What effect did the Viking raids have on Europe during the Middle Ages?

Question

help...this is from the middle ages

Answer 1

This was an excellent question and I found I had to consult three books without sucess before a fourth gave me something of a decent answer. You see, most books on the Norse (or "Vikings") talk about the Norse attacks on the British Isles - on the Hebridies, Ireland, Scotland, and England proper - as well as the west push to Iceland, Greenland and Vinland. However, none of these places are "Europe" proper.

The Osprey book "The Vikings: Voyagers of Discovery and Plunder" mention the East Vikings (mostly Swedes, as opposed to the Norwegian and Danish attackers of the British Isles), but only insofar as to mention that they actually went Viking (i.e. "raiding") far less than their western counterparts. They ruled part of what is now Russia (giving their name "Rus" to the country), and eventually assimilated with the native Slavic population. They also served as mercenaries in the Byzantine army and royal guard.

As for *Europe*, the most interesting effect I found was that they caused the Frankish (French) capital to be moved to Paris:

"The most celebrated event of these years was the seige of Paris, inaugarated in late November 885 and maintained with intermittent fury for a year. It was a year of destiny for Franks and Danes alike. Paris had been the capital of neither Charlemagne's empire, nor Charles the Bald's kingdom, but now it's decisive importance was revealed, both political and geographical. It was the key to France, and the archbishop of Rheims in his oft-quoted letter to Charles the Fat did not greatly exaggerate when he warned him that if he lost Paris, he would lose everything, for the enemy would command the Marne, Seine and Yonne, and northeast the country would lie open as far as Rheims." (Jones, pp. 224-225)

So, Count Odo and Abbot Joscelin defended the city. Joscelin died during the seige, and Odo tried to rally the defenders with word that king would come to save them. The king, Charles the Fat, did arrive, but opened negotiations with the Danish vikings. In the end he paid them 700 pounds of silver to leave and gave them carte blanche to raid his "not overly loyal" subjects in Burgundy on their way out. For this, the Franks deemed him not worthy of kingship and deposed him in 888. The kingdom was split and the new king of Neustria (now Northern France) was Odo.

So, in short, how the local leadership *responded* to the Viking raids could have a profound affect on the internal politics of the areas raided.


EDIT: After discussing this question with a friend, he suggested another effect, namely that "Danegeld" (protection money paid to make the Vikings go away) lead to "Tallage" which led to property taxes (which we still pay today). Here's an article on tallage:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tallage

Answer 2

it depends on who you ask. a number of historians believe that for some people the Viking raids were a good thing. for instance, the tribe that became the ruling dynasty of Russia (the Slavs) claimed the authority of a common Viking ancestor who is said to have sailed down rivers into Russia and after having settled there been PAID to rule the people there and protect them. in other places, like England, the Viking raids were seen as a scourge to humanity. the Viking conquerors displaced a number of local/tribal ruling class structures and when they didn't do that they just stole everything of value that they could find, burned crops and villages, and just left the locals to die (this was the more common instance). they almost conquered the entire British Isles, but were finally fought off by King Alfred the Great. he's a great research topic, if you're interested in learning more about the Viking raids in England.

Answer 3

The Vikings raided Scotland, England, Ireland and along the European coast. Many big cities in Europe are not along the coast as they went inland to help protect themselves against the Vikings. Sometimes women were taken back to Sweden or Norway, others were left behind with half Viking children.

Answer 4

A lot of european women had viking babies