The Viking Age

Danish prehistory culminated in the Viking Age, the period from 800 until 1050 AD. During the Viking Age the first kings appeared, who ruled an area roughly corresponding to present-day Denmark. On King Harald Bluetooth’s rune stone at Jelling, Denmark is named for the first time around 965 AD. At the end of the Viking Age Denmark’s king also ruled over England and Norway during certain periods.

The Viking Age was characterized by sea travel and expeditions to foreign territories. The Vikings set sail in ships and fleets to trade, obtain revenues and conquer new land. You can learn about the large quantities of silver treasures that they brought back with them here. Furthermore, during the Viking period the old Nordic religion and its gods were replaced by Christianity. Read also about the magnate from Mammen, who in 970-71 was buried with significant furnishings, including an ornamental axe and a candle – the old Nordic burial customs combined with the new Christianity.

787

1000

The earliest historical reports of Viking raids. The most well-known of these describes the plundering of the monastery on the island of Lindisfarne in 793

1952

1016

986

980

922

870

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800

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876

965

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991

1013

1873

2003

Charlemagne, the Frankish king,

is crowned Holy Roman Emperor by the Pope in Rome on Christmas Day

King Godfrey destroys the Slavic trading centre of Reric and moves the merchants to his own trading centre, Hedeby

King Harald Klak is baptised

in the presence of the Frankish emperor Louis the Pious.

The Vikings plunder Hamburg and Paris. Paris is attacked again by the Vikings

in 856-57 and 861

The first churches are built at Hedeby and Ribe, according to written sources. This is yet to be confirmed by archaeological investigations

The Vikings attack Constantinople

Norwegian Vikings discover Iceland and colonise it

The first Danish Viking settlements are established in England

The Arabic diplomat Ibn Fadlan meets Vikings on the Volga River, where he attends a chieftain’s burial

Harald Bluetooth declares on the Jelling Stone, that he won all Denmark and Norway, and made the Danes Christians

The ring fortresses and the bridge over Ravning Enge (Ravning Meadows) are constructed by Harald Bluetooth

Erik the Red persuades Icelandic farmers to settle in Greenland, which he discovered in 981

Civil war between King Harald Bluetooth and his son Sweyn Forkbeard. Sweyn Forkbeard becomes king in 987

Danegeld is paid for the first time in England in order to avoid the Vikings’ plundering and ravaging

Leif Eriksson the Lucky, son of Erik the Red, discovers and explores Vinland’s (North America’s) coast

Sweyn Forkbeard attacks England and is recognised as the country’s new king.

He dies the year after

Canute the Great’s army conquers England. During the period 1019-35 Canute is king of Denmark, Norway, part of Sweden and England

The term ’the Viking Age’

is introduced

The Viking Age is popular in film, cartoons and theatre – which it still is

the Viking gods are still worshipped. An organisation for believers in the old Nordic religion, called Forn Sidr, is officially recognised in Denmark

Click on a year

Video about Vikings

A magnate was buried in the grave at Mammen in the winter of 970-71 AD. The items with him included an expensive costume, an ornamental axe with inlaid silver decoration and a large candle. The grave from Mammen