The start of the Viking Age: Why the Vikings began terrorizing Europe | Lars Brownworth

The Viking Age emerged from two primary factors according to Brownworth: overpopulation in Scandinavia where 'the fertility of Viking women outstripped the fertility of Viking land,' and technological breakthroughs including the development of the keel for ships. The timing coincided with Charlemagne's consolidation of a vast empire resembling the Western Roman Empire, crowned in 800 AD, which created a wealthy but poorly defended target. Charlemagne's empire was sprawling with terrible communication, making it 'wealthy and weak' - attracting Viking predators. The Frankish expansion north, particularly the crushing of the Saxons, may have removed a buffer zone and put pressure on Danish areas, contributing to early Viking eