Don’t give the devs ideas for more Viking splits!!! 
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I created this as well to provide some additional context about the origin and meaning of the term “Viking”, as well as to explore the theory that the early Viking raids may have partly developed as a defensive reaction to decades of Carolingian Frankish expansion, Christianization campaigns, and the forced conversion of Germanic peoples — particularly the Saxons :
The Viking Age: Not a “Viking People” but a Scandinavian Expansion
One of the biggest misconceptions is that all modern Scandinavians are descendants of “Vikings.” This is not historically accurate.
“Viking” was not an ethnicity, race, or nationality. A víkingr was someone who went on a víking — an overseas expedition involving raiding, warfare, exploration, or trade.
A Scandinavian farmer who never left his homeland was not a Viking.
Also, many actual Vikings never returned to Scandinavia. They settled abroad, married local populations, and their descendants are found in many places outside Scandinavia:
- Iceland — settled by Norse settlers, many with Celtic wives/slaves from Ireland and Britain.
- Normandy, France — created after Scandinavian settlers received land from the Frankish king and integrated with the local population.
- England — especially the Danelaw, where Danish settlers mixed with Anglo-Saxons.
- Scotland — especially Orkney, Shetland, and western areas with strong Norse settlement.
- Ireland — where Norse settlers founded major towns such as Dublin, Waterford, Cork, and Limerick.
Therefore, descendants of actual Viking expeditions are spread across Scandinavia and the lands where they settled.
What Did They Call Themselves?
They did not generally call themselves “Vikings” as a people.
The word existed in Old Norse:
- víkingr = a person who went on a Viking expedition
- víking = an overseas expedition
The phrase:
fara í víking
meant:
“to go on an expedition.”
It described an activity, not a permanent identity.
Their identities were based on peoples, tribes, regions, and kingdoms:
Denmark
- Danir (Danes)
- Jótar (Jutes) of Jutland
- Skáningar (Scanians) of Scania
Sweden
- Svíar (Svear) of Svealand
- Gautar/Götar (Geats) of Götaland
- Gutar of Gotland
- Helsings of Hälsingland
Norway
- Norðmenn (Northmen/Norwegians)
- Trønder of Trøndelag
- Hǫrðar of Hordaland
- Rygir of Rogaland
- Egðir of Agder
- Þelir of Telemark
- Sygðir of Sogn
- Háleygir of Hålogaland
They shared a Norse culture and language but were not one unified “Viking nation.”
What Did Foreigners Call Them?
Different cultures used different names:
- Franks: Nortmanni (“Northmen”) → later Normans
- Anglo-Saxons: Dani (“Danes”), often broadly for Scandinavian raiders
- Irish: Lochlannach (“people from the land of lakes/fjords”)
- Dubgaill = dark foreigners
- Finngaill = fair foreigners
- Byzantines/Eastern Europeans: Rus’ and Varangians
Varangians and Eastern Expansion
Not all Scandinavian expansion went west.
Many Swedish Scandinavians travelled east through:
- the Baltic
- Russian rivers
- Novgorod
- Kyiv
- Constantinople
They became known as:
- Rus’
- Væringjar (Varangians)
The Byzantine Empire created the famous:
Varangian Guard
an elite imperial unit made up initially largely of Scandinavian warriors (Swedes, Danes, Norwegians), later also Anglo-Saxons.
One famous member was:
Harald Hardrada of Norway.
Why Did Scandinavians Go “Viking”?
The Viking Age was caused by several factors.
1. Frankish Expansion and Saxon Wars
A major but often ignored factor was the conflict between the pagan north and the expanding Christian Frankish Empire.
Charlemagne’s wars against the Saxons (772–804) involved:
- conquest
- forced conversion
- destruction of pagan sites
- political domination
The famous event:
Massacre of Verden (782)
is described in Frankish sources as the execution of thousands of Saxon captives (the exact number is debated).
Charlemagne also destroyed the Saxon religious monument:
The Irminsul (772).
The Saxons were culturally connected to Scandinavia, and Danish rulers saw Frankish expansion as a threat.
King Godfred of Denmark strengthened defenses, including the Danevirke, against possible Frankish aggression.
2. Religious and Cultural Conflict
Christian expansion was not only religious — it was also political.
To Christian rulers:
- conversion meant unity and salvation.
To many pagan Scandinavians:
- Christianity represented foreign political control and destruction of traditional beliefs.
The early Viking Age occurred during this confrontation between the pagan north and Christian Europe.
3. Economic Opportunity
Scandinavia had:
- limited farmland
- growing populations
- ambitious warrior elites
Europe had:
- wealthy monasteries
- rich kingdoms
- poorly defended coasts
Raids could bring:
- silver
- weapons
- slaves
- luxury goods
- prestige
4. Warrior Society and Politics
Scandinavian elites gained status through:
- warfare
- loyalty networks
- gift-giving
- successful expeditions
A successful leader could attract warriors with promises of wealth and fame.
5. Ship Technology
The longship changed everything.
Scandinavian ships allowed:
- fast ocean travel
- river navigation
- surprise attacks
- quick withdrawal
Their mobility gave them a major advantage.
Was Viking Expansion Revenge Against Christianity?
Possibly partly.
The conquest and forced Christianization of Saxony likely contributed to:
- Scandinavian distrust of Frankish power
- hostility toward Christian expansion
- defense of pagan traditions
However, there is no surviving Scandinavian source saying:
“We raid because Charlemagne destroyed Saxony.”
Therefore it is one contributing factor, not the only explanation.
Final Conclusion
The Viking Age was not simply:
“violent barbarians attacking Europe.”
It was the expansion of many Scandinavian peoples caused by:
- Frankish imperial expansion
- religious and cultural conflict
- economic opportunity
- population pressures
- warrior politics
- advanced ship technology
There was no single “Viking race.”
There were:
Danes, Jutes, Svear, Geats, Gutar, Norwegians, Hordar, Rygir, Trønder, Háleygir, Helsings, and many others.
“Viking” originally meant someone who went on an overseas expedition.
The idea of “the Vikings” as one unified people is a later historical label used to describe the Scandinavian raiders, traders, explorers, settlers, and warriors who shaped Europe between the 8th and 11th centuries.
Lindisfarne and the Beginning of the Viking Age
The famous raid on Lindisfarne monastery in 793 AD is traditionally considered the symbolic beginning of the Viking Age.
Lindisfarne (Holy Island), located off the northeast coast of England in the kingdom of Northumbria, was one of the most important Christian religious centers in Britain. The attack shocked the Christian world because monasteries were considered sacred places, and the Anglo-Saxon scholar Alcuin of York described the event with great alarm.
However, the date is also historically interesting because it occurred during the same broader period as the conflict between the expanding Christian Frankish Empire and the pagan Germanic peoples of northern Europe:
- 772 AD — Charlemagne begins his campaigns against the Saxons and destroys the Saxon religious sanctuary of the Irminsul.
- 782 AD — The Massacre of Verden is recorded in Frankish sources, where thousands of Saxon captives were allegedly executed (the exact number remains debated).
- 793 AD — The raid on Lindisfarne takes place.
- 804 AD — Saxony is fully incorporated into the Frankish Empire.
While there is no surviving Scandinavian source stating that Lindisfarne was a direct act of revenge for the Saxon Wars, the timing shows that the first Viking raids occurred during a period of major religious and political confrontation between the Christian Frankish world and the pagan societies of northern Europe.
Therefore, the Saxon Wars and Frankish expansion should be considered one possible contributing factor to the hostility that developed between Scandinavia and Christian Europe, alongside other major causes such as trade, wealth, political competition, population pressures, and advances in ship technology.
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