18 | Viking Explorer Society News
F
rom 793 until 1066, Scandinavian
Norsemen explored Europe by its
seas and rivers for trade, raids and
conquests. The Viking Age began
in 793, with a landing near the Lindisfarne
Priory, off the northeast coast of England.
The Vikings were not just warriors, traders
and craftsmen, they were also the ultimate
explorers; the Old Norse verb "viking" means
to go on a waterborne journey, whether by
river or sea.
Their routes stretched from the Arctic north
of Norway, along the Atlantic coasts of
France and Spain, to the Mediterranean.
They explored the waterways of Kievan Rus
and what is modern-day Ukraine to reach
Constantinople (now Istanbul), then traveled
eastward to Islamic lands.
The 10th to 13th centuries saw numerous
Germanic kingdoms and chiefdoms united
into three kingdoms: Denmark, Sweden and
Norway. The three Scandinavian kingdoms
joined in 1397 in the Kalmar Union under
Queen Margaret I of Denmark. In 1523,
Sweden left the union under King Gustav
Vasa, and in the aftermath, civil war broke
out in Denmark and Norway. After the
Protestant Reformation, Denmark and
Norway entered into a union that lasted until
1814.
Norway was ceded to the king of Sweden,
while its overseas possessions were retained
by Denmark. After widespread resistance, the
crown prince of Norway, Christian Frederick,
called a constituent assembly that drew up a
liberal constitution and elected him to the
throne, but following a Swedish invasion,
Norway was forced into a union with
Sweden.
Scandinavian
H I S T O R Y
The intrepid spirit of the Vikings has led to fascinating unions and breakups of
what are now modern, prosperous nations—Denmark, Sweden and Norway.
Clockwise from above: A map of Viking
settlements and trade routes; a line drawing of
Norsemen arriving on shore ; King Gustav Vasa
