The Viking Pirates

Pirates have a long and fascinating history, stretching back thousands of years.

In fact, long before we came up with the word “pirate” ancient civilizations were already struggling with seaborne raiders who plundered ships and coastal settlements.

The Mediterranean Pirates

For example, in the Mediterranean, both Greek and Roman ships were frequently harassed by early-day pirates. These raiders were a constant threat to ancient maritime and coastal communities. The Greeks regularly faced many groups, such as the Illyrians, who were active along the eastern Adriatic coast. They were well-known for their daring raids and speedy ships, allowing them to strike and then retreat very quickly.

As the Roman Empire expanded along the Mediterranean, piracy became an even greater problem. Their merchants and naval ships were regularly confronted by pirates coming from areas such as Cilicia, which is along the southern coast of Turkey. They disrupted vital trade routes across the Mediterranean, attacking merchant vessels, stealing valuable cargo, and taking wealthy passengers’ hostage for large ransoms.

The situation became so serious that in 67 BC, the Roman Senate granted General Pompey extraordinary powers to rid the seas of pirates.  He did! With a remarkably swift campaign, he cleared much of the Mediterranean of pirate activity in just a few months.  However, only for a few months, inevitably, despite his efforts, piracy soon returned and continued as an ever-present danger.

But, The Vikings!

There is no doubt that the most formidable and successful pirates in history, were the Vikings.

They were increasingly successful seafaring warriors who came from Scandinavia, the countries we now call Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.  Many historians have argued that they have to be considered as the most effective pirates of all time. From around 700 AD to roughly 1100 AD, the Vikings launched raids across vast areas of Europe’s seas, these included the British Isles, the Frankish Empire, even parts of Eastern Europe and, of course, Russia. They were very effective and dangerous, as they didn’t just loot and pillage coastal settlements; they sailed deeper inland along the rivers, where they attacked towns and monasteries, most of the time with ruthless efficiency.

It wasn’t just their ferocity in battle that made the Vikings so successful, but that they also had exceptional skills in shipbuilding and navigation. Their longships, had shallow drafts, they were able to sail in the open seas while at the same time they could navigate shallow rivers, this gave them unmatched flexibility along with the element of surprise.

The interesting thing is that over time some of these Viking pirates, changed and decided that they liked the lands they were raiding and became settlers and rulers.

An example of this is the Duchy of Normandy in France, did you know that William the Conqueror was actually a Viking?

Erik the Red

They didn’t just stay in the North Sea, no, they went further, the more daring ones went all the way across the North Atlantic Ocean and created settlements.

We know of Erik Thorvaldsson, an explorer, known as Erik the Red, who we understand is meant to have created the first settlement in Greenland. He was “Eric the Red” because of his red hair and beard. His journey took him all the way from the Jæren, a district of Rogaland, Norway, across the Atlantic to Greenland, where he created a settlement.

Leif the Lucky

Eric’s son was Leif Erikson, called “Leif the Lucky”, who went further, all because the villagers thought him the unluckiest man in the village, so to prove that he wasn’t, he went exploring himself, well, with his crew.

He had heard a story of an unknown land, from a merchant whose ship had been blown off course during a storm.  Leif with his crew set off to find this unknown island. Well, it didn’t take long, and they sighted land. They found wild grapes growing there which is why they called it Vinland.  Actually, they had reached an island just off Newfoundland.  This, we know because on the most Northerly tip on the island St Pierre and Miquelon, just off the coast of Newfoundland is L’Anse aux Meadows, an archaeological site. Archaeologists have learnt that here there was a Norse settlement dating back to the 10th Century, it has now been designated as a World Heritage Site.

However, Leif saw no future in North America, so he left!

This was also because it appears he didn’t get on with the local North American Indians (known as Skraelings).  I don’t think he ever fully realised the size of the landmass as he saw no future in it, so he left North America.

Therefore, he is still called Leif the Lucky. Was it because he found North America or because he left it, as no one went back for nearly 500 years?

Conclusion

In both ancient and medieval times, piracy was not just a nuisance, it actually shaped history. Among all pirates, the Vikings stand out as some of the most impactful and enduring.

In both ancient and medieval times, piracy was not just a nuisance, it shaped history, and among all pirates, the Vikings stand out as some of the most powerful and lasting.

Our sister site Educational Musicals have publshed a musical “The Lucky Viking” is a fictional musical for KS2 pupils to perform about Leif’s adventure.

You can download it at The Lucky Viking

Isn’t History fun?

Ten questions to discuss:

1. What evidence is there that piracy existed before the word “pirate” was even invented?
2. Who were the Illyrians, and why were they considered a threat to Greek ships?
3. Why did piracy become a bigger problem for the Romans as their empire expanded?
4. What actions did the Roman general Pompey take to combat piracy, and were they successful in the long term?
5. In what ways did the Vikings differ from earlier Mediterranean pirates?
6. What features of Viking longships gave them a significant advantage in their raids?
7. How did some Viking pirates transition from raiders to rulers, and what example does the blog provide of this transformation?
8. Who was Erik the Red, and what notable journey did he undertake?
9. What motivated Leif Erikson to go exploring, and what did he discover on his voyage?
10. Why might Leif Erikson be called “Leif the Lucky,” and how does the blog suggest different interpretations of that nickname?

Other interesting sites:

http://www.thewayofthepirates.com/types-of-pirates/viking-pirates/

© Tony Dalton