Lecture 35: By 1100, the Viking Age had passed, and the Scandinavians would not play a decisive role in European history again until the Reformation. Norway was rocked by dynastic wars during the 11th century, until the kingdom achieved peace and pr…
Lecture 35: By 1100, the Viking Age had passed, and the Scandinavians would not play a decisive role in European history again until the Reformation. Norway was rocked by dynastic wars during the 11th century, until the kingdom achieved peace and prosperity under King Hakon IV (r. 1217–1263. Hakon created the royal institutions that transformed Norway into the most effective of the northern kingdoms, and he extended royal authority over the far-flung Norse colonies in the Atlantic. In contrast, Valdemar I (r. 1157–1182) and his heirs sought to transform Denmark into a Baltic power by crusading against Slavic and Baltic pagans.
Because the Valdemarian kings lacked manpower and shipping facilities, they recruited German burghers, knights, and peasants in their efforts. The defeat of Valdemar II at the Battle of Bornhöved (1227) lost Valdemar II (r. 1202–1241) his Baltic conquests and plunged the monarchy into civil war and fiscal crisis. Thereafter, Danish kings depended on German knights and the Hanseatic League. Swedish kings with Eric XI (r. 1222–1250) sought to extend their power by waging crusades against the Finns and Russians. But Swedish kings were checked by powerful jarls and a large landed class. On the eve of the Black Death (1347–1351), all three Scandinavian kingdoms shared similar fiscal and institutional weaknesses.
Suggested Reading:
K. Helle. “The Norwegian Kingdom: Succession Disputes and Consolidation.” In The Cambridge History of Scandinavia, vol. I, Prehistory to 1520. Edited by K. Helle. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003, pp. 369–391.
Herman Schück. “Sweden under the Dynasty of the Folkungar.” In The Cambridge History of Scandinavia, vol. I, Prehistory to 1520. Edited by K. Helle. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003, pp. 392–410.
I. Skovgaad-Petersen. “The Danish Kingdom: Consolidation and Disintegration.” In The Cambridge History of Scandinavia, vol. I, Prehistory to 1520. Edited by K. Helle. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003, pp. 352–368.
Lecture 36: https://www.bitchute.com/video/3A8XIWhmczAz/
