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This is a story about the people who
came sailing across the ocean.
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It's a story about a long and
perilous journey of upheaval,
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which came to change populations
and influence politics, trade,
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culture, religion
and entire societies.
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It's a story about the Vikings,
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and how they transformed the world!
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For most people, the Vikings are seen
only as plunderers and pirates.
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But is that the whole truth?
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The process of converting Scandinavia
to Christianity is a long story.
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They were skilled tradesmen, in part
because of their ability to travel.
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They're going abroad
to take what they seek.
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In this series we will dig deeper
and gain more insight into
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who the Vikings really were.
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And the truth turns out
to be surprising.
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THE LAST JOURNEY OF THE VIKINGS
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In the late 700s, the Scandinavians
set sail across the seas,
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searching for a better life,
looting and pillaging
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and eventually becoming
what we know as the Vikings.
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Using their long ships,
the Vikings began wreaking havoc
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along the coasts of
the Frankish Empire,
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sacking villages as well
as monasteries.
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But even though the Vikings
quickly became notorious
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for their violent raids abroad,
their first attacks
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on the Franks were not
very successful.
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The Frankish defenses,
built by Charlemagne,
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were simply too effective
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00:02:51,420 --> 00:02:53,900
and the Franks were able
to prevent the Vikings
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from sailing up the great rivers,
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and advance further inland.
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00:02:58,540 --> 00:03:04,300
So how were the pagan Vikings able to
push into Christian Francia?
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00:03:04,380 --> 00:03:08,620
In order to answer that, we have to
find out more about Charlemagne
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and what happened during the
very first Viking attacks on Francia.
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100 DAYS IN PARIS
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00:03:26,740 --> 00:03:30,740
Charlemagne is a key figure
in medieval European history
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00:03:30,820 --> 00:03:34,860
and one of the most influential
rulers the continent has ever known.
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00:03:34,940 --> 00:03:39,220
His empire consisted of not only
what is today France but also
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00:03:39,300 --> 00:03:43,940
present-day western Germany, northern
Italy, Switzerland and Austria.
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00:03:44,780 --> 00:03:47,900
So the emperor Charlemagne was
an incredibly powerful ruler
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00:03:47,980 --> 00:03:51,540
and during his reign he greatly
expanded the borders of his empire
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into the north towards the area of
southern Scandinavia
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what we now refer to as Denmark.
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00:03:59,620 --> 00:04:04,900
Charlemagne sought to spread
Christianity and unite the kingdom.
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This was not well received by all
Vikings. They had their own beliefs.
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They didn't want to be
subjected to Christianity
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simply because he was king.
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00:04:16,660 --> 00:04:20,300
Which Gods they worshipped was
a very personal affair.
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00:04:20,380 --> 00:04:24,540
It didn't concern the ruling powers.
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00:04:28,860 --> 00:04:31,500
And it's been suggested
that the way in which he did this,
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not only undertaking military
conquest, but also
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in seeking to convert large numbers
of people to Christianity
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at the point of a sword...
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which is even suggested to have
resulted in large scale massacres.
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00:05:14,180 --> 00:05:19,420
And it has been suggested that this
somehow generated the perception
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00:05:19,500 --> 00:05:26,100
that there was a need for a strike on
the Christian world from Scandinavia.
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And in this the early Viking raids
have sometimes been presented
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almost, for want of a better term,
as a pagan crusade
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00:05:34,060 --> 00:05:40,780
and I certainly don't feel that this
was such an important factor
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00:05:40,860 --> 00:05:42,460
in that sense.
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00:05:42,540 --> 00:05:46,980
What we have happening this
time in Scandinavia is that
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00:05:47,060 --> 00:05:51,980
society is changing greatly and there
is a number of social and political,
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00:05:52,060 --> 00:05:56,020
economic and ideological
factors at play here.
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00:05:56,100 --> 00:06:00,780
But I'm not sure that Charlemagne's
actions in expanding his empire
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00:06:00,860 --> 00:06:05,700
really did provide the primary
impetus for these raids.
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00:06:07,900 --> 00:06:11,220
Charlemagne was known for his
strong Christian faith,
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00:06:11,300 --> 00:06:15,540
and he wouldn't tolerate any pagans
in the Frankish Empire.
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00:06:15,620 --> 00:06:16,540
In fact,
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00:06:16,620 --> 00:06:21,420
he repeatedly tried to convert other
nations to Christianity by force,
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00:06:21,500 --> 00:06:24,380
including the pagan Saxons,
whose religion
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had strong similarities with
the beliefs of the Vikings.
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00:06:28,980 --> 00:06:32,940
For example, the most important
religious symbol of the Saxons
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00:06:33,020 --> 00:06:39,060
was the sacred tree Irminsul, which
can be likened to the tree Yggdrasil,
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00:06:39,140 --> 00:06:43,420
an important symbol in the Norse
religion of Scandinavia.
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The Friesland already was very
close to Denmark at the time,
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especially through trade exchange.
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They were very close to
South Scandinavia.
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Throughout the eighth century
and until the early ninth century,
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Saxony also gets captured and
included to the Frankish realm.
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00:07:06,420 --> 00:07:10,420
Regarding those two cases,
Friesland and Saxony,
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00:07:10,500 --> 00:07:14,700
there were non-Christian
territories and which became.
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Frankish territories and thus
Christianised.
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00:07:23,980 --> 00:07:28,220
For a long time, the Frankish empire
had suffered constant raids
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00:07:28,300 --> 00:07:32,620
from the Saxons,
but around the year 772,
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Charlemagne decides to strike
back and attacks Saxony.
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This time,
he doesn't only want revenge;
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He wants to force the Saxons to
convert from their pagan beliefs
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to Christianity, once and for all.
