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“Wasn't sure there'd be enough material, but Harl takes the broadest possible definition of Viking, so you get the whole history of Scandinavia and peoples of Scandinavian origin, from prehistory down to the late middle ages. So we get a lot of diverse material, from the sea-raiders, to the colonization of Iceland, to the abortive settlements in North America, to Canute's reign in England, to mercenaries in Byzantium, to the Rus conquering Russia.
TheophileEscargot wrote this review Sunday, July 5 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Bit slow starting as he covers familiar ground, but gets gradually more interesting as you get to see the beginning of the European nations. You almost get case studies in the decline and growth of empires, as the Carolingian empires decline led first to Viking conquests, then the emergence of new empires out of the vacuum.
Also interesting to see the history of post-Roman pre-Norman England told from the point of view of Scandinavian colonies. Ethelred in particular comes along as a colossal twerp: inheriting a great situation from Alfred and his descendants who'd spent ages gradually achieving dominance over the Danes, he tried to exterminate them with massacres, only to be give the parent countries a great excuse to come down and kick the living crap out of him.
Overall: interesting course, worth a listen, but a little specialized.”
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