Europe In The Age Of The Vikings 800 1100

The first Viking raid on Lindisfarne occurred in 793 and in 1066 Harald Hardrada attempted to seize the throne of England. But it was not only England that faced Viking expansion. Norwegian Vikings sailed to Ireland, France and Spain and into the Mediterranean and discovered both Iceland and Greenland. In the east Swedish Vikings morphed to become the Rus and raided Constantinople. There the old Roman system in the form of Byzantine Empire still survived though under pressure from Muslim forces to the east and Bulgars to the west. Europe also faced attacks from Muslim forces; most of Spain was in the hands of the Moors and there were attacks on islands like Sicily and Cyprus. But also in the year 800 the Pope crowned Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor. 

This course examines the turbulent period between 800-1100 that helped to shape the destiny of Europe