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Charlemagne's servant, a scholar
and monk by the name Einhard,
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wrote the Francian
emperor's biography -
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The Vita Karoli Magni -
"Life of Charlemagne".
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00:09:03,660 --> 00:09:08,820
In this biography Einhard writes "the
last war that Charles undertook
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was against those Northmen
who are called Danes,
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00:09:12,700 --> 00:09:16,660
who first came as pirates and
then ravaged the coasts of Gaul
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00:09:16,740 --> 00:09:19,900
"and Germany with
a greater naval force."
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00:09:19,980 --> 00:09:23,740
He was, of course,
talking about the Vikings.
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When the Vikings arrived in France,
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they weren't very successful in
the eighth century
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00:09:32,100 --> 00:09:36,140
and early ninth.
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00:09:36,220 --> 00:09:42,940
I believe it to be mostly due to the
existence of strong political
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00:09:43,020 --> 00:09:46,980
power at the time, lead by
Charlemagne.
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Thus, military control
was well-established.
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00:09:55,780 --> 00:10:00,180
He instituted a system of coastal
defense on the Frankish coast.
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00:10:01,540 --> 00:10:05,220
He put in place not only orders
to construct ships
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to deter seaborne pirates,
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00:10:06,820 --> 00:10:10,940
but he also installed a
coast guard system.
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00:10:11,020 --> 00:10:15,340
A system of armed groups who
would watch for threats
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coming from the sea and their
job was primarily to stop
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00:10:18,540 --> 00:10:21,780
those forces on the beach,
as it were.
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00:10:33,220 --> 00:10:36,140
At the beginning of the ninth
century, the system seemed to work
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quite well. In 820 we have
a fairly small Viking raid
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on the Frankish coast.
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00:10:40,740 --> 00:10:45,140
The Vikings make several attempts to
enter Frankish waterways
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to plunder and each time
they are thrown out, essentially,
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00:10:49,460 --> 00:10:51,380
by this Frankish coast guard.
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00:11:01,580 --> 00:11:04,940
And when the Vikings now
start attacking Francia,
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00:11:05,020 --> 00:11:08,340
Charlemagne, who has fought
extended wars against people
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00:11:08,420 --> 00:11:10,020
belonging to other religions,
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00:11:10,100 --> 00:11:14,020
is determined not to let plundering
pagans into his country.
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00:11:16,060 --> 00:11:20,380
The setbacks of the first attacks
lead some Viking chiefs
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to simply leave the Frankish Empire
and focus on easier targets.
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00:11:26,380 --> 00:11:30,340
The Danish king Gudfred is one
of these powerful men,
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00:11:30,420 --> 00:11:34,500
who give up on Francia
and heads for other destinations.
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00:11:37,540 --> 00:11:40,540
Other Vikings decide to go
a different route.
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00:12:00,700 --> 00:12:04,900
Gudfred's younger brother Halvdan,
for instance, chooses not to follow
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00:12:04,980 --> 00:12:09,540
his brother's example, and instead
allies himself with Charlemagne,
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00:12:09,620 --> 00:12:12,620
becoming the Danish envoy
to the Frankish emperor.
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00:12:33,140 --> 00:12:37,500
For a while, it almost seems like the
violent Viking attacks on Francia
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00:12:37,580 --> 00:12:39,420
have ceased for good.
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00:12:55,060 --> 00:12:58,660
During this time, the Vikings quickly
become known in Europe
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00:12:58,740 --> 00:13:03,380
as bloodthirsty pirates, pillaging
and looting whenever they're able to.
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00:13:06,300 --> 00:13:08,860
Their far-flung journeys
outside Scandinavia
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also lead to an increase in trade.
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00:13:13,460 --> 00:13:16,780
Near estuaries or where
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00:13:16,860 --> 00:13:21,380
the land met the sea or
along common travel routes,
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00:13:21,460 --> 00:13:23,500
people gathered to trade.
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00:13:23,580 --> 00:13:26,420
Eventually these places
became trading posts.
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00:13:28,460 --> 00:13:31,980
In the North Sea,
we saw centres of production
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00:13:32,060 --> 00:13:33,820
and trade exchanges emerge.
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00:13:33,900 --> 00:13:37,140
We often call them "wics"
in the context of Britain,
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so they would maintain
trade links with each other.
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00:13:42,620 --> 00:13:46,900
And these, collectively, provided a
hub in north western Europe
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00:13:46,980 --> 00:13:49,980
for the exchange of goods
across long distances.
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00:13:51,980 --> 00:13:54,540
They were also centres for
handmade productions where
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00:13:54,620 --> 00:13:56,940
different types of objects were made.
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00:13:57,020 --> 00:14:01,540
Objects made out of bones and
deer antlers, such as combs.
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00:14:01,620 --> 00:14:03,420
But also metallic objects
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00:14:03,500 --> 00:14:08,220
and jewellery in copper alloy,
so in bronze.
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00:14:09,660 --> 00:14:14,700
Scandinavian goods were
highly prized in Europe.
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00:14:14,780 --> 00:14:18,260
It would have been
skins, pelts, pickled fish.
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00:14:18,340 --> 00:14:22,500
From the north, it would have
been walrus tusks,
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00:14:22,580 --> 00:14:28,340
items made out of antlers or bone,
honey and possibly mead,
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00:14:28,420 --> 00:14:30,460
even if it was considered
somewhat exotic.
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00:14:34,940 --> 00:14:40,620
We can assume there were skilled
artisans who
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00:14:40,700 --> 00:14:42,380
crafted and sold items on site.
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00:14:42,460 --> 00:14:45,940
Jewellery crafting would
have been common.
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00:14:46,020 --> 00:14:50,180
They created combs and various
other items out of antlers.
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00:14:50,260 --> 00:14:54,780
Carpenters, barrel makers...
They made ceramic pots.
