Re: The Vikings

On Fri, 2 Jun 2006 23:29:26 +0200, Morten Reistad <first@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

In article <1148427108.582231.49190@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
manxman <manxman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I've started a new website on the net about the Vikings.

It is still in development but I intend it to be comprehensive. It's
well worth a look even though its obviously not finished.

The URL http://home.exetel.com.au/manxman/vikings/the_vikings

And contains factual errors on the first page I read.

[Norway/Sweden/Denmark]
Each of these areas also had there own language from which the modern
languages of this area are derived and being descended from many old
Norse dialects.

No, Norse was a common language throughout the entire Viking Age
(Usually includes ca 792-1260). The diverging of the languages started
_after_ the plague of 1349pp.

The inhabitants had a varying number of nations for themselves
and primarily existed as small tribal (clannish) communities
or small petty Kingdoms.

No, the Norse were organised in þings (Thing); which were legal
and administrative bodies; and were actually democratic structures
larger than counties, but smaller than nations. They still exist as
organisation of the court system, and even have websites :
http://www2.domstol.no/gulating/ .

The þhings were originally set up in the early 600's (See, it becomes
relevant to s.h.a.), and were revised in the 980s and in 1372.

These þhings were court and legislative bodies, but left the
executive branch in the hands of individuals. Even if you were king
you had strong, regional parliaments to contend with.

These þings are direct predecessors of the parliament in London.
Man and Iceland compete on the longest serving continous þhing; and
this contest is also about the oldest democracy.

Denmark was founded as a kingdom in prehistoric times; and we only
know a patchy history pre-700. We do know for a fact that Denmark
was a kingdom in late roman times. Sweden is similar; but the territory
was smaller, approximatly the third of modern Sweden referred to as
Svealand. The transition from pre-history to history is more gradual
in Sweden, so we have the names of most of the kings; more than enough
to state with high certainty that Sweden was a kingdom in the 500s,
possibly in the 200s.

Norway lost it's republican status in 872, Iceland and conquered
territories carried on as republics, and were only included in
kingdoms much later.

.....

The Norse never managed to colonise North America; there was a
single settlement for 10 winters around the year 1000. A single
settlement does not make a colony.


We know for certain that there was a single settlement around the year
1000. We do not know that this was the only settlement or the only
period of settlement. There are grounds for thinking that there may
have been others.



Eric Stevens

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: The Vikings
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