For the first time, the Vikings went beyond their native Scandinavia at the beginning of the VIII century, and by the end of the century they ruled the British Isles. Almost wherever the determined Normans have set foot, they have left their mark.
From trade to war
The depletion of natural resources and overpopulation of the coastal territories of Scandinavia forced the local population to seek a better life away from their native shores. However, the first to set out to explore new lands were not warriors, but merchants. Historian Stephen Ashby from the University of York (UK), relying on materials from excavations near the Danish town of Ribe, claims that there was one of the centers of active Viking trade with numerous countries of Europe and Asia.
Following the merchants, the Norman colonists also moved to more favorable lands. Among the first places where the Scandinavians settled were the lands of the future North-Western Russia. The oldest Norman settlement on Staraya Ladoga dates back to 753. Further advancement of the northerners to the south made it possible by the 10th century to create one of the most important trade routes at that time - “from the Varangians to the Greeks”.
In 793, the Vikings landed in the British Isles, and until the defeat at the legendary Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066, they are the rightful masters of most of England. A special place during the period of Danish colonial rule was occupied by York, which, according to archaeologists, was one of the largest trade and commercial centers in Europe with a population of no less than 10,000 people.
By the middle of the 9th century, the interest of the Normans covered the lands of Ireland. One after another, they founded here the trading posts - Dublin, Cork, Waterford, Limerick, which later turned into large cities. And in 860 the Vikings landed on the island, which still bears the name given by them - Iceland ("Iceland").
Through a dense river network and the Mediterranean Sea, the Scandinavians also penetrate into continental Europe, also influencing the course of its history. The Viking invasion of France forced its population to turn to the experience of Italian craftsmen and begin the construction of stone bridges, fortresses and monasteries, which for many centuries became outposts of the country's defense.
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Transatlantic connection
The fact that the Normans were the first of the Europeans to reach the shores of America is already considered proven. Historians believe that Icelandic Vikings, led by Eric the Red, did this in the 10th century. But recently, another interesting fact was established, according to which, in the Viking Age, a child was born for the first time from a European and a native of North America.
At first, literary sources and archaeological data testified to this, now geneticists who have found traces of North American Indians in the DNA of four Icelandic families speak about it. We are talking about mitochondria, which is inherited exclusively by the mother. According to Carlos Lalueza-Fox of the Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Barcelona, the most plausible hypothesis is that these genes correspond to an Indian woman who was brought from America by the Vikings around 1000.
Norman pattern
For over two centuries, most of the British Isles have been divided between Scandinavian rulers. But the Normans had the strongest influence in northeastern England, forming there the area of Danish law Denlo (Danish law), which existed for more than half a century. However, the Scandinavian legal and social system continued to operate there after the establishment of the power of the Anglo-Saxon kings at the beginning of the 10th century.
Moreover, the legal norms brought by the Danes to Foggy Albion became the basis of the nascent legislation of England and partly of continental Europe. Among the features of Danish law is the prototype of the jury, consisting of twelve of the most respected members of the nobility who took part in the sentencing.
Another area of Europe where the Scandinavian colonists took root is the Duchy of Normandy, which was formed in the north of France in the 10th century. The political system of Normandy was built on a rigid centralization of power: without the consent of the duke, not a single feudal lord could start building the castle. The duke controlled local government bodies, appointed and removed bishops himself.
In 1066, Duke William II of Normandy conquered England, with far-reaching consequences for Foggy Albion. It was under William the Conqueror that a single English kingdom was created, legislation was approved, and a regular army and navy were founded. According to the comparativist Charles Haskins, mainly the Duchy of Normandy creates the preconditions for the development of the administrative and judicial systems of both England and France.
First crusader
The ruler of the small southern Italian principality of Bohemond of Tarentum, Norman by origin, can rightfully be called one of the ideologists of the Crusades. Obsessed with a thirst for power, Prince Taranto took an active part in military campaigns both against Byzantium and against his half-brother Roger.
But Bohemond was able to satisfy his ambition only after the founding of his own possessions in the Middle East, recaptured from the Seljuk Turks. The principality of Antioch became the first crusader state in the Holy Land, which the warlike Norman tried to expand all the time.
Obliged to the Scandinavians
In addition to the fact that the Vikings laid the foundations of the Scandinavian languages, they also contributed to the formation of the English language. So, in Scotland, the words inherited from the Norman colonists are still in use - bairn, hame, skive, quine. In addition, the Scandinavians, according to scientists, contributed to a noticeable simplification of the Old English language, which had a rather complex conjugation system.
Many British place names familiar to everyone also owe their origin to the Vikings - Stornoway, Shetland, Caithness, and some words are a hybrid of Old English and Old Norse, for example, Grimston ("Grim" is a Scandinavian personal name). Often in Great Britain there are place names ending in the Scandinavian morpheme "by", which means "farm" or "town", for example, Whitby. There are about 600 such place names in the country.
Inherited everywhere
In the descriptions of historians, Vikings often appear not only warlike and ferocious, but also prone to mixing with the population of colonized countries. This was the case in Britain and Normandy. And although the Scandinavian settlers of the north of France were eventually assimilated by the indigenous population, there is still a high percentage of tall blondes that stand out against the dark-haired French.
Yet the Vikings left the most striking genetic trace on the British Isles. This was confirmed by the Britains DNA laboratory, which carried out a comparative analysis of the Y-chromosome markers of the indigenous British with DNA taken from Old Norse burials in the UK. Genetic scientists have concluded that at least 930,000 English men have Viking blood in their veins.
And according to the genetic laboratory at the Institute of General Genetics. Vavilov, traces of the presence of the Normans can be found in the DNA of the inhabitants of the Russian North. So, the Scandinavian ancestors were found in 18% of Vologda residents and in 14% of Arkhangelsk residents.
Taras Repin