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00:14:54,860 --> 00:15:00,220
Both to sell the pots themselves, but
also for the transportation of goods
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00:15:00,300 --> 00:15:02,300
in ceramic pots or barrels.
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00:15:02,380 --> 00:15:07,260
Cloth makers... An assortment of
craftsmen met at these trading posts.
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00:15:07,340 --> 00:15:11,700
So it became a melting pot with a
diverse gathering of people
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from all over Europe.
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00:15:13,500 --> 00:15:15,660
There would have been inns,
entertainment,
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00:15:15,740 --> 00:15:19,220
singers and bards there.
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00:15:19,300 --> 00:15:22,500
We can assume there
were brothels as well.
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00:15:22,580 --> 00:15:24,980
There would also have been
common folk, living there
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with their families.
People involved with trading.
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00:15:39,260 --> 00:15:44,660
In relation to those handmade
productions, there was a need
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to access and produce raw materials
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which were necessary for
those productions.
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That implies the exchange networks
were not only trade networks,
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but also distribution networks
for those resources.
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00:16:04,780 --> 00:16:07,940
It's something that emerged in
Scandinavia as early as during
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the eighth century where raw
materials were brought from
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00:16:14,180 --> 00:16:18,500
Norway to Denmark for the production
of some objects.
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00:16:24,380 --> 00:16:28,980
It also implies the appearance of a
new way to exploit raw materials
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00:16:29,060 --> 00:16:32,860
beyond agriculture.
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00:16:32,940 --> 00:16:38,180
So it also attracted political
interests from the elites
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00:16:38,260 --> 00:16:42,180
who saw in the possibility to control
the extraction and distribution
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00:16:42,260 --> 00:16:46,060
of raw materials a way to
increase their wealth.
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00:16:59,900 --> 00:17:04,020
Raiding also gives the Vikings
access to another product,
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00:17:04,100 --> 00:17:07,620
one that they buy and sell
at various markets.
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00:17:28,940 --> 00:17:32,300
The slave trade was an
important market...
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00:17:34,020 --> 00:17:40,860
where they could buy skilled
craftsmen, beautiful women,
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00:17:40,940 --> 00:17:47,420
men who possessed useful knowledge
such as literate priests or monks
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00:17:47,500 --> 00:17:50,660
that could assist a king
or a chieftain
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00:17:50,740 --> 00:17:53,900
to become learned or gain
a better reputation.
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00:17:53,980 --> 00:17:58,220
And to learn things that ordinary
people didn't know.
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00:17:58,300 --> 00:18:03,980
To possess knowledge that isn't
generally known is a source of power.
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00:18:04,060 --> 00:18:07,580
They could learn these things by
acquiring the right slaves
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00:18:07,660 --> 00:18:09,100
with the right knowledge.
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00:18:13,540 --> 00:18:16,180
These trading posts were
important sites,
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00:18:16,260 --> 00:18:19,540
both for the exchange
of goods as well as ideas,
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00:18:19,620 --> 00:18:26,060
and it was essential for rulers
to maintain control over them.
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00:18:26,660 --> 00:18:30,460
It is likely that traders
had to pay taxes
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00:18:30,540 --> 00:18:32,980
to those who controlled these posts.
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00:18:33,060 --> 00:18:36,660
In order to conduct trade,
you had to pay taxes if you wanted
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00:18:36,740 --> 00:18:38,740
to set up a booth.
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00:18:38,820 --> 00:18:43,340
This was also a good source of income
for the local chieftain or king:
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00:18:43,420 --> 00:18:47,020
A steady flow of income
from the site.
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00:18:48,140 --> 00:18:52,140
Visitors to these trading posts are
mainly engaged in peaceful trade,
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00:18:52,220 --> 00:18:55,700
and as the buying and selling of
various goods increases,
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00:18:55,780 --> 00:19:01,780
the trading posts grow rapidly, as
does their political significance.
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00:19:01,860 --> 00:19:04,980
They soon become centres
of political power
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00:19:05,060 --> 00:19:09,660
and important strategic
points to control.
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00:19:09,740 --> 00:19:13,500
As a result, the conflicts between
the Vikings and the Franks
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00:19:13,580 --> 00:19:15,620
flare up once again.
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00:19:15,700 --> 00:19:20,540
In the year 808,
the great trading post of Rerik
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00:19:20,620 --> 00:19:23,900
is suddenly attacked by
the Danish king Gudfred.
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00:19:25,860 --> 00:19:30,340
Rerik was located in a region that,
during the eighth century
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00:19:30,420 --> 00:19:36,940
and early ninth century, belonged to
a Slavic people, the Obotrites.
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00:19:37,020 --> 00:19:43,900
In the context of the wars between
the Carolingian Franks and the Saxons
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00:19:43,980 --> 00:19:48,220
the Obotrites were allies of
the Carolingians.
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00:19:48,300 --> 00:19:52,940
On the opposite side, in Denmark,
was King Gudfred.
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00:19:53,020 --> 00:19:57,260
And he stood with the Saxons.
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00:20:08,140 --> 00:20:12,100
What we have in Denmark at this time
during the reign of Gudfred
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00:20:12,180 --> 00:20:15,700
is an attempt by the King to
consolidate his power
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00:20:15,780 --> 00:20:21,900
which is at least to some
extent in relation
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00:20:21,980 --> 00:20:26,660
to the increasing and
antagonistic contacts between
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00:20:26,740 --> 00:20:28,180
the Danes and the Carolingians.
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00:20:40,140 --> 00:20:44,580
We know from the Frankish
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00:20:44,660 --> 00:20:48,460
written sources that
in the year 808.
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00:20:48,540 --> 00:20:54,180
King Gudfred ordered the destruction
of the Rerik emporium.
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00:21:21,820 --> 00:21:27,180
The destruction of Rerik was the
result of Frankish expansion
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00:21:27,260 --> 00:21:31,460
towards the northern and eastern
parts of Europe in general.
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00:21:31,540 --> 00:21:36,420
Rerik generated incomes that were
rather significant through taxes.
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00:21:36,500 --> 00:21:41,260
I believe it was a reason, or at
least a motivation, for Gudfred
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00:21:41,340 --> 00:21:43,060
to order the destruction
of the city.
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00:21:43,140 --> 00:21:46,660
Because if that city was well
controlled by the Obotrites,
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00:21:46,740 --> 00:21:50,980
it was a way to prevent
those enemies from getting
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00:21:51,060 --> 00:21:54,900
a significant financial income.
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00:21:54,980 --> 00:21:58,700
He took with him many traders
and craftsmen,
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00:21:58,780 --> 00:22:02,580
because many craftsmen gathered
at these trading posts,
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00:22:02,660 --> 00:22:08,980
and brought them to the border of
modern day Denmark and Germany
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00:22:09,060 --> 00:22:13,220
near Sliestorp and introduced them
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00:22:13,300 --> 00:22:16,700
to the large, emerging
trading post there.
238
00:22:16,780 --> 00:22:21,700
And there he basically had control
over these individuals,
239
00:22:21,780 --> 00:22:24,380
and these are craft specialists,
specialists in trade.
240
00:22:24,460 --> 00:22:28,540
They can bring in a lot of income,
this income can be taxed
241
00:22:28,620 --> 00:22:32,780
and this directly has consequences
for Gudfred's power.
242
00:22:32,860 --> 00:22:37,020
It also sends a strong message to
the Carolingians that Gudfred,
243
00:22:37,100 --> 00:22:40,860
the Danish King, is a force
to be reckoned with
244
00:22:40,940 --> 00:22:46,220
and that he now has the influence
and the power to bring elements of
245
00:22:46,300 --> 00:22:50,860
this North sea, Atlantic and Baltic
trade under his direct control.
246
00:22:54,260 --> 00:22:59,940
He also is recorded as establishing
a large linear earthwork
247
00:23:00,020 --> 00:23:03,020
in southern Jutland.
It's called the Danevirke.
248
00:23:07,620 --> 00:23:11,260
There was a long palisade,
30 kilometres long,
249
00:23:11,340 --> 00:23:16,300
most likely consisting of
wooden posts and trenches
250
00:23:16,380 --> 00:23:21,100
designed to make it difficult
to attack the site.
251
00:23:22,620 --> 00:23:25,300
In all likelihood according to the
archaeological evidence,
252
00:23:25,380 --> 00:23:29,180
this monument was already in
existence during Gudfred's reign,
253
00:23:29,260 --> 00:23:32,020
so what he probably did
was refortify it.
254
00:23:32,100 --> 00:23:37,260
But nonetheless that indicates that
he must have extensive control,
255
00:23:37,340 --> 00:23:42,140
not only over a significant pool of
resources, but also a pool of labour.
256
00:23:42,220 --> 00:23:45,780
So from this we can infer
that certainly
257
00:23:45,860 --> 00:23:48,500
within Gudfred's sphere of power,
258
00:23:48,580 --> 00:23:53,660
there was certainly a degree of
centralised political power
259
00:23:53,740 --> 00:24:00,020
allowing him to draw on his various
subordinates and likely large numbers
260
00:24:00,100 --> 00:24:03,060
of the general population as well.
261
00:24:09,180 --> 00:24:13,380
In the early ninth century,
under Gudfred's reign,
262
00:24:13,460 --> 00:24:15,580
Denmark isn't a unified territory.
263
00:24:15,660 --> 00:24:20,180
It isn't the same Kingdom of Denmark
as it is today or as it was
264
00:24:20,260 --> 00:24:27,180
during the Middle Ages with
delineated borders and a single king
265
00:24:27,260 --> 00:24:29,140
ruling over the territory.
266
00:24:29,220 --> 00:24:35,620
This was more like regional political
267
00:24:35,700 --> 00:24:38,380
entities in the eastern and western
parts of Denmark,
268
00:24:38,460 --> 00:24:43,740
which most likely were
repeatedly fighting with one another
269
00:24:43,820 --> 00:24:49,300
even if we don't have any
clear reference to those.
270
00:24:49,380 --> 00:24:54,460
What is mostly documented is
conflicts around Gudfred
271
00:24:54,540 --> 00:24:59,380
and rivals to the throne
which were mostly centered
272
00:24:59,460 --> 00:25:03,660
in the western part of
the territory in Jutland.
273
00:25:11,580 --> 00:25:14,700
Naturally, the sacking
and destruction of Rerik
274
00:25:14,780 --> 00:25:17,420
was a clear provocation of
Charlemagne
275
00:25:17,500 --> 00:25:19,900
on the part of the Danish king.
276
00:25:33,300 --> 00:25:37,100
Peace negotiations were held
between the two sides,
277
00:25:37,180 --> 00:25:39,100
but in the end they came to nothing.
278
00:25:45,940 --> 00:25:49,700
After this, Charlemagne
created a permanent garrison
279
00:25:49,780 --> 00:25:51,660
north of the river Elbe.
280
00:25:56,460 --> 00:25:59,940
He planned to retaliate, and when
the Danish king brought
281
00:26:00,020 --> 00:26:03,220
hundreds of ships to raid
the Frisian coastline...
282
00:26:05,300 --> 00:26:08,620
Charlemagne gathered his
forces to strike back.
283
00:26:14,940 --> 00:26:19,300
Just before the Frankish attack,
something happens.
284
00:26:19,380 --> 00:26:22,380
Charlemagne is reached
by a messenger.
285
00:26:25,460 --> 00:26:29,620
Gudfred is dead -
killed by one of his own bodyguards.
