BY TOPWAR STAFF
Something about Vikings
For almost two and a half centuries, the so-called. “Viking Age” (VIII-XI centuries), people from Scandinavia played a dominant role in many significant and dramatic events that took place at that time on the entire European continent. They invaded all the territories that were within the reach of their “dragon” ships, and everywhere the consequences of their presence persisted for a long, long time …
The lands of Scandinavia, unsuitable for farming, and its harsh northern climate simply did not allow the local population to adequately exist due to agricultural cultivation of the land and fishing, therefore, starting from the middle of the XNUMXth century, many inhabitants of Scandinavia, in search of easy military prey and a better life, set off on their ships plunder the coastal regions of Europe and populate new lands.
X-XI centuries is an exceptionally interesting and very important period in stories Southern Italy, characterized by a very complex and intricate system of relationships between various ethnic, religious and social groups and the confrontation of all against all – Byzantium, the papacy, the remnants of the once strong Lombard “kingdom”, Muslims, Franks and the Normans beginning to appear in this region.
In addition, by this time a strong foundation for the power of the Roman popes had already been laid – a circumstance that played a significant role in the medieval history not only of Italy, but of the whole of Western Europe in general.
By the middle of the XNUMXth century, having settled Iceland, Greenland, having captured Normandy from the French king, and the north-eastern part of England from the Anglo-Saxons (Denlo*) and even reaching the American Newfoundland, indomitable Scandinavian passionaries turned their attention to the fertile and flourishing South Italy. That’s where hundreds of landless adventurers-northerners were drawn…
