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The Sea Wolves: A History of the Vikings

The Sea Wolves: A History of the Vikings

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  • Create Date：2021-09-13 09:55:07
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Lars Brownworth
  • ISBN：1909979120
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Summary

In AD 793 Norse warriors struck the English isle of Lindisfarne and laid waste to it。 Wave after wave of Norse 'sea-wolves' followed in search of plunder， land， or a glorious death in battle。 Much of the British Isles fell before their swords， and the continental capitals of Paris and Aachen were sacked in turn。 Turning east， they swept down the uncharted rivers of central Europe， captured Kiev and clashed with mighty Constantinople， the capital of the Byzantine Empire。

But there is more to the Viking story than brute force。 They were makers of law - the term itself comes from an Old Norse word - and they introduced a novel form of trial by jury to England。 They were also sophisticated merchants and explorers who settled Iceland， founded Dublin， and established a trading network that stretched from Baghdad to the coast of North America。

In The Sea Wolves， Lars Brownworth brings to life this extraordinary Norse world of epic poets， heroes， and travellers through the stories of the great Viking figures。 Among others， Leif the Lucky who discovered a new world， Ragnar Lodbrok the scourge of France， Eric Bloodaxe who ruled in York， and the crafty Harald Hardrada illuminate the saga of the Viking age - a time which "has passed away， and grown dark under the cover of night。"

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Reviews

Kieran Bennett ，

Readable summary。

Zachary Barker ，

“Destruction leads to a very rough road but it also breeds creation”“Californication” by the Red Hot Chili PeppersWhat have the Vikings ever done for us？ For a start they gave us the names of 3 days of the week， which is just a tip of the iceberg when it comes to considering the long term impact they had on the UK and wider Europe。 Anglo-Saxon Briton was vaguely aware of the peoples from Scandinavia before the Vikings appeared in Britain in a major way。 Some Viking merchants even lived in tradin “Destruction leads to a very rough road but it also breeds creation”“Californication” by the Red Hot Chili PeppersWhat have the Vikings ever done for us？ For a start they gave us the names of 3 days of the week， which is just a tip of the iceberg when it comes to considering the long term impact they had on the UK and wider Europe。 Anglo-Saxon Briton was vaguely aware of the peoples from Scandinavia before the Vikings appeared in Britain in a major way。 Some Viking merchants even lived in trading cities such as York。 However， later the people of the north came in force。The Viking attack on the monastery on Lindisfarne island in Northumbria in 793 AD was by some historians recalling， a 9/11 scale event。 With the emergence of these amphibious raiders the British Isles was no longer a safe fortress and suddenly felt very vulnerable。 The harsh lands the Vikings lived in， predominantly Norway and Denmark， pushed them to seek fortunes elsewhere。 A revolution in shipbuilding in both countries made this possible with the introduction of large vessels with keels to scale vast oceans and smaller and more versatile longboats for raiding parties from seas and rivers。 Scottish islands such as Iona， the Orkneys and the Shetland Islands experienced Viking raids and colonisation efforts around this time。 At first the Vikings restricted themselves to probing coastal and river raids， testing the defences of the British Isles。 After that came the Viking armies。Ireland was the first to fall to the massed Viking armies out of the major elements of the British Isles。 The Vikings pretty much founded Dublin， making it for a time the Viking capital of the British Isles。 The Vikings for many years were able to play the petty kings of Ireland against off against each other or fight them of as needs be。 However， after many years the divisions between the Norwegian and Danish Vikings and the growing power of the kings of Ireland chipped away at the power of the Vikings in Dublin。 Before Viking power faded in Ireland， Dublin was used as a springboard for the Vikings next target; England。 The Vikings attempted to conquer England over many years。 York became their most powerful stronghold in England。 The Viking onslaught led to the destruction of several rival Anglo-Saxon kingdoms， in the long run benefitting the Kingdom of Wessex which ultimately united England as a country。 So entrenched the Vikings became that one of the many settlements between Vikings and the Kingdom of Wessex led to the establishment of the Danelaw， a Viking homeland legally recognised on English land。 Over many years the Danelaw started to become integrated into English society， although that didn’t stop one foolish King of Wessex from trying to eradicate it through a pogrom。 To this day the legacy of the Danelaw exists in the way locals in it’s former lands speak and in place names。Further afield the Vikings travelled to Iceland， Greenland and even briefly explored the fringes of the New World。 The Vikings’ expertise at scrounging a living off marginally habitable lands helped them immeasurably in these endeavours， although Greenland proved too inhospitable。 Iceland has a unique history marked by bloody violence but also by the founding of one of the earliest Parliaments in the world and a unique respect for individual rights。 In the lands of Ukraine， Belarus and what would become Russia the Vikings settled and became known as the Rus。 Over time the Rus people became Russians over many years of fighting for dominance over local tribes and managing a shifting relationship with the Byzantine Empire。 The Byzantine Empire even for a time employed an elite guard of Vikings called the Varangian Guard。Overall， I enjoyed this book as a balanced and brief overview of Viking history。 There are near tomes about this subject that are pretty daunting in their accessibility。 But one should always keep in mind that something is often lost in terms of making books brief。 For myself， I would perhaps have appreciated a bit more of an insight into how Viking society worked。 I found it fascinating how Vikings blended into others cultures and how Viking breakaway states operated in the Danelaw and in Normandy （which was founded by a Viking king）。 However， I was curious to learn more about how Vikings lived and their motivations and justifications for fighting。 I have heard rumours for instance that homosexuality was tolerated in Viking society， or perhaps ignored。 Certainly， Viking society seemed to have more scope for individual freedom than Anglo-Saxon Christian Briton。 The founding of a proto democratic society in Iceland was an especially exciting story。 What I think the book did successfully was to illustrate how the Vikings used their plunder to build up their economies to become centralised Christian monarchies， very similar to the rest of Europe。 Christianity became a tool for unity in the hands of these monarchies。This book was a timely reminder that English culture does not and never has existed in a vacuum。 The loss of life the Vikings wreaked was of course terrible。 But we cannot deny their culture has now become intertwined with ours。 。。。more

Kara of BookishBytes ，

A strong and readable history of the Vikings， and shorter than others I've read。 Shorter makes if better， if you ask me。 A strong and readable history of the Vikings， and shorter than others I've read。 Shorter makes if better， if you ask me。 。。。more

Mickey Hoffman ，

Reads like a novel。 Even if you have some knowledge of the subject this book will greatly add to it。

Spen Cer ，

Approachable and interesting。 This book was a real breath of fresh air when discussing some old historical topics that some other books have made very unreadable。 While it is still hard to follow some of the names as they changed。 This book did a great job of describing everything that happened with the Vikings and a great overview of how they affected the modern world。Also I can’t reply to Ian’s review but I’d just like to say how terribly misguided it is and if I could downvote it I would love Approachable and interesting。 This book was a real breath of fresh air when discussing some old historical topics that some other books have made very unreadable。 While it is still hard to follow some of the names as they changed。 This book did a great job of describing everything that happened with the Vikings and a great overview of how they affected the modern world。Also I can’t reply to Ian’s review but I’d just like to say how terribly misguided it is and if I could downvote it I would love to do that。 。。。more

吕晓晓 Chinese ，

It’s hard to describe the Vikings in specific words。 Now it’s a long time since the killing of the Vikings 1，000 years ago。 So when the Icelandic football team defeated England in the 2016 European Cup， fans can join them。 Viking battle cry， but 1，000 years ago， such a battle cry was probably a nightmare for many countries。 There is a text in New Concept English that talks about the bard。 The first sentence that comes up is "Alfred the Great pretends to be a bard to scout the Danish military cam It’s hard to describe the Vikings in specific words。 Now it’s a long time since the killing of the Vikings 1，000 years ago。 So when the Icelandic football team defeated England in the 2016 European Cup， fans can join them。 Viking battle cry， but 1，000 years ago， such a battle cry was probably a nightmare for many countries。 There is a text in New Concept English that talks about the bard。 The first sentence that comes up is "Alfred the Great pretends to be a bard to scout the Danish military camp"。 The Vikings I saw later appeared in the history of various countries as objects。 Even if they were the masters of the Slavs， their history was largely submerged in the general history of Russia。 So this is the preciousness of this "Legend of Vikings"。 It puts Vikings in the position of the main body， and it is written without subjective motives such as nationalism。 It is the outline of the Vikings in the book。 People， of course， have their brave and smart sides， but more are cruel and bloody （for example， a very cruel "Blood Eagle Punishment" was imposed on a captured king in England）。 These authors did not shy away— —Of course， there is also the good luck of the Vikings。 For example， the Viking pioneers who went to Iceland found the original location of Reykjavik by throwing sticks into the sea， but "After 1000， people threw a lot of people into the sea。 Wooden sticks， but none of them floated to the bay of Reykjavik。" Isn’t that what an elder said？ A person’s fate depends on the course of history in addition to personal struggle， eh。 Maybe when I look at history， I rely heavily on the two things of "narrative logic" and "unified historical view。" The narrative logic of the Viking Legends is divided into the western and eastern lines according to geography。 The story of the Western Front began with the invasion of Western Europe， the climax was the invasion of Britain and the resistance of Alfred， and finally the colonization of Iceland and Greenland。 The story of the Eastern Front is the conquest of the Russian Slavs。 Each chapter begins with a metaphysical verse， and ends with a metaphysical end or transition to the next chapter。 This avoids readers like me who are too obsessed with names and places when reading books。 It is a reading habit that is very necessary for academic reading to try to summarize a certain chapter or even the relationship between several chapters in a macro sense。 As for the names of people and places， the author has attached a list of names and places， and even a map， which can be used at any time。 As for the unified view of history embodied in this book， the end of the book， "Life will end， but name can be immortal" is a good but imperfect answer。 When I was discussing the history and current situation of Northern Europe with a friend， I naturally came up with this question-"Why are the three Nordic countries so brutal in the past， but now they are democratic and equal"。 