286
00:26:33,980 --> 00:26:37,220
When Gudfred dies in 810,
287
00:26:37,300 --> 00:26:40,220
Denmark is torn by
severe internal strife,
288
00:26:40,300 --> 00:26:44,940
as the Danish elites are drawn into a
power struggle for the Danish crown.
289
00:26:49,220 --> 00:26:52,340
But the Danish conflicts are nothing
compared to what happens
290
00:26:52,420 --> 00:26:57,900
when the great Frankish emperor dies,
just four years later, in 814.
291
00:26:57,980 --> 00:27:01,580
He had ruled France for 46 years,
and during his reign,
292
00:27:01,660 --> 00:27:03,820
he created a strong Christian empire,
293
00:27:03,900 --> 00:27:07,420
well equipped to deal
with the Viking threat.
294
00:27:07,500 --> 00:27:10,500
What would happen now
when he was gone?
295
00:27:11,540 --> 00:27:16,740
Following Charlemagne's death,
Louis the Pious was crowned.
296
00:27:16,820 --> 00:27:21,580
He had four sons. And he wanted
them to inherit their share
297
00:27:21,660 --> 00:27:24,260
of the kingdom's lands.
298
00:27:24,340 --> 00:27:28,020
So he attempted to split the
kingdom between his sons.
299
00:27:28,100 --> 00:27:32,980
It's easy to see how this would cause
trouble. So when he died,
300
00:27:33,060 --> 00:27:39,020
civil war broke out between the
brothers who all wanted the throne
301
00:27:39,100 --> 00:27:40,740
and as much of the land as possible.
302
00:27:44,220 --> 00:27:49,260
This meant Francia's resources were
spent on killing each other
303
00:27:49,340 --> 00:27:53,820
instead of defending themselves
from foreign Viking raids.
304
00:27:56,740 --> 00:28:01,420
The instability that developed on the
continent regarding the succession
305
00:28:01,500 --> 00:28:06,900
of Louis the Pious, opened a
breach in that defense system
306
00:28:06,980 --> 00:28:09,660
which used to be effective
beforehand.
307
00:28:09,740 --> 00:28:14,420
After Charlemagne's death,
they didn't keep that defense system.
308
00:28:14,500 --> 00:28:20,060
With Louis the Pious's death and the
fragmentation of the Frankish Empire
309
00:28:20,140 --> 00:28:25,980
came a period of instability with a
reorganisation of the territories.
310
00:28:26,060 --> 00:28:32,060
Which means that the military
coordination which was a trait
311
00:28:32,140 --> 00:28:35,220
of the Frankish kingdoms in the past,
312
00:28:35,300 --> 00:28:37,500
especially under the reign of
Charlemagne became
313
00:28:37,580 --> 00:28:39,180
far less effective.
314
00:28:52,860 --> 00:28:59,580
It also meant that the elites in the
three Frankish kingdoms at the time
315
00:28:59,660 --> 00:29:04,260
also had to set new positions
in those territories.
316
00:29:04,340 --> 00:29:11,300
And their focus shifted towards
the inside and negotiations
317
00:29:11,380 --> 00:29:15,660
within
Frankish kingdoms.
318
00:29:15,740 --> 00:29:19,980
And so what we have here is really a
perfect set of circumstances
319
00:29:20,060 --> 00:29:24,340
for Viking raiding groups to start
not only raiding the coast,
320
00:29:24,420 --> 00:29:28,340
but penetrate much further inland
and to really start to cause havoc
321
00:29:28,420 --> 00:29:32,980
and that's exactly what we see
in the historical records.
322
00:29:33,060 --> 00:29:36,300
The Carolingians did have a
well-developed defensive system
323
00:29:36,380 --> 00:29:40,540
in place which in theory was
supposed to counter these attacks,
324
00:29:40,620 --> 00:29:44,620
the kings had the ability to muster
large armies often at short notice.
325
00:29:44,700 --> 00:29:49,620
But at the same time, they're often
hampered in their ability to do so,
326
00:29:49,700 --> 00:29:53,380
simply because they cannot
always count on the support
327
00:29:53,460 --> 00:29:54,860
of their magnates.
328
00:29:54,940 --> 00:29:59,420
Local rulers could ally themselves
with the Vikings and receive
329
00:29:59,500 --> 00:30:03,700
their assistance during the civil war
in exchange for providing the Vikings
330
00:30:03,780 --> 00:30:06,980
with shelter during the winter
331
00:30:07,060 --> 00:30:09,020
or letting them freely
use local resources.
332
00:30:09,100 --> 00:30:16,020
The Vikings were flexible and
could take on the role of ambassadors
333
00:30:16,100 --> 00:30:18,620
and collaborators in
many different ways.
334
00:30:18,700 --> 00:30:24,020
If they had the opportunity to gain
resources, they took it.
335
00:30:24,100 --> 00:30:28,380
They weren't bound by rules governing
what they could or couldn't do
336
00:30:28,460 --> 00:30:31,820
when they were in a foreign land.
337
00:30:37,780 --> 00:30:41,340
But they quickly learned that they
had much to gain in Francia.
338
00:30:41,420 --> 00:30:44,580
There were wealthy cities,
sites for commerce,
339
00:30:44,660 --> 00:30:46,700
churches and monasteries.
340
00:30:48,580 --> 00:30:51,740
While the Franks are occupied
with the civil war,
341
00:30:51,820 --> 00:30:55,380
the Vikings finally manage to push
past their defenses
342
00:30:55,460 --> 00:30:57,220
and sail up the great rivers.
343
00:30:57,300 --> 00:31:02,780
In search of gold, glory and
ultimately land as well,
344
00:31:02,860 --> 00:31:06,860
they advance deeper into the Frankish
Empire than ever before.
