Viking Empires, first published in 2005, is a definitive global history of the Viking World.

Viking Empires is a definitive new history of five hundred years of Viking civilization and the first study of the global implications of the expansion, integration, and reorientation of the Viking World. From the first contact in the 790s, the book traces the political, military, social, cultural and religious history of the Viking Age from Iceland to Lithuania. The authors show that it is no longer possible to understand the history of the Norman Conquest, the successes of David I of Scotland, or German settlement in Poland, Prussia and the Baltic States without integrating the internal history of Scandinavia. The book concludes with a new account of the end of the Viking era, arguing that there was no sudden decline but only the gradual absorption of the Scandinavian kingdoms into the larger project of the crusades and a refocusing of imperial ambitions on the Baltic States and Eastern Europe. The authors, experts in Scottish history, medieval studies, and law, have taught a course on Viking history to undergraduates at the University of Aberdeen for a number of years. Annotation. This definitive new global history of the Viking world offers a groundbreaking work on the Viking Age--from North America to the Baltic States.

This book studies two Viking families who appear in the records of the Atlantic littoral as pagan raiders and reinvent themselves as established Christian rulers.

Empires and Barbarians presents a fresh, provocative look at how a recognizable Europe came into being in the first millennium AD. With sharp analytic insight, Peter Heather explores the dynamics of migration and social and economic interaction that changed two vastly different worlds--the undeveloped barbarian world and the sophisticated Roman Empire--into remarkably similar societies and states. The book's vivid narrative begins at the time of Christ, when the Mediterranean circle, newly united under the Romans, hosted a politically sophisticated, economically advanced, and culturally developed civilization--one with philosophy, banking, professional armies, literature, stunning architecture, even garbage collection. The rest of Europe, meanwhile, was home to subsistence farmers living in small groups, dominated largely by Germanic speakers. Although having some iron tools and weapons, these mostly illiterate peoples worked mainly in wood and never built in stone. The farther east one went, the simpler it became: fewer iron tools and ever less productive economies. And yet ten centuries later, from the Atlantic to the Urals, the European world had turned. Slavic speakers had largely superseded Germanic speakers in central and Eastern Europe, literacy was growing, Christianity had spread, and most fundamentally, Mediterranean supremacy was broken. Bringing the whole of first millennium European history together, and challenging current arguments that migration played but a tiny role in this unfolding narrative, Empires and Barbarians views the destruction of the ancient world order in light of modern migration and globalization patterns.

'In this fascinating, panoramic account, Levi Roach brings an expert eye and page-turning energy to the telling of their extraordinary story' Helen Castor, bestselling author of She Wolves 'A fresh retelling of the story of the Normans . . . written with enthusiasm and brio' Marc Morris, bestselling author of The Anglo-Saxons How did descendants of Viking marauders come to dominate Europe, the Mediterranean and the Middle East? It is a tale of ambitious adventures and fierce freebooters, of fortunes made and fortunes lost. The Normans made their influence felt across all of western Europe and the Mediterranean, from the British Isles to North Africa, and Lisbon to the Holy Land. In Empires of the Normans we discover how they combined military might and political savvy with deeply held religious beliefs and a profound sense of their own destiny. For a century and a half, they remade Europe in their own image, and yet their heritage was quickly forgotten - until now.

If the Viking Wars had not taken place, would there have been a united England in the tenth century? Martyn Whittock believes not, arguing that without them there would have been no rise of the Godwin family and their conflict with Edward the Confessor, no Norman connection, no Norman Conquest and no Domesday Book. All of these features of English history were the products, or by-products, of these conflicts and the threat of Scandinavian attack. The wars and responses to them accelerated economic growth; stimulated state formation and an assertive sense of an English national identity; created a hybrid Anglo-Scandinavian culture that spread beyond the so-called Danelaw; and caused an upheaval in the ruling elite. By looking at the entire period of the wars and by taking a holistic view of their political, economic, social and cultural effects, their many-layered impact can at last be properly assessed.

Create a stimulating, well-paced teaching route through the 2016 GCSE History specification using this tailor-made series that draws on a legacy of market-leading history textbooks and the individual subject specialisms of the author team to inspire student success. - Motivate your students to deepen their subject knowledge through an engaging and thought-provoking narrative that makes historical concepts accessible and interesting to today's learners - Embed progressive skills development in every lesson with carefully designed Focus Tasks that encourage students to question, analyse and interpret key topics - Take students' historical understanding to the next level by using a wealth of original contemporary source material to encourage wider reflection on different periods - Help your students achieve their potential at GCSE with revision tips and practice questions geared towards the changed assessment model, plus useful advice to aid exam preparation - Confidently navigate the new AQA specification using the expert insight of experienced authors and teachers with examining experience

Exam board: AQA Level: GCSE Subject: History First teaching: September 2016 First exams: Summer 2018 Target success in AQA GCSE (9-1) History with this proven formula for effective, structured revision. Key content coverage is combined with exam-style questions, revision tasks and practical tips to create a revision guide that students can rely on to review, strengthen and test their knowledge. With My Revision Notes every student can: - Plan and manage a successful revision programme using the topic-by-topic planner - Enjoy an interactive approach to revision, with clear topic summaries that consolidate knowledge and related activities that put the content into context - Build, practise and enhance exam skills by progressing through revision tasks and Test Yourself activities - Improve exam technique through exam-style questions and sample answers with commentary from expert authors and teachers - Get exam ready with extra quick quizzes and answers to the activities available online This revision guide covers the thematic study 'Britain: Migration, empires and the people: c790 to the present day' (Paper 2, option AC).

Most information about medieval life comes from the records of the church courts of the province of York, which date from the 14th century. This work investigates cases involving a range of disputes, including sex, consent and violence.

“Skeie’s account of ruthless conflict, political intrigue, and diplomatic machinations reads like a real-life Game of Thrones—without the dragons. Medieval history buffs will be riveted.” --Publishers Weekly Thrilling history provides a new perspective on the Viking-Anglo Saxon conflicts and brings the bloody period vividly to life, perfect for fans of Dan Jones The first major book on Vikings by a Scandinavian author to be published in English, The Wolf Age reframes the struggle for a North Sea empire and puts readers in the mindset of Vikings, providing new insight into their goals, values, and what they chose to live and die for. Tore Skeie ("Norway's Most Important Young Historian") takes readers on a thrilling journey through the bloody shared history of England and Scandinavia, and on across early medieval Europe, from the wild Norwegian fjords to the wealthy cities of Muslim Andalusia. Warfare, plotting, backstabbing and bribery abound as Skeie skillfully weaves sagas and skaldic poetry with breathless dramatization as he entertainingly brings the world of the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons to vivid life. In the eleventh century, the rulers of the lands surrounding the North Sea are all hungry for power. To get power they need soldiers, to get soldiers they need silver, and to get silver there is no better way than war and plunder. This vicious cycle draws all the lands of the north into a brutal struggle for supremacy and survival that will shatter kingdoms and forge an empire…