Vikings
Birthplace: Scandinavia
Brilliant achievements: Founding the feudal country Kiev Russ (Kievan Rus), also known as Ancient Rus , Russia. They discovered Iceland in 860 AD and lived in Iceland.
History: The Viking homelands are Norway, Sweden and Denmark. They and their descendants once controlled most of the Baltic Sea coast, the interior of Russia, Normandy in France, England, Sicily, southern Italy and parts of Palestine. They discovered Iceland in 825 (Irish monks were already there) and settled in 875. In 985, they colonized Greenland again. There is strong evidence that they reached Newfoundland and explored parts of North America 500 years before Columbus discovered the New World.
In the sixth and seventh centuries AD, the Vikings began raiding and then settling along the eastern Baltic coast. By the end of the eighth century AD, they had descended from today's Russia to launch a long-term invasion and set up fortresses for defense along the way. In the ninth century AD they ruled Kiev, and in 907 they attacked Constantinople with 2,000 warships and 80,000 troops. However, they were successfully bribed by the Byzantine emperor with the most favorable trade terms.
The Vikings first attacked the West in the late eighth century AD. This attack and plunder began to become a trend when the Danes attacked and plundered the famous island monastery on Lindisfern on the northeast coast of England. This gradually became an invasion as the size and number of raids on England, France and Germany increased. They also established colonies as bases from which to continue their assaults. The Viking colony in northwest France is generally known as Normandy (from the name of the Norsemen), and the people living there are called Normans.
In 865, a large number of Danish troops invaded Britain and controlled most of Britain for two centuries. Before 1066, Canute was one of the last kings in Britain. He ruled both Denmark and Norway. In 871, another large fleet sailed up the Seine to attack Paris. They laid siege to the city for two years before they were finally paid off with a huge cash reward and allowed to plunder western France without resistance.
In 911, the king of France made the Viking chiefs of Normandy dukes in exchange for their conversion to Christianity and an end to invasions. Since the founding of the duchy of Normandy, there have been outstanding warriors, including William I who conquered England in 1066, Robert Guishart and his family who captured Sicily from the Arabs between 1060 and 1091, and the Cross King Baldwin I of the Kingdom of Jerusalem founded by military warriors.
Since 780 AD, the Vikings have been traveling more and more. They need more trade markets and more plundering grounds. They mainly stole livestock and grain, but also did not let go of any valuable treasure. They struck quickly and left just as quickly after succeeding. The nearby residents suffered greatly and viewed the Vikings as barbarians, cold-blooded warriors. ?
In 789 AD, a group of Viking pirates sacked Dorset County, and England has been constantly harassed since then. The locals fought bravely against the bandits, but more often than not, they paid a ransom, called Danegeld (today’s tax in Denmark is not called tax, but called Danegeld) to let the disaster star leave quickly. But money can't always solve the problem. There are several pirates. When this king leaves, another leader comes on stage. In weakly defended areas, Viking pirates thrived. ?
When the great Alfred (the king at that time was not an emperor, he was not qualified to be called several generations, so he had to put "Great" after his name) when he was in power in Wessex, he and the main The Viking tribes made an agreement that allowed them to settle in an area in southeastern England called Danelaw (today's Danish law is called Danelaw). Even so, the fragile peace was constantly broken as each side sought more land. ?
The large number of pirates means that plundering will never stop. Even after Garnet, the king of Norway and Denmark, conquered England, his territory was still often harassed by Swedish pirates. The powerful monarch was forced to pay the ransom.
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The only exception was in 1066, when William I the Conqueror set foot on England with Norman soldiers. His violence even frightened pirates, so the local people lived under the whips of foreigners. It’s been a relatively quiet year. ?
Scotland is closer to Northern Europe. In 795 AD, the Orkney Islands were occupied by the Vikings, and then the coastlines of Scotland and Ireland were controlled by pirates. They established a trade route with Norway here and used it as a foothold to develop farther west. ?
Scotland is owned by the Norwegians, and everything is peaceful. Ireland is much more complicated. The Norwegians, Danes and Irish pirates are not easy to deal with, so large-scale armed fights often break out. It was not until 902 AD that the Norwegians temporarily left Ireland. The reason why they temporarily left Ireland was because they came back in 917 AD and occupied Dublin as a trading port. ?
In 1100, Dublin was taken over by the Normans. But as we all know, the Normans are the descendants of Danish pirates in France. ?
Although the North Sea was devastated, the Vikings crossed Gibraltar and continued to wreak havoc along the Mediterranean coast. When doing business with a strong opponent, you become a thief when facing a weak one. ?
These lawless people even robbed monasteries, because there were always large amounts of food and treasure stored in the monasteries, and the monks did not resist. The Viking pirates advancing along the European coastline became a nightmare for the entire Europe. Only Spain and France survived. ?
In 844 AD, the Spanish Arab army organized a successful counter-landing in Condoba. From then on, the Iberian Peninsula was calm, with only friendly Viking merchants trading wine and slaves. ?