345
00:32:40,740 --> 00:32:44,140
The Vikings were fierce warriors.
346
00:32:46,660 --> 00:32:49,860
If they didn't capture slaves,
kill, or plunder,
347
00:32:49,940 --> 00:32:55,260
they often demanded payment in order
to leave towns unscathed.
348
00:32:55,340 --> 00:33:00,860
Demands of large quantities of silver
or gold in order to leave a town
349
00:33:00,940 --> 00:33:04,180
or a stretch of the coastline
in peace.
350
00:33:04,260 --> 00:33:08,700
This was an even better
way to plunder.
351
00:33:08,780 --> 00:33:11,220
They didn't even have to fight.
352
00:33:11,300 --> 00:33:13,220
They didn't have to do more than say:
353
00:33:13,300 --> 00:33:15,220
"Give us money and we'll
leave you alone."
354
00:33:19,580 --> 00:33:23,100
The larger payments were
called "geld".
355
00:33:23,180 --> 00:33:26,860
One of example would be the danegeld
when the English paid a
356
00:33:26,940 --> 00:33:30,780
large sum of silver and gold in order
to stop the Viking raids,
357
00:33:30,860 --> 00:33:32,540
and they did stop, for a while.
358
00:33:32,620 --> 00:33:35,620
The gelds may have kept the peace
for a few years...
359
00:33:44,540 --> 00:33:51,180
But they would inevitably return.
360
00:33:51,260 --> 00:33:54,020
"They paid,
so we'll sail there again."
361
00:33:54,100 --> 00:33:55,740
It was a clever move by the Vikings,
362
00:33:55,820 --> 00:34:01,860
not so much by the people
who paid the geld.
363
00:34:01,940 --> 00:34:06,020
What we're looking at here is no kind
of concerted attempt
364
00:34:06,100 --> 00:34:12,820
to extort money or land out of the
Carolingians or any other societies
365
00:34:12,900 --> 00:34:16,220
that these groups are
coming into violent contact with.
366
00:34:16,300 --> 00:34:21,060
But rather these are small
groups operating very much
367
00:34:21,140 --> 00:34:22,660
within their own interests.
368
00:34:22,740 --> 00:34:27,540
I think that we need to look at these
groups as having their own
369
00:34:27,620 --> 00:34:31,580
individual objectives and goals and
pursuing them in their own ways,
370
00:34:31,660 --> 00:34:37,180
rather than conforming to a general
strategy that may not
371
00:34:37,260 --> 00:34:39,300
have actually existed within
their own minds.
372
00:34:40,180 --> 00:34:46,900
In March of 845, a large Danish
Viking fleet consisting of 120 ships
373
00:34:46,980 --> 00:34:49,540
sails up the river Seine to Paris.
374
00:34:49,620 --> 00:34:53,980
The new king, Charles the Bald,
had tried fighting the Vikings off
375
00:34:54,060 --> 00:34:55,620
with his army but failed.
376
00:34:55,700 --> 00:34:59,740
Paris had a high city wall dating
back to Roman times,
377
00:34:59,820 --> 00:35:04,500
and the city had several churches,
inside the wall as well as outside,
378
00:35:04,580 --> 00:35:06,140
on the beaches of Seine.
379
00:35:06,220 --> 00:35:08,900
Two bridges led to the city,
and on the mainland,
380
00:35:08,980 --> 00:35:12,780
these bridges were guarded
by tall stone towers.
381
00:35:13,940 --> 00:35:16,820
The Vikings organised
a siege on the city,
382
00:35:16,900 --> 00:35:20,140
and the Francian king,
Charles the Bald, was eventually
383
00:35:20,220 --> 00:35:24,620
forced to pay a large amount of gold
and silver as ransom for his city.
384
00:35:28,380 --> 00:35:32,260
When the Vikings sailed along the
rivers into Francia and
385
00:35:32,340 --> 00:35:39,140
formed alliances with local rulers,
they were given the opportunity
386
00:35:39,220 --> 00:35:44,300
to establish themselves on land,
at least for a time.
387
00:35:44,380 --> 00:35:48,060
They didn't have to return home
over winter.
388
00:35:48,140 --> 00:35:52,340
Previously they would have
left home for spring,
389
00:35:52,420 --> 00:35:56,300
plundered and traded during summer,
sailed back by autumn,
390
00:35:56,380 --> 00:35:58,660
and spent their winters at home.
391
00:35:58,740 --> 00:36:05,180
But because they could spend
the winters in Francia,
392
00:36:05,260 --> 00:36:08,900
the situation suddenly changed.
393
00:36:08,980 --> 00:36:15,020
They began their warring and
trading earlier in the year.
394
00:36:15,100 --> 00:36:20,260
And they established relationships
with the local residents.
395
00:36:20,340 --> 00:36:27,220
This was the beginning of Viking
relocation to other places.
396
00:36:34,700 --> 00:36:38,820
After the events in Denmark, more and
more people travel from Scandinavia
397
00:36:38,900 --> 00:36:41,780
and across the seas
to other countries.
398
00:36:46,940 --> 00:36:51,820
It's not only armed men in search of
gold and glory who make the voyage;
399
00:36:56,180 --> 00:36:59,340
There are also families,
with women and children.
400
00:36:59,420 --> 00:37:02,420
And sometimes the journey
can be very long.
401
00:37:39,740 --> 00:37:44,860
The Vikings emigrated and relocated
to many different parts of Europe.
402
00:37:44,940 --> 00:37:48,100
Especially northward;
The Faroe Islands,
403
00:37:48,180 --> 00:37:51,180
Iceland and eventually Greenland.
404
00:37:52,860 --> 00:37:58,980
Large areas of land are taken over or
are re-populated by the Vikings.
