Viking Age Podcast

In this week's episode we explore the circumstances around the plundering of the great monastery of Armagh by Vikingar in 832 CE. In that year the monastery, which lies 30 miles from the coast, subjected to Viking raids three times in a single month. Things are clearly getting crazy in Ireland.

Along the way we will explore the history of Armagh, we will bring ourselves up to speed on the native Irish political situation, and cover some of the more minor Viking raids and battles which took place in Ireland between 826 and 832. I hope you enjoy.

In this episode we are once again going to return to Western Norway, and explore what may have motivated young Norwegians to go a Viking.

In the past we have established the material motivations behind going a Viking. Acquiring Gold and Silver allowed the leaders of expeditions to attract followers and cement political power. For the followers, such easily portable, durable wealth was extremely useful when conducting marriage negotiations.

Today, we look at the less tangible impacts of going a Viking. Namely - the fame, prestige and increased status which came from returning home from a successful journey abroad.

Along the way we will learn about Odin and Mead of Poetry, Explore poems from the Icelandic Sagas and even dip our toes into the depths of the Archeological Record. I hope you enjoy.

In this episode we are going to return to the roots of Vikingar activity by following a series of Viking raids on Irish monasteries which were conducted in the early 820s. This will lead us nicely to the main focus of today's episode - the Martyrdom of the Irish Aristocrat turned Monk Blathmac.

Along the way we will encounter saintly bones gilded in gold, possible monkish hunger strikes and the several trickily pronounced words. I hope you enjoy.

If this episode we are going to look at captive taking and slavery in the Viking Age. Buckle your seat belts, this is going to be a dark one. Along the way we'll mourn the death of King Aed of Tara, introduce the Abbasid Caliphate and tell the story of a monk named Findan.

First though we'll need to return to Ireland, and catch up on events there during the 8 years between 813 and 821 CE which saw a lull in Vikingar activity. Then we'll then move forward and look at what happened when Vikingar finally returned, focusing on a new tactic which may only have been possible thanks to the fledgling Norse bases in Scotland. Namely: The taking of captives for ransom or slavery.

In today's episode we try to answer a simple question: While some groups of Vikingar were busy raiding monasteries and fighting pitched battles in Ireland throughout the first half of the ninth century, what was going on to the North in Scotland? In other words, what did the early Viking Age look like in Scotland?

The answer to this question is much more complex than it first seems, as we confront a lack of evidence and conflicting information. Along the way to answering this question we'll meet the Picts, the Gaels of Dal Riata and explore what happened as Western Norwegians began to settle the North of Scotland.

This episode is packed full of Irish Viking Age goodness as we track the escalation of Viking activity in Ireland from 807 - 813.

Along the way we explore what the Irish were up to while the Vikingar were busy raiding in the Scottish Hebrides, the first raids on the West Coast and a series of bloody skirmishes between Vikingar crews and Irish warbands.

In this episode we seeking an answer to a simple question: Why on Earth would a Norwegian Farmer join his local lord on a Viking Raid?

In our explorations we will discuss Gold and Silver, Marriage Negotiations and old Icelandic Law Codes. We'll talk about Marriage today and Marriage in the Viking Age. Hopefully, by the end of this episode, we will come away with a better understanding of what motivated young Scandinavians in the Viking Age to drop everything and go Viking.

In this episode we see the Vikings shift their focus north, from Ireland to to the Inner Hebrides and a target which, from the perspective of the Vikings, must have been almost too good to be true. We are speaking of course about the great monastery of Iona.

We'll explore the raids in 795 CE and 802 CE - and then the details and psychological and material impact of the brutal Viking Raid of 806 CE. Along the way we will also meet St. Columba and his journey from bad-boy churchman to missionary saint. It should be fun, why don't you give it a listen?

As promised in the episode, here is a helpful map to help you keep things straight!

In this episode we are going to explore what happens when our favorite scruffy farmers-turned-part-time-sea-raiders collide headlong with Irish Society.

Along the way we tke a look at the nature of our sources, a funny story about St. Patrick and the intricacies of a Cattle Raid. By the end of the episode you will also know the proper plural form of Vikingr.

In this episode we get the lay of the political, religious and social landscape of Viking Age Ireland.

Now, while it might seem excessive to spend an entire episode on Ireland in a Podcast about Vikings, it is essential to understand the nature of Irish politics and culture prior to the arrival of Scandinavians. Spending time on this now will help us put Norse-Irish interaction into perspective, and help to explain the sometimes surprising role that Scandinavians were to play in Ireland over the coming centuries.

Plus, this stuff is just plain interesting! So I hope you enjoy.