Vikings and Their Enemies: Warfare in Northern Europe, 750-1100

Description

"A wide range of topics are covered, from the equipment and training of the individual warriors to the overall structure of their campaigns. There is also an interesting section on the world view of the Viking warriors and their contemporaries." --HistoryofWar.org The Vikings had an extraordinary and far-reaching historical impact. From the eighth to the eleventh centuries, they ranged across Europe--raiding, exploring, colonizing--and their presence was felt as far away as Russia and Byzantium. They are most famous as warriors, yet perhaps their talent for warfare is too little understood. Philip Line, in this scholarly and highly readable study of the Viking age, uses original documentary sources--the chronicles, sagas, and poetry--and the latest archaeological evidence to describe how the Vikings and their enemies in northern Europe organized for war.

Philip Line is an expert on Viking land and sea warfare and on the early medieval history of Scandinavia and has published articles on aspects of the subject including a study of Norwegian naval warfare and the role of churchmen in military campaigns. He has written on aspects of state formation and colonization in Scandinavia and the Baltic, his main work being a large study of state formation in Sweden. He has also studied ancient history and Scandinavian languages. He lives in Leeds, United Kingdom.

"A wide range of topics are covered, from the equipment and training of the individual warriors to the overall structure of their campaigns. There is also an interesting section on the world view of the Viking warriors and their contemporaries - an attempt to understand how they saw themselves and their actions." --HistoryofWar.org "A look at European history and driving forces that altered its courses to this day. I loved this book's approach to a complex subject that answers many questions overlooked by historians. It is definitely a five star good read." --Bing's Buzz