405
00:37:59,060 --> 00:38:04,060
They also came to Scotland,
Ireland and England.
406
00:38:19,860 --> 00:38:22,660
The Frankish civil war
gives the Vikings
407
00:38:22,740 --> 00:38:27,780
an opportunity to stay in Francia for
considerably longer periods of time.
408
00:38:27,860 --> 00:38:30,740
They manage to exploit the unrest
for their own gain
409
00:38:30,820 --> 00:38:35,140
and are able to remain over the
winter in several places in England
410
00:38:35,220 --> 00:38:37,620
as well as in the Frankish Empire.
411
00:38:37,700 --> 00:38:41,900
But life in exile at a winter camp
is not easy...
412
00:38:41,980 --> 00:38:45,780
The majority of the information we
have from the continent at the moment
413
00:38:45,860 --> 00:38:47,940
is limited to the historical sources.
414
00:38:48,020 --> 00:38:50,900
We know the locations
where they were
415
00:38:50,980 --> 00:38:53,100
setting up temporary encampments.
416
00:38:53,180 --> 00:38:56,180
But archaeologically at least it's
quite difficult
417
00:38:56,260 --> 00:38:57,540
to identify these sites.
418
00:38:57,620 --> 00:39:02,100
Where we have had some really good
archaeological research done recently
419
00:39:02,180 --> 00:39:06,300
is in England - and what
we found in England are,
420
00:39:06,380 --> 00:39:09,740
at least two now, winter camps.
421
00:39:09,820 --> 00:39:13,700
Essentially when these Viking
forces were operating in the field
422
00:39:13,780 --> 00:39:16,700
for long periods of time,
they would often spend the winter
423
00:39:16,780 --> 00:39:20,700
ensconced in some kind of
temporary encampment.
424
00:39:45,940 --> 00:39:52,020
Regarding the continent, for
instance, there are Viking camps
425
00:39:52,100 --> 00:39:57,660
on Noirmoutier island, but also
on some islands on the Seine,
426
00:39:57,740 --> 00:40:02,780
Jeufosse, for instance,
downstream of Paris.
427
00:40:05,380 --> 00:40:08,180
What we are seeing here are groups
that are very different to
428
00:40:08,260 --> 00:40:09,900
the early Viking raiding fleets.
429
00:40:09,980 --> 00:40:12,060
These aren't just a few crews of
430
00:40:12,140 --> 00:40:15,420
individuals operating
opportunistically,
431
00:40:15,500 --> 00:40:17,780
but rather they're very large,
432
00:40:17,860 --> 00:40:20,620
comprising perhaps of
thousands of people,
433
00:40:20,700 --> 00:40:23,620
moving along the landscape
for long periods of time.
434
00:40:23,700 --> 00:40:27,820
Unlike the early raiders
who would raid seasonally,
435
00:40:27,900 --> 00:40:32,300
these groups were staying out in
what is now France, in England,
436
00:40:32,380 --> 00:40:36,540
for years and even
over decades of time.
437
00:40:36,620 --> 00:40:40,980
What we're not really sure about at
this time is what these camps
438
00:40:41,060 --> 00:40:43,260
physically looked like.
439
00:40:49,420 --> 00:40:53,900
What we do see evidence for though is
their occupation of the site itself
440
00:40:53,980 --> 00:40:58,060
largely through evidence
of metal production
441
00:40:58,140 --> 00:41:00,340
and manufacturing and trade.
442
00:41:00,420 --> 00:41:03,620
And the thing about these sites is
that they're often detected through
443
00:41:03,700 --> 00:41:05,500
through the work of metal
detectorists.
444
00:41:05,580 --> 00:41:09,100
So we actually have a preponderance
of fragments of jewellery,
445
00:41:09,180 --> 00:41:15,060
of fragmented coins, bits of silver
bullion, which attest to
446
00:41:15,140 --> 00:41:19,140
quite a large amount of loot
being processed at these sites,
447
00:41:19,220 --> 00:41:21,740
and also to substantial trade.
448
00:41:33,100 --> 00:41:37,260
Everyday life in these camps
449
00:41:37,340 --> 00:41:41,420
is quite simple.
450
00:41:41,500 --> 00:41:47,100
Those are temporary shelters.
There's no solid building,
451
00:41:47,180 --> 00:41:51,500
there aren't any
well-built buildings.
452
00:41:51,580 --> 00:41:56,460
Those are mainly, as the name
suggests, camps, basic shelter.
453
00:42:05,900 --> 00:42:09,900
It was cold and damp all the time.
454
00:42:09,980 --> 00:42:14,180
Even if they wore several layers of
wool, which they were likely to do,
455
00:42:14,260 --> 00:42:18,940
and filled their shoes with straw,
they were constantly cold.
456
00:42:19,020 --> 00:42:23,900
When they lived in a camp during
winter, their clothes never dried.
457
00:42:23,980 --> 00:42:28,260
The blankets they draped over
themselves at night never dried.
458
00:42:28,340 --> 00:42:31,660
Their tents never dried.
459
00:42:39,340 --> 00:42:41,900
If they brought animals with them,
such as horses,
460
00:42:41,980 --> 00:42:44,660
the horses needed
fresh water as well.
461
00:42:44,740 --> 00:42:46,980
They probably didn't have
much land for grazing,
462
00:42:47,060 --> 00:42:52,180
even if it was better than
Scandinavian winters.
463
00:43:01,060 --> 00:43:07,620
It's likely that many died in these
camps due to the harsh conditions.
464
00:43:12,140 --> 00:43:16,700
What's interesting in what has been
referenced is that we learn
465
00:43:16,780 --> 00:43:23,740
that there were women and children
living in those Viking camps as well.
466
00:43:25,540 --> 00:43:29,860
Who were they? Did they
also come from Scandinavia?
