The voyages and sagas of the vikings are very interesting, but something I find to also be fascinating is the economic and cultural history that brought about the viking age and then several centuries later ended it. It does seem kind of sudden; there was a niche that suddenly caused vikings to travel everywhere, and then it was just over.
Look into the Hanseatic League. Pirates (to go a-Viking was to go a-pirating) became shopkeepers. But they kept up "walk softly and carry a big stick".
The dark ages had a power vacuum that made pillaging more profitable than trading.
I think the vikings were actually among the last of their kind, the last to become christianized and part of the European trade network. And that might be why they're so fascinating.
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[ 2.3 ms ] story [ 37.0 ms ] threadLook into the Hanseatic League. Pirates (to go a-Viking was to go a-pirating) became shopkeepers. But they kept up "walk softly and carry a big stick".
I think the vikings were actually among the last of their kind, the last to become christianized and part of the European trade network. And that might be why they're so fascinating.
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