Monkish Propaganda

Note: this piece was simultaneously published on July 5th, 2023, in Weighted Tangents, my Substack newsletter.

"It is true that monasteries, as rich, undefended sites, were targeted but we must remember that they are the only source of written evidence for the time, so that we have no contemporary evidence for other activities." —Course Instructor

In my essay for class this week I outlined my hypothesis for the Scandinavian diaspora in the late 8th century, arguing that while advancements in shipbuilding, trade-route transfers of knowledge, a trickle of silver from Russian territories, and the political consolidation and centralization of Scandinavian states were necessary precursors for expansion, the lynchpin was an excess of young, physically fit men with a high risk tolerance, exceptional maritime skills, and the charisma to pressure their peers into high-risk, high-reward adventures.

There is some evidence for this hypothesis, although I haven't dug too deeply into how there came to be an excess of young men at this particular point in time. Some records suggest selective female infanticide, but it could just as easily have been displacement due to political consolidation or even an increase in births following a period of relative prosperity and stability. The fact remains that there were enough young men to throw at the sea in the hopes of adventure, or seeking riches, and even possibly revenge, that early Viking Age societies could withstand the losses in relatively high numbers.

I do not like the ocean and in general am terrified of open water, so the thought of sailing in an open vessel across the North Sea—a voyage lasting a week in good weather—makes me physically ill. But large numbers of men embarked on this voyage regularly! With limited navigational tools! In open waters beset with whirlpools and an utter absence of land markers to guide the way! And enough of them were successful in this journey to return home and teach others before they again returned to the sea to pillage and plunder, kicking off what we now call The Viking Age.

The only piece of pushback I received on my hypothesis was that I had omit the growth of a warrior elite, and didn't take into account that the purpose of these initial expansions were, in fact, military expeditions. I hadn't come across anything in my reading suggesting that militarization was related to expansion and the early Viking raids, and countered by pointing out that the initial raids targeted monasteries, which were wealthy targets that offered little resistance. Based on this evidence, how could we categorize early raids as military expeditions rather than opportunistic cash grabs?

My instructor was quick to jump in with the insight that the only records we have of early Viking activity in the British Isles comes from documents written by monks, who were likely exaggerating the tales of Viking exploits. And why shouldn't they? They were the hapless victims of violence and enslavement. Why should they paint their aggressor as anything but bloodthirsty and mad?

But also! As we only have history written by monks regarding these early raids, we don't really know what else was happening in this region at the time. It's not like Alfred down at the local tavern was recording the events of the day—which perchance happened to include the daily habits Viking visitors—in his journal. Writing was expensive, skilled, resource-intensive, and reserved for the educated elite, and so very few people were dictating the conversation.

This is what I find so frustratingly fascinating about history—there are things that we simply cannot know, no matter what we do. There is no technology that can resurrect what has been forever lost to time.

Until next week!

xo