Regarding this matter， what is written in the book has actually revealed the very important reason， that is， the Vikings， who were the ancestors of the Nordic countries， were once free people with strong military virtues。 Needless to say， the concept of freedmen is abundant。 It is noted that many Viking leaders have their own land， not proletarians in the feudal sense， but relatively freedmen of that era。 On this point， I used to have a very rough view in the past， which roughly means "a country that is in a better situation now has probably had ample military ethics in the past" （even in countries such as Holland and Switzerland）， but not all A nation that used to be full of military virtues can have a good future。 If this nation is not made up of free people， even if it is full of military virtues for a time， it will probably be a tragedy in the future。 In my opinion， the legend of Viking can be regarded as a small footnote。 After the Industrial Revolution， "Since Maxine invented the machine gun， nomads have become good at singing， dancing， and hospitable。" It is impossible to reproduce the glory of the Viking era， but because their ancestors are free people with strong military virtues， then the neutrality of these countries will be more or less respected （see Sweden in the Two World Wars for details）， and After the Cold War came， the free citizens of these countries could also be placed under the protection of NATO， so that the saved military expenditures could be used as the material basis of the welfare state， so "democratic equality" could only be in this way。 Realize it on the basis of。 。。。more

Ania ，

Easy to follow and digest。

Chris Linehan ，

Lars Brownworth does an excellent job of making the history come alive in his works。 I love reading anything Viking; but， a well done pop history like Brownworth's The Sea Wolves is peak stuff for me。 It moves the history along nicely and covers a pretty broad swath of Viking history from the early explorations to the downfall of Harald Hardrada。 Overall， the book is very enjoyable and anyone who likes either Brownworth or Mike Duncan's podcasts will enjoy this book。 I don't think this will be m Lars Brownworth does an excellent job of making the history come alive in his works。 I love reading anything Viking; but， a well done pop history like Brownworth's The Sea Wolves is peak stuff for me。 It moves the history along nicely and covers a pretty broad swath of Viking history from the early explorations to the downfall of Harald Hardrada。 Overall， the book is very enjoyable and anyone who likes either Brownworth or Mike Duncan's podcasts will enjoy this book。 I don't think this will be much of a realization to anyone that listed to Twelve Byzantine Rulers or Rome podcasts。 The book does a good job chronicling the overall history， but Brownworth really seems to come alive when he writes about the Viking interaction with the Byzantine empire， which given his expertise makes a whole lot of sense。 I think that I enjoyed these sections the most primarily because he seemed to enjoy these parts the best and partly because the eastern raids and developments were the bits that were the newest to me。 I've got a few books to go to catch up on 2021's reading goals， but I imagine that there will be another pop history in my hands soon。 I can't seem to get enough of them！ 。。。more

Moha Dem ，

Last summer I watched the vikings series， it was an awesome show。 Then I wanted to know more about the vikings' era so I watched some videos。But this book was something else， it's so enriching and I really recommend it。 Last summer I watched the vikings series， it was an awesome show。 Then I wanted to know more about the vikings' era so I watched some videos。But this book was something else， it's so enriching and I really recommend it。 。。。more

Heather Teysko ，

A really good overview of Viking history。

Robert S ，

Great read。Coverage of many of the main Viking historical figures， from Ragnar and Ivar to Knut and Olaf， and the lands and cultures they impacted or influenced， from Russia to England。

Laila ，

This is an insightful and well-research history of the Vikings' rise and fall as the most fearsome sea raiders （and explorers） in Europe， the Mediterranean， and North America。 The key for me is how the new king/ruler chose Christianity as an ideology to unite the subjects， which was not always effective。 This is an insightful and well-research history of the Vikings' rise and fall as the most fearsome sea raiders （and explorers） in Europe， the Mediterranean， and North America。 The key for me is how the new king/ruler chose Christianity as an ideology to unite the subjects， which was not always effective。 。。。more

