Christianity and the Downfall of the Viking

The Norse society was highly affected by the political arrangement of the Christian faith. Underlying practices associated with the new belief redefined and transformed the existing framework of how the community functioned. The warrior class lost its former glory and the reverence of ancestors became highly diminished. Equally, the features that made Viking unique were completely neutralized by the dynamics of Christianity. The new religion interfered with the social and cultural model of the existing culture by creating a different perception that guided the Scandinavian groups throughout the medieval ages. Low levels of migration by the Barbarian were witnessed; however, some parts of northern Europe were continuously impacted by the expanding Viking. Following the collapse of the Vendel Age in Sweden and the Iron Age in Germany, the Viking Age took shape in England and Scandinavian regions.

The rising class of warriors was central in organizing raids in search of wealth to expand their trading activities. Larger sections of North America, southern Asia, Europe, and northern Africa experienced the wrath of Viking. The Scandinavian traders harnessed the potential of the innovated long-ships to navigate through the vast seas to gain access to new territories thereby expanding their business activities. Equally, Hungary and Iceland became Christian kingdoms in the 10th century. Feudal System Introduced Into Scandinavia After the collapse of the Roman Empire, maintaining peace and order became a nightmare across Europe. German invaders took power and conquered large territories, but they were unable to stabilize regions under their rule. In Western Europe, the Franks managed to occupy vast areas. The Frankish leaders established a governing system whereby they divided their conquests into districts that were under the authority of the dukes they appointed.

Even though the dukes became increasingly popular in their territories; there was an equally high level of division among their subjects. Lords that served under the dukes considered it their responsibility to defend their castles and surrounding lands from all foreign invaders including people from neighboring districts. The confusion made them an easy target for attacks. Public governance lost its grip and all the duties of the government became privatized. Lords became the heads of military and could dispense justice and administrative functions as they pleased. Assimilation of Vikings into mainstream Europe The Viking Age is characterized by extensive movement of the Scandinavian people. Women and men were known to crisscross the world leaving traces of their culture in different parts. Equally, territories conquered by Vikings experienced dynamic and multifaceted influence from external societies.

The social-political changes had a direct impact on its cultural change. In earlier years, Christianity through the Catholic Church found it difficult to capture the attention of the Scandinavian kingdoms. In 1103, the Scandinavian territories embraced the establishment of the archbishopric at Lund, which was part of Denmark. The objective of Scandinavian leaders was impaired by the continued assimilation of the Scandinavian kingdoms. Christianity had been embraced by many countries in Europe thereby making it part of the mainstream culture. The new religion limited the aspiration of Scandinavian warriors traveling to other parts. Besides, it altered the existing relationships between the Scandinavian kingdoms and their neighbors. While Norway kings attacked the kingdoms that were sprouting in Jerusalem. Christianization and Its Effect on the Downfall Before the Viking era, there had been several trials to convert the Scandinavian society to Christianity.

In 725, St Willibrord together with other missionaries entered Denmark. Although they were received well, they had little impact on the Danish people. In 820s, there was another mission led by St Ansgar (Du Chaillu, 2007). The Vikings age was characterized by the horrific raids. However, an uprising ideology, Christianity, decreased the influence of the Viking period. According to Adrien (2018), Charlemagne’s Christian empire had the undying mission of using force to convert people to Christianity. However, before Charlemagne was able to launch a series of raids to Denmark, he died. Having exempted from the Frankish conquests, the Danish leaders carried out the most popular invasions across Europe. According to the archaeological evidence, in Norway Christianity was gradually embraced even where the chieftains were not converts themselves. In the 19th century, Hakon used his royal powers to advance the Christian faith.

Adrien (2018) states that “As part of a vast move to consolidate power, the monarchs of Scandinavia instituted reforms to convert their subjects into servants, much as their southern European neighbors had done. ” However, after realizing that he was likely to lose the support of chiefs that were pagans, he reverted. In Denmark, Harald Bluetooth was considered the most successful leader to have encouraged his followers to accept and convert into the new religion. Most conversions were motivated by spiritual reasons. However, some were inspired by economic and political gains. For example, in Denmark, Harald Bluetooth converted to Christianity so that to ensure his country was not attacked by Germany. According to Sawyer (2016), “Harald was certainly aware of these German moves, and his conversion was probably intended in part to deprive his German overlord of a pretext to invade.

” He believed through conversion, other Christian countries will not raid Denmark. Most of the missionaries were literate and had vast knowledge on how royal governments in other areas were run. Therefore, they were considered as worthwhile advisors by Harald Bluetooth. Conclusion The halting of the raids led to the eventual end of the Viking Age. In 1066, England defeated Norway in the battle of Stamford Bridge marking the stopping of frequent raids. The invasion was the last of its kind in the larger Europe region. The existing archeological data showed that during the Vikings period, Christianity and paganism coexisted. Several Christian arts captured some images that were believed to be from the pagans. Introduction of Christianity redefined the roles that were initially associated with different classes. For example, the Scandinavian warriors were thought to rank lower than the farmers, which was not the case before.

However, the Scandinavian leaders remained to be powerful than religious leaders. Adrien. Retrieved from https://cjadrien. com/2015/08/03/why-did-the-viking-age-end/ Deane, S. Carpenter, A. Williams, J. Northmen. Knutson, S. Bridges to Eternity: A Re-Examination of the Adoption of Christianity in Viking-Age Sweden. Viking and Medieval Scandinavia, 12, 87-101. doi: 10. Place of publication not identified]: Routledge. Short, W. Icelanders in the Viking Age. Jefferson (N. C.