The "simple-minded" French King Charles first paid the ransom honestly, and later followed the British approach and made Rollo, the largest pirate leader, the Grand Duke of Normandy. It should be noted that this man was the great-great-great-grandfather of William I the Conqueror, and his descendants finally became the kings of England in 1066. ?
The Norwegians left home and sailed westward, looking for a new home. When they arrived in Iceland in 860 AD, the monks who originally lived here fled in panic. In 920 AD, they came to Greenland and began to settle. However, the climate there became colder year by year and they could not grow crops. Finally, in 1500, all the Vikings left this frozen island. ?
Later generations have been looking for evidence that Nordic people have visited the American continent. It is said that a Nordic stone carving unearthed in the United States in 1898 was later confirmed to be a fake in 1958. A Viking chart found in 1965, which detailed the outline of the American coast, was also later proven to be a forgery. It wasn't until 1969 that a stone arrowhead was finally found in a pirate tomb in Denmark. Later, tests confirmed that it was indeed a product of the Americas. The pirates had indeed been to North America. ?
With the promotion of Christianity on the European continent, the Vikings gradually changed their beliefs with money or swords. Religion finally made them give up the practice of making a living with their fists, and the wandering pirates settled down in various places. . Where are their survivors today? In addition to the Nordic countries, let’s take a look at the records of Ibn Fadla, an Arab traveler: ?
“The Rus lived on the islands in the lake, and they robbed Plunder nearby Slavic villages and sell the captives to the towns downstream of the Volga River."?
The original inhabitants of the Volga River Basin are Slavs. After years of constant fighting between tribes, some people went to Northern Europe to invite them. Come strong mercenaries and leaders. So the Varangians from Scandinavia ended the dispute, and the large influx of Viking immigrants were called Rus by the locals. It was not until 882 AD that Grand Duke Oleg established the Rus' country and called the country they lived in Rusland, which is today's Russia.
The inhabitants of Scandinavia have made a living by herding, farming and fishing for many centuries. In the sixth and seventh centuries AD, they began to trade deep into Russia and other places along the Baltic Sea and large rivers. Driven by some unknown reasons, they suddenly began aggressively invading the European coast in the late eighth century AD. It may be because they were amazed by the wealth they encountered while doing business, or they sensed the weaknesses of the southern races, or it may be because new navigation and shipbuilding technologies allowed them to sail long distances or move quickly.
In 793, pagan Vikings attacked the great monastery at Lindisfern, which was founded by Irish monks on an island opposite the northeastern coast of England.
The fast, shallow-draft Viking warships allowed the Vikings to attack quickly from the sea and rivers. The scarcity of roads in the ninth century allowed the Vikings to concentrate on wealthy towns or monasteries; they could quickly land and subdue any resistance, and remove captives and plunderers before any organized force could arrive. plunder. The people who lived along the coasts and rivers of Germany, France, and England feared these invaders. The central governments in these regions have become embroiled in public resentment for their inability to defend against this lightning-fast invasion. The people began to turn to the local nobles who built castles for refuge. This shift strengthened the local power of the nobles and weakened the authority of the king.
As the ninth century progressed, the Vikings became bolder. Larger groups of Vikings banded together for actual aggression, far exceeding previous raids. They sacked important cities including Hamburg, Utrecht, and Rouen. They settled in the islands outside Britain, parts of Ireland (Dublin was established), Iceland and Greenland. The Danes occupied and ruled the eastern half of England for about a century. Other forces moved up the Seine and besieged Paris for two years, only to withdraw after collecting tributes and loot. Another group dominated Russia westward from Kiev and attacked Constantinople from the Black Sea. They invaded Muslim Spain and penetrated into the Mediterranean.
In the tenth century AD, the French king bought peace from the Vikings by ceding part of his territory (Normandy, ruled by the ancient Norse or Normans.) and named their leader France Duke. The Normans converted to Christianity by agreement. The Normans became an extraordinary people in the Middle Ages, conquering England and establishing the first largest European kingdom. Other Normans also conquered Sicily and most of Italy and established Crusader kingdoms in Palestine.
Viking invasions ceased by the late tenth century, partly because they no longer heeded the warrior values ??of their pagan past when they became Christians. In addition, Scandinavia was divided into several kingdoms, and the new rulers focused their attention on managing the lands they already owned. In addition, Viking colonists in places such as Russia, France, and Britain were assimilated by the cultures around them. However, the European warrior culture that developed in response to the Viking threat later found a new outlet in the Holy Land of the eastern Mediterranean.
Goths
Birthplace: They are a branch of the Germanic people in Europe who settled in Scythia, Dacia, Transpannonia and the northern coast of the Black Sea since the 2nd century. Ukrainian steppes. From the 5th to the 6th century, the Dniester River divided them. Those east of the river were called Ostrogoths, and those west of the river were called Visigoths.
Brilliant achievements: They were the first barbarian forces to plunder the city of Rome in history.
History: From the first century AD, the Romans were known to live in the Danube River basin. Some people say that they were actually immigrants who crossed south from the Baltic Sea island of Gotland (now in Sweden) to Central Europe. In the fourth century AD, the Gothic nation split from within. Some became the later Visigoths, also known as the WestGoths, who lived in what is now Romania. Another tribe became the Ostrogoths, also known as the EastGoths. They moved eastward until they reached the lower Danube area and established towns near the Black Sea. When the Huns appeared, they launched a fierce attack on the Ostrogoths in 375 AD. The Ostrogoths began to move westward, and the oppressed Visigoths also moved westward.
The Visigoths arrived in the Wallachian plain on the north bank of the lower Danube River. Then the Huns also pursued them here. Under the oppression of the Huns, the Visigoths applied to cross the Danube River south to live in the empire in 376, and asked for asylum from the Roman Empire. In order to solve the shortage of labor in the empire and to expand the imperial army, the Roman Emperor Aarons agreed to the Visigoths' request to move in and allowed them to cross the Danube River and enter Mercia and Thrace in the northern part of the empire. The Eastern Romans' rule over the Visigoths was cruel. They imposed heavy taxes on the Visigoths and oppressed them at will. Some barbarians even had to sell their sons and daughters to pay taxes.
The Visigoths who entered the country could not bear the abuse and oppression of Roman officers and soldiers. Finally, after an incident in which Roman soldiers tortured and beat the Visigoths, a national uprising was launched under the leadership of Fritigern in 378 AD. The revolting Visigoths were supported by the Ostrogoths, Roman slaves, and some Huns and Alans. They quickly took control of the Thrace region and advanced to the Albanian region near the capital of the Eastern Empire, Constantinople (now Istanbul). Fort Drian (now Edirne, Turkey).
In August 378, the arrogant Valens, fearing that other officers would steal his credit, led 60,000 Roman troops (mainly infantry) into Adrianople without waiting for the troops to assemble. , trying to defeat the Goths in one fell swoop. The Roman army was severely defeated in this battle. Emperor Valens himself and many of his troops were killed. The Roman army lost about 40,000 people and was severely weakened. The Battle of Adrianople showed the huge assault power of the cavalry in the battle. The traditional Infantry phalanxes and legionary tactics were in decline. The Goths firmly controlled the Thrace region of the Roman Empire and established a base for further expansion.
Theodosius the Great, who subsequently ascended the throne, adopted guerrilla tactics against the Goths: luring the Goths into battle, one army ambushed them, and the other army raided the women and children behind the enemy lines. This strategy led to The Goths surrendered in 382 and were organized into auxiliaries by Theodosius. The three leaders of the Visigoths died and they were leaderless. Alaric, who had followed Emperor Theodosius in the Western Expedition and was highly Romanized, was elected as the leader.
After Theodosius died in 395, the barbarians in the Eastern Empire were ostracized by the government, and Alaric had no choice but to lead the auxiliary army westward.
In 410, the barbarian army led by the Visigothic leader Alaric carried out three massive sieges on Rome, the capital of the former empire. After breaking the city, they looted the city for three days and returned with great gains. . After this, the Visigoths continued to move westward, eventually establishing a kingdom based mainly on Spain and southern Gaul. In the late fifth century AD, the Frankish Emperor Clovis drove the Visigoths from mainland France to Spain beyond the Pyrenees. With the death of Clovis, divisions occurred within the Frankish Kingdom, allowing the Visigothic Kingdom to maintain its power. In 711, a new threat came from the south. The Moors (North African Muslims) army crossed the sea from North Africa and finally conquered the territory of the Visigothic Kingdom, including the entire Iberian Peninsula, in just four years.
At the same time, the fate of the Ostrogoths is also unfolding a history of rise and fall. They lived under the rule of the Huns for decades. The Hunnic Empire fell into civil war after the death of Attila the Great in 453, and fell in 454. The Ostrogoths got rid of decades of Hunnic rule and established a new kingdom roughly in the Roman province of Pannonia. The New Kingdom and the Byzantine Empire, the descendants of the Eastern Roman Empire, have always had entangled diplomatic relations. They went to war several times and returned to peace several times. Theodoric became king of Italy in 493, and in 489 the Ostrogoths crossed the Alps and began their invasion of Italy, just as their brothers had done half a century before. This invasion was instigated by the Eastern Roman Emperor Zeno, who appointed the Ostrogoth leader Theodoric as an imperial official to oust the usurping emperor Odoacer in the west. Theodoric besieged Ravenna for a long time and was unable to conquer it; so he made an agreement with Odoacer, the then ruler of the Italian Peninsula, to jointly govern Italy. In 493, Theodoric treacherously killed Odoacer while entertaining him, gathered the rest, and completely conquered Italy in 493 to establish the Ostrogothic Kingdom, with Ravenna as its capital. Its territory includes the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Provence, Illyria, Lower Germania and its homeland of Pannonia.
However, shortly after the death of Theodoric, the outstanding leader of the Ostrogoths, in 535 AD, the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I sent troops to Italy, and in 554 The Ostrogothic Kingdom was completely defeated. In the end, the Byzantine Empire restored the territory of the ancient Roman Empire in the west, and the Ostrogothic Kingdom was destroyed. In the late sixth century AD, when Italy was invaded by the newly arrived barbarian Lombards, the Ostrogoths were wiped out, and those who survived collapsed into small groups.