Alex ，

Accessible account of Viking exploration （and conquest）。 Focuses on key historical figures and less on what little is known abotu the lives of the ordinary Sea Wolves who accompanied their leaders， but a good read。

Pefllu7 ，

This book Is absolutely great。

Ben Andrus ，

A brief an entertaining survey of Viking history and accomplishments。 If you listened to and enjoyed Brownworth's Twelve Byzantine Rulers podcast， you will no doubt enjoy this foray into Viking culture。 I was surprised to learn just how much we do know about the Viking exploration of Vinland （now Newfoundland）， having previously thought that we hadn't known much other than what we had discovered through archeology。 One thing that I would have wanted Brownworth to spend more time on was the Varan A brief an entertaining survey of Viking history and accomplishments。 If you listened to and enjoyed Brownworth's Twelve Byzantine Rulers podcast， you will no doubt enjoy this foray into Viking culture。 I was surprised to learn just how much we do know about the Viking exploration of Vinland （now Newfoundland）， having previously thought that we hadn't known much other than what we had discovered through archeology。 One thing that I would have wanted Brownworth to spend more time on was the Varangian Guard of the Byzantine rulers; he only gave them part of a chapter， however。 Overall， a good read， engaging and colorful。 。。。more

Daniel ，

WonderfulThis book is fascinating and surprisingly readable。 History can be dull works， but this is a delightful exception to that trend。

Sluggable Joe ，

*schlarps runically*

Nikola Novaković ，

Despite the ridiculous cover， this is a really good brief overview of the history of the Vikings， recommended for anyone looking for a solid basis。

Austin Wells ，

I have read a lot of books on the Vikings and this overview is the best/most interesting I have read。

BladeOfCreation （Nate） ，

The Sea Wolves by Lars Brownworth， narrated by Joe Barrett， is an excellent primer on the Viking Age。 Lars Brownworth tells the story of the Vikings in an engaging and narrative style that is easy to follow and entertaining to listen to。 Although raiding was one of the major activities that defined the age， the peoples of Scandinavia were also traders， explorers， and settlers。 Brownsworth makes sure to note that although the Viking Age spanned less than three centuries， the legacies that they le The Sea Wolves by Lars Brownworth， narrated by Joe Barrett， is an excellent primer on the Viking Age。 Lars Brownworth tells the story of the Vikings in an engaging and narrative style that is easy to follow and entertaining to listen to。 Although raiding was one of the major activities that defined the age， the peoples of Scandinavia were also traders， explorers， and settlers。 Brownsworth makes sure to note that although the Viking Age spanned less than three centuries， the legacies that they left behind can still be seen and felt today。 This is a great starting point for learning about the Vikings。 。。。more

Matt ，

Minor errors but a good historical overviewIona is not in the North Sea！ However， I don't really think the author thinks it is， it's a rhetorical flourish albeit one arguable inappropriate to a serious history。 Still a good， if brief， overview。 Minor errors but a good historical overviewIona is not in the North Sea！ However， I don't really think the author thinks it is， it's a rhetorical flourish albeit one arguable inappropriate to a serious history。 Still a good， if brief， overview。 。。。more

