King Sigurd Magnusson (that is, the son of Magnus), nicknamed the Crusader, ruled Norway from 1103 to 1130. He is credited with the authorship of this visas *. "Poetry of the Skalds" / Translation by S. V. Petrov, comments and applications by M. I. Steblin-Kamensky. L., 1979.
Thjodolf son of Arnor is an Icelandic skald. Drapa ** about Harald the Severe, composed around 1065. Obviously, this visa tells about the events that took place in the spring of 1042 in Byzantium. Then Emperor Michael was blinded by the rebels, and Harald, apparently, took part in this uprising as the leader of the Varangian squad. "Thief of the gladness of the wolf" is Kenning *** denoting a warrior, that is, Harald is meant here. The phrase "Prince of Agdir" also indicates Harald (since Agdir is a region in Norway where he was from. "Poetry of the Skalds" / Translation by S. V. Petrov, comments and applications by M. I. Steblin-Kamensky. L., 1979.
A. S. Pushkin. "Ruslan and Ludmila"
Knights and chivalry of three centuries. Readers of "VO" have probably already noticed that our "journey" through distant knightly times goes in the direction from west to east and from south to north. We have just visited Hungary, then Poland, but it is obvious that Scandinavia is located “higher on the map” and this is where we are going today. For those who (well, suddenly?) Stumble upon this material for the first time, I want to repeat once again that all the articles in this series only in the smallest volume affect the social position of the warriors of the medieval elite, and the rest concern only insofar as they either fought together with the knights, either beat them in battles, or were themselves beaten by them. I would also like to remind you that not every man at arms could be a knight, but every knight in our period of time was simply obliged to be a man at arms and fight in a fairly heavy protective weapon with a spear and sword. Again, not all knights belonged to the nobility, but all of them must necessarily have sufficiently well-known ancestors, as well as appropriate armor and weapons. For example, there is a record from 1066, made in the abbey of Saint-per-de-Chartres, that there is, they say, a village not far from it, where there is a church, land for three plowmen with assistants, twelve peasants, a mill and … five free knights! That is, it is obvious that in those years chivalry was not yet associated with its dominant position in society, and did not have time to gain arrogance. No wonder, two such British historians as Christopher Gravett and David Nicole write that at that time being a knight "meant being a man" who exercises a lot with weapons in the saddle and on foot, and from whom a lot is asked. " By the way, about the saddle … A knight was unthinkable without a horse - "cheval" - "cheval", which actually gave rise to the knights themselves - "chevaliers", and chivalry as such - "chevaliers". And since the cost of war horses, as well as horse servants and equipment was very high, collecting such funds was a very difficult task for everyone who decided to join chivalry as a military caste.
Medieval states and lands of Northern Europe
Well, now after this preamble (and as many as three epigraphs dedicated to both examples of skaldic poetry and the words of the immortal A. S. Pushkin), let's see which countries we will visit today and see that these are different territories, similar, however, in the area both military affairs and culture: these are Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Shetland Islands, the Orkney Islands, the Hebrides and the North Atlantic lands, possibly temporarily settled (or colonized) by the Norwegian peoples. These are the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland and, possibly, ephemeral settlements of the Scandinavians in the territory of modern Canada. So, to begin with, what was there by the middle of the 11th century?
What happened after the Vikings …
And there was the following: by the middle of the 11th century, the great period of the Viking expansion was over, and quite traditional feudal states appeared in Scandinavia. The first of these was Denmark, which became, at least outwardly, Christian at the end of the tenth century under Knut the Great (1014-1035) and which temporarily dominated Norway, southern Sweden, and England. However, Norway soon regained its independence, although Danish rule in its southern regions and in southern Sweden lasted until the 17th century. Moreover, Norway until the beginning of the 12th century retained some control over the Faroe Islands, the northern and western Scottish Islands, and the Isle of Man, and later the Faroe Islands, Shetland Islands and Orkney Islands remained in the hands of the Norwegians until the 15th century.
In Sweden, the state also arose by the 11th century, and Finland fell under the rule of the Swedes by the middle of the 13th century. Later, the entire Northern World, including the Icelandic state, which had been independent since the beginning of the 10th century, was united under one crown as a result of the Kalmar Union of 1397. Scandinavian settlements were also found in southwestern Greenland from the end of the 10th century until they disappeared at the end of the 14th century, just over a hundred years before the island was rediscovered by Gaspar Corte Real in 1500. It is now widely believed that the Scandinavians also reached North America and established settlements there, but the extent of their contact with the New World is today the subject of much scientific debate.
Without riders and a bow - nowhere
From the 11th to the 14th century, Scandinavia itself underwent the same profound changes in military affairs. The warriors of the so-called "second Viking age" (late 10th - early 11th centuries) were in contact with many other military cultures, ranging from the Eurasian steppes, Byzantium and the Islamic world to the "Stone Age" cultures in North America. However, all this time the infantry dominated the battlefield, using spears, swords and long-handled axes. This "inertia of thinking" continued until the first half of the 12th century, although in Denmark, for example, changes in military affairs appeared already in the 11th century. The reason - again, was associated with the natural geographic factor. After all, it was through Denmark that the Anglo-Saxon refugees migrated to Scandinavia from the horrors of Charlemagne. But even then, already in the "Viking Age", it was a kind of "staging post" through which it was easiest for immigrants from the mainland to get both to England and to the lands of Scandinavia. The war on the continent in increasing numbers required horsemen, and horsemen - horses! Interestingly, plate armor is gaining popularity in Sweden. Even the Livonian Chronicle tells us that the Russian troops had many archers at their disposal. That is, all together, albeit indirectly, indicates the contact of the Swedes with Eastern Europe, including possibly not only the Slavs, but also the Poles. The long bow was in turn an important weapon in Scandinavia, especially in Norway, although both composite and reinforced wooden bows of eastern origin were probably known there. They simply could not but be there, because they could well have been brought from Byzantium by the "varangs" that had served their term there. The bow, as a weapon, has remained popular among the Sami and Finns for centuries.
