838 - Horik demanded Friesland

Early Frankish shield

Frisia
A viking fleet was destroyed by a storm and an emissary from King Horik demanded that Louis the pious should give up Frisia and Wagria, but Louis the pious denied Horik`s demands, he was not that weak yet all though the Vikings had a victory in 837 near Walcheren.

England
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that, a “great ship-horde came to Cornwall" and at the Battle of Hingston Down, Egbert of the West Saxons defeated the Danish and their West Welsh allies from Cornwall. It was the first time that Vikings had been recruited as mercenaries to help Celtic people in Britain.

In 825, Egbert had established his kingdom as the strongest kingdom in Britain, he had crushed the Mercians at a place called Ellendun,outside Swindon. In 815, Egbert raided Cornwall “from east to west”. So the Cornish wanted revenge, but they were unsuccessful.

Comments

954 - Eric Bloodaxe killed in ambush

England Eric Bloodaxe was expelled from York and he was killed in an ambush. According to English sources, Eric died a death on the road, “treacherously killed by Earl Maccus”. But Scandinavian sources tell another tale: Eric met his enemies as the leader of an outnumbered army and there on the high, wind-scoured pass, he died the glorious death. A poem paid for by his wife told that Eric arrivied at Valhalla, welcomed by Valkyries, to feast by Odin’s side. Erik Rex - Bloodaxe coin Eric Bloodaxe was the son of Harald Fairhair and the Danish royal daughter Ragnhild and he succeeded his father on the Norwegian throne, but because of his cruel and atrocious rule he was driven out of Norway and his younger brother Haakon chosen as king of Norway. Stainmore After the murder on Eric Bloodaxe, Northumbria was again brought back to Edred the Anglo-Saxon king and England was united. The widow of Eric Bloodaxe, Gunhild sailed to Denmark with her sons. They received a warm we...

789 and before the infamous Lindisfarne raid

150 A comb found in Vimose, Denmark, features runes on a bone comb, which was the man's name Harja. The name is thus the oldest Norse name.Archaeologists in Denmark have discovered a small knife inscribed with the country’s oldest runic inscription, hirila, meaning ‘Little Sword’ 400 Oldest runestone in Øverby,SE Norway. 500 Radiocarbon dating reveals that the first walls of Dannevirke was build around 480-500 and some older walls were from around 400. In September 2021 a treasurehunter found a 1 kilo gold treasure of coins and jewels buried outside Jelling. 512 The Greek Procopios a secretary at the Byzantine general Belisarius told that emperor Anastasius Dicorus gave permission to Heruli to settle in Illyria, because the Longobards had driven them out from the area between Donau and Dniester. Here they killed their king Onchon and sent some of their people back to Thule to recruit a new king among their fellow tribesmen. They had free passage through the land of the ...

859 - Vikings attacked Spain & burned the mosques of Sevilla and Algeciras

Claus Deleuran: Bjorn Ironside and Hastein Spain A 3 year long viking raid began. Hastein and Bjorn Ironside led 62 dragon ships south to explore the Mediterranean area. They were first driven off from the west coast of Spain by the local Asturians and later suffered a minor defeat against Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba at Niebla. Claus Deleuran: Vikings looting But then a long series of successful raids happened first: Lisbon, Portugal and then they went through the Straits of Gibraltar sacking Algeciras and burnt down the great mosque in the town and plundered the surrounding countryside. Algeciras became the fleet’s base, and ships sailed over to Morocco, hunting for thralls. Their target was the Princedom of Nakur, a town several kilometres from the coast, near today’s Al-Mazimma . The Vikings terrorised the inhabitants for several days and took Prince Said ibn Idris and numerous women and children prisoner, to be released later in return for ransom money. In Spain th...

Viking history

Search This Blog