467
00:43:29,940 --> 00:43:34,260
Were they part of the moving army?
468
00:43:34,340 --> 00:43:37,260
Or were they captives
469
00:43:37,340 --> 00:43:41,660
imprisoned during raids
and destined to be
470
00:43:41,740 --> 00:43:47,740
traded as slaves or to be kept as
concubines or have they
471
00:43:47,820 --> 00:43:53,740
become partners in their own rights?
472
00:43:53,820 --> 00:43:55,420
We don't really know.
473
00:44:59,380 --> 00:45:04,220
Among the camps that were
studied in England,
474
00:45:04,300 --> 00:45:09,780
archaeological material
gives the feeling of a moving army.
475
00:45:09,860 --> 00:45:11,580
We found material culture
476
00:45:11,660 --> 00:45:14,540
corresponding to a small
military community
477
00:45:14,620 --> 00:45:15,820
that keeps moving.
478
00:45:15,900 --> 00:45:22,700
For instance, in Torksey there is a
big site of several hectares
479
00:45:22,780 --> 00:45:29,300
with plenty of archaeological
material, mostly metallic objects,
480
00:45:29,380 --> 00:45:36,340
since the study was based on objects
found thanks to metal detectors.
481
00:45:36,420 --> 00:45:41,900
Those suggest manufacturing
objects,
482
00:45:41,980 --> 00:45:44,700
but, and most importantly,
trading activities.
483
00:45:44,780 --> 00:45:50,220
Torksey site is dated to the 870s,
484
00:45:50,300 --> 00:45:54,340
a time when the great army
was going around
485
00:45:54,420 --> 00:45:56,340
the Anglo-Saxon territories.
486
00:45:56,420 --> 00:45:59,460
One of the things I find really
interesting about these sites is
487
00:45:59,540 --> 00:46:04,260
what they mean for our perceptions
of the later settlement
488
00:46:04,340 --> 00:46:09,140
of the landscape in both England and
in the Carolingian Empire.
489
00:46:09,220 --> 00:46:13,540
If we're to accept that
these large Viking forces were
490
00:46:13,620 --> 00:46:15,620
comprised of numerous
autonomous groups
491
00:46:15,700 --> 00:46:19,700
coming together and acting together
for a short period of time,
492
00:46:19,780 --> 00:46:22,780
then what we essentially have
here is the creation of,
493
00:46:22,860 --> 00:46:27,300
although we call them often armies,
they're actually kind of
494
00:46:27,380 --> 00:46:30,340
mobile societies or
polities in their own rights.
495
00:46:30,420 --> 00:46:34,980
And the conditions in which they're
living in these camps might actually
496
00:46:35,060 --> 00:46:38,940
provide a kind of precursor to the
later settlement of the landscape,
497
00:46:39,020 --> 00:46:42,500
both in England and within the
Carolingian Empire
498
00:46:42,580 --> 00:46:45,620
because it might have been the first
time that many of these groups
499
00:46:45,700 --> 00:46:49,700
were coming together and inhabiting a
single area in such a way.
500
00:47:56,540 --> 00:48:01,140
After the death of Charlemagne,
civil war raged in Francia
501
00:48:01,220 --> 00:48:04,540
and the coastal defenses
couldn't be maintained.
502
00:48:04,620 --> 00:48:08,020
The area lay open to
Scandinavians searching for gold,
503
00:48:08,100 --> 00:48:10,660
glory and eventually land.
504
00:48:10,740 --> 00:48:14,140
Meanwhile, there was
also unrest in Denmark,
505
00:48:14,220 --> 00:48:15,820
and along with usual adventurers,
506
00:48:15,900 --> 00:48:18,300
there were now also
other people in exile,
507
00:48:18,380 --> 00:48:21,620
looking for new opportunities abroad.
508
00:48:21,700 --> 00:48:23,220
During the 800s,
509
00:48:23,300 --> 00:48:27,020
as the Vikings managed to
push deeper into Christian Francia,
510
00:48:27,100 --> 00:48:29,980
their tactics changed.
511
00:48:30,060 --> 00:48:33,460
They went from pillaging small
monasteries to attacking large cities
512
00:48:33,540 --> 00:48:35,340
like Paris.
513
00:48:35,420 --> 00:48:39,420
A common Viking strategy
was to hold a city hostage,
514
00:48:39,500 --> 00:48:43,540
forcing them to pay a ransom,
usually gold and silver.
515
00:48:44,420 --> 00:48:48,380
Despite the turbulence that plagued
Francia during this period,
516
00:48:48,460 --> 00:48:51,260
the Vikings would not
be able to remain.
517
00:48:52,340 --> 00:48:54,860
The resistance soon
becomes stronger again.
518
00:48:54,940 --> 00:48:58,860
And a new Frankish emperor
manages to rebuild his defenses,
519
00:48:58,940 --> 00:49:00,980
including those along
the river Seine,
520
00:49:01,060 --> 00:49:03,900
preventing further attacks on Paris.
521
00:49:04,420 --> 00:49:05,820
During the years that follow,
522
00:49:05,900 --> 00:49:09,780
the Vikings will instead turn
towards the British Isles.
523
00:49:09,860 --> 00:49:11,900
This, however, is only temporary;
524
00:49:11,980 --> 00:49:14,460
The Vikings haven't finished
with Francia.
525
00:49:14,900 --> 00:49:17,900
When they return, they do so
with a new goal - to become
526
00:49:17,980 --> 00:49:20,580
an integrated part of
Frankish society.
527
00:49:20,660 --> 00:49:22,420
And in order to reach this,
528
00:49:22,500 --> 00:49:24,540
the Vikings are willing
to go to any lengths.
529
00:49:39,300 --> 00:49:42,300
Subtitles: Lily Ray
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529
00:49:43,305 --> 00:50:43,436
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