Danish crossroads
By the middle of the 12th century, Sweden was already completely drawn into the mainstream of European military culture. Denmark was also turned into a fairly typical European feudal state and also began expansion in the Baltic in the middle of the 12th century. Danish armies now included many horsemen, and by the 13th century they also had a large number of crossbowmen. Crossbows spread throughout Scandinavia. Moreover, it is the crossbow as a weapon that is constantly found in the poem "Kalevala", the national epic of Finland.
Pair of stirrups, late 10th - early 11th century. Scandinavia, possibly Denmark. This pair of stirrups is adorned with gilded bronze and silver plates and was originally probably placed in the grave of a wealthy Viking warrior. Although they are perhaps best known today as sailors, the Vikings also rode horses. As with all Germanic cultures, horses were of great importance in their society and religion. Equestrian implements such as stirrups can be found in Viking burials, next to weapons and other items that the warriors wanted to bring with them to the afterlife, or next to the sacrificial horses that sometimes accompanied the richest in the burials. (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)
Norwegian Crusade
The so-called "Norwegian Crusade" is also known - the crusade of the Norwegian King Sigurd I, undertaken by him in 1107-1110. Then 5,000 people went with him on 60 ships. And although it was formally carried out for religious purposes, the Norwegians, during their voyage, robbed everyone who just tucked under their arm, including Christians (for the cause, of course!) And collected huge booty.
In the Holy Land, they visited Jerusalem, participated in the capture of Sidon, and King Baldwin I granted Sigurd a very valuable relic for Christians - wood chips from the Holy Cross of the Lord. It is interesting that, having reached Byzantium, Sigurd and his soldiers, although not all, since many remained to serve in Constantinople, made their way back on horseback, and this journey through Europe took three whole years!
Nature, trade and the same simple bow
Now let's turn to the outskirts of the "Northern World" and see what happened in such areas as Finland, Lapland and among the neighboring Finno-Ugric peoples, which are now northern Russia. Again, due to natural geographic reasons, these territories lagged behind Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Severe climatic factors also played a role: therefore, for example, the same flat bow of the simplest design continued to be used all this time in subarctic areas such as Lapland, since it was obviously less sensitive to low temperatures. The Finns remained a tribal society without a military elite, and had much in common with the Balts in the south. Like many tribes who lived in the forests in the east, their main weapon in the war was spears, and swords were replaced by knives. The Karelians were partly a nomadic people and had more in common with the Sami, although the coastal Finns were already sufficiently "Europeanized" in the 13th and 14th centuries. The Sami themselves were clearly dependent on the trade in all metal objects, including weapons.
The neighboring Finno-Ugric peoples of the northern Ural region also seem to have relied on the iron trade, part of which came from the far south through the Volga Bulgars. However, the southernmost Finno-Ugric tribes were more developed even in the 11th century, when they already had small towns, in which archaeologists recently found interesting examples of weapons and evidence of the spread of Christianity among them.
How and what is the best way to beat skreeling?
On the even wider western fringes of the Scandinavian world, the Skrelingi, or "screamers", lived. This name was given by the Norwegian settlers to all the indigenous people of Greenland and North America. In fact, these aboriginal peoples differed quite strongly among themselves. They were Eskimo hunters, and American Indians of the subarctic region in upper Quebec and Labrador, and the forest tribes of Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and New England. The obscure and much later written documents of the Scandinavian countries indicate that these Skrelinges, like the Finno-Ugric peoples, preferred iron objects, including weapons, as objects of exchange. Meanwhile, there was a corresponding, but apparently not very effective official ban on the trade in iron weapons with the indigenous peoples of all these lands.
As for the conclusion, judging by the finds of effigium, and the excavations on the battlefield at Visby, the armament of the Swedish, Norwegian and Danish soldiers was generally identical to the soldiers of Central Europe. This concerned the knights first of all. Though perhaps their gear was less influenced by fashion!
* Vis is a genre of skald poetry.
** Drapa is a song of praise.
*** Kenning is a kind of metaphor characteristic of Skald poetry.
References:
1. Lindholm D., Nicolle D. The Scandinavian Baltic Crusades 1100-1500. UK. L.: Osprey (Man-at-Arms series # 436), 2007.
2. Gorelik M. V. Warriors of Eurasia. From the VIII century BC to the XVII century AD. Stockport: Montvert Publications, 1995.
3. Gravett C. Norman Knight 950 - 1204 AD. L.: Osprey (Warrior series # 1), 1993.
4. Edge D., Paddock J. M. Arms and armor of the medieval knight. An illustrated history of Weaponry in Middle ages. Avenel, New Jersey, 1996.
5. Nicolle, D. Arms and Armor of the Crusading Era, 1050-1350. UK. L.: Greenhill Books. Vol.1.
