than simply owning gold.

Land meant real power,
which gave the Vikings influence

over the political
landscape in Normandy.

After a time of Viking integration,

many members of the Norman
as well as the English royal courts

now have their origins
in Scandinavia.

There is a large degree of cultural
mixing at the various courts,

which creates tension between
the royal houses.

As we have seen, this tension can be
reconciled through marriage,

however this led to
sibling rivalry and family feuds

over claims to the crown.

And this would soon result in a
decisive conclusion

and lead to one of the most famous
battles in European history.

Subtitles: Lily Ray
www.plint.com