Nataliya ，

Well， ever since my better half confirmed his Scandinavian roots through the magic of commercial DNA ancestry testing， we figured we’d explore some Vikings related material。 Plus， binging on “The Vikings” TV show - where everyone’s claim to fame seemed to be the status of the son of the ultimate Viking Ragnar Lothbrok — provided a bit more inspiration， and so I got the audio and took the plunge。And it managed to keep my attention throughout。It’s really aimed at a casual reader without much backg Well， ever since my better half confirmed his Scandinavian roots through the magic of commercial DNA ancestry testing， we figured we’d explore some Vikings related material。 Plus， binging on “The Vikings” TV show - where everyone’s claim to fame seemed to be the status of the son of the ultimate Viking Ragnar Lothbrok — provided a bit more inspiration， and so I got the audio and took the plunge。And it managed to keep my attention throughout。It’s really aimed at a casual reader without much background in Vikings history。 It’s easily accessible and actually engaging， easily avoiding the pitfalls of sounding too academically boring， and yet provides quite a volume of material and is quite solid yet readable。 Brownworth focuses more on the raids， expeditions and conquests; we get descriptions of voyages and settlements in Iceland and Greenland and Vinland （“The Explorers”）; raids in France， Ireland， England and the Holy Roman Empire （“The Raiders”）， and get a pretty detailed chapter on the Rus and Viking history in what was ultimately to become Kievan Rus and the relationship with the Byzantine Empire （“The Traders”）， as well as the changes that were happening in the Scandinavian countries at that time （“The Homelands”）。 “There was more than brute force to these sea wolves。 They were makers of law – the term itself comes from an old Norse word – and they introduced a novel form of trial by jury to England。 A century of innovation in shipbuilding climaxed in the great dragon ships， vessels which could cross oceans or sail up fjords and rivers。 This technological achievement， one of the brightest of the age， allowed them to establish a sophisticated trading network stretching from Baghdad to the coast of North America。 But perhaps the greatest Viking trait was not their martial or navigational skills， but their remarkable adaptability。 They had a genius for absorbing whatever local traditions they encountered， combining them into new， and dynamic forms。 In France， these ‘filthiest of God’s creatures’ created the model chivalric state， in Iceland they set up a Republic based on individual rights， and in Russia they became autocratic defenders of Orthodoxy。” It does not go into much detail about actual Viking culture， customs and beliefs — it focuses on the action instead， on the impact that the Vikings have made on European history at that time。 And it seems that their constant menace helped shape Europe quite a bit。It’s a pretty good and certainly engagingly entertaining popular history book， especially if you are a fan of battles and blood， good for a relative newbie in Viking history and is a good stepping stone to addressing things in greater depth。 Not a great choice for academicians or those already well-versed in the history of that time and locales - and since I am neither and appreciate accessibility in writing for that exact reason， it was an enjoyable experience for me， and audio was a great choice。4 stars。 。。。more

Geordiestulovesbks ，

Reads like a novelWell worth reading。 There's alot of information contained in this book。 Loads of history about Vikings yet mostly it reads like a novel。 Definitely worth 5 stars。 Reads like a novelWell worth reading。 There's alot of information contained in this book。 Loads of history about Vikings yet mostly it reads like a novel。 Definitely worth 5 stars。 。。。more

Thomas Verdoorn ，

A wonderful exploration of Viking history， spanning from the first strikes of the feared Northmen at the unprepared European coastlines in the 8th century to the assimilation of the last Vikings into the cultures surrounding them。 Showcasing them in all their brutality and devious ingenuity， the work elucidates fascinating aspects of Viking culture it shifts through the passage of time， gradually growing tame under the influence of more passive neighboring cultures。 Vikings names are supremely f A wonderful exploration of Viking history， spanning from the first strikes of the feared Northmen at the unprepared European coastlines in the 8th century to the assimilation of the last Vikings into the cultures surrounding them。 Showcasing them in all their brutality and devious ingenuity， the work elucidates fascinating aspects of Viking culture it shifts through the passage of time， gradually growing tame under the influence of more passive neighboring cultures。 Vikings names are supremely fantastic。 How could someone with the name Ragnar Lothbrok not be a fearsome and powerful warrior king？ 。。。more

Kaleb Hargrove ，

If you are looking for an easy to comprehend book about Viking history， this is it。 It does focus mainly on the conquering and exploration of the Vikings rather than focusing on their culture as a people， but that was the main part of their culture。 Overall it was entertaining and unloads a good amount of information about the going ons of the ruthless Vikings。

Joseph Allocca ，

Great readThis book was a compelling read。 I have recently become interested in Norse mythology and the culture that surrounded it thanks to the band Amon Amarth and the show Vikings。 This was a great read for someone just beginning to familiarize themselves with the major players of that time period。

Matthew Kennedy ，

Great book， informative and easy to read！ Not to heavy， but lots of detail。

Matt ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 A great book that goes beyond the usual "Vikings raided England" theme。 Loads of information on the history of the northmen， their history， their effect on the spread of Christianity， and their lasting effects on the world we live in today。Definitely recommend of you are interested in learning more about the northmen！ A great book that goes beyond the usual "Vikings raided England" theme。 Loads of information on the history of the northmen， their history， their effect on the spread of Christianity， and their lasting effects on the world we live in today。Definitely recommend of you are interested in learning more about the northmen！ 。。。more

Patrice Voss ，

The book provides a fairly compact and entertaining account of the Viking Age， which spanned a 200-year timeframe from the late 8th century to the mid 11th century。 It details their historical pervasiveness and the profound impact of the Vikings on future history across vast portions of the world map （most of Europe， North Africa， North America）。

Justin Tan ，

Great read！Very enjoyable。 Although a little brief， it felt comprehensive and I learned many new things！ Well worth your time and attention。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Sea Wolves: A History of the Vikings

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Sea Wolves: A History of the Vikings&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Sea Wolves: A History of the Vikings&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0