Jonathan Clements’ A Brief History of the Vikings
chronicles the rise and fall of this seafaring culture. He begins in the 5th
Century as the Romans are abandoning Brittania and Gaul. At that time, many
Northern European tribes, including the forebears of the Vikings, were
asserting themselves by raiding the edges of the beset Empire. He ends with the
Viking defeat by Godwinson at Stamford Bridge in Northumbria, in 1066; followed
three weeks later by Godwinson’s loss to the Norman descendents of Vikings at
Hastings.
It is understandable that the author should begin and end
his Viking narrative with their maritime roving and predation; particularly
beginning and ending in Britain: Clements was born in the United Kingdom. Despite
family genealogy connecting him with Scandinavia, he has views of one raised
outside of that region. The traits that he and non-Scandinavian Europe
associate with the Vikings involve pillage of their territories. But what of
the culture itself? What of the unique internal qualities and creativity that
distinguish a culture? Clements does describe their ship-building and their
sagas. He does credit their navigation and exploration; their establishment of far-flung
trading posts and colonies from the rivers of Russia to the shores of North
America. However, most of the book is a chronology of pillage, wars and
conquest.
Like most civilized scholars, Clements struggles with his
perspective on Viking violence. He resists the efforts of “Latter-day
apologists” and “some museum curators” to “soften the image” (Clements p. 11).
But then, one is left only with the violence and a lot of explaining. Why does
a set of tribes from one area become the pillagers of Europe? Clements’ explanation,
that those who sailed from their homes “were the rejects of Scandinavian
society—forced to travel further afield to make their fortune” is not entirely
satisfying (Clements p. 12). The label “rejects” and the description of them
separating from the rest of society, makes a pretense that the pillagers were different
from the decent folk of Scandinavian settlements. However, the fact that slaves
and goods, captured in Ireland and Brittania, were traded through Scandinavia,
down Russian rivers, to the Muslims, indicates that the pillagers were part of
the Scandinavian economy. Also, many of the marauders had families at home whom
they were supporting. Finally, many voyagers returned to their homelands to
settle, and some even became rulers. Clearly, these plunderers had little or no
stigma attached to their actions which might prevent them from leaving,
communicating or re-settling. It was a job, and one that profited their people.
They were integral to their societies.
Perhaps one would not take such a dangerous job under circumstances
where one was prosperous in situ. Clements points to population growth as a
pressure that made jobs, land and inheritance scarce. The author’s later
comment, is uncomfortable to accept but closer to a reasonable conclusion: “Almost
everyone was atrocious back then…The Angles, Saxons, Irish and Scots were just
as bloodthirsty with each other, and with their Scandinavian foes” (Clements p.
12). The only differences between the Vikings and these other tribes were that
ability, geography and technology, offered them better opportunities to exploit
their enemies. Scandinavians had better ships and navigation skills with which
to invade distant lands. Angles and Saxons lived next to each other and raided
mutually. If population pressures had forced the Angles to develop long
distance navigation skills and raiding ships, perhaps they would have taken the
risks associated with marauding far from home.
Clements deserves credit not only for facing the brutality of
early medieval life, but also for his straight-forward approach to the
historical record. He cuts through the hyperbole of the sagas where a lesser
historian would simply quote from them for narrative color and leave their
claims untouched. So when the saga of Floki Vilgerdason states that he cast
ravens from his ship and observed their flight to find land, Clements
points-out the suspicious similarity to the biblical Noah myth (Clements p.
140). The author also employs modern science to de-bunk claims. For example, he
exposes the legend that skin from murdered Danes covered the doors of
Westminster Abbey, citing that modern forensic evaluation of the “Daneskin”
found it to be “perfectly normal leather” (Clements p. 167).
Clements’ book provides some important perspective on the
Vikings. His anglocentric approach does go too far in portraying the Vikings as
invaders and outcasts among their own people. This prevents him from seeing
their contribution to their society and prevents him from examining the culture
of their settlements. His information on Viking art, innovation or other
contributions is limited. But there are no romantic elegies to a vanished
fraternity of seafaring adventurers singing heroic sagas. His skepticism, and
his unvarnished approach to the darker elements of human nature, are useful
traits in this context.
Clements, Jonathan. A Brief History of the Vikings. London:
Constable & Robinson Ltd., 2005.
