Viking Expansion - Motivation For Expansion

Motivation For Expansion

The motives driving the Viking expansion form a topic of much debate in Nordic history. One common idea is that the Viking invasions are a quest for vengeance against the central Europeans. In this concept, the invasions are in response to Charlemagne's use of force to Christianize all pagans, offering the options of baptism or death. Professor Rudolf Simek states, “It is not a coincidence if the early Viking activity occurred during the reign of Charlemagne.” To supporters of this idea, the penetration of Christianity in Scandinavia caused serious conflict and divided Norway for almost a century. However, England was the first target of Viking raids, not the Frankish Kingdom.

Another common theory posits that the Viking population had exceeded the agricultural potential of their homeland. This may have been true of western Norway, where there was few reserves of land, but it is unlikely the rest of Scandinavia was experiencing famine.

Alternately, some scholars propose a youth bulge effect. The eldest son of a family would inherit the estate, and younger sons were thus tempted to emigrate or go on raids. However, this theory does little to explain why the expansion went overseas rather than into the vast, uncultivated forest areas in the interior of the Scandinavian Peninsula. Moreover, no such rise in population or decline in agricultural production has been definitively demonstrated. Still,sea raiding may have been easier than clearing large areas of forest for farm and pasture in a region with a limited growing season. These shortcomings are addressed by the hypothesis that the expansion was caused by selective procreation causing a shortage of women, with the intention to acquire wives.

The decline in the profitability of old trade routes could also have played a role. Trade between western Europe and the rest of Eurasia suffered when the Roman Empire fell in the 5th century. The expansion of Islam in the 7th century also affected trade within western Europe, redirecting resources along the Silk Road. Trade on the Mediterranean was historically at its lowest level when the Vikings initiated their expansion. By opening new trade routes in Arabic and Frankish lands, the Vikings expanded beyond their traditional boundaries. Finally, the destruction of the Frisian fleet by the Franks afforded the Vikings an opportunity to take over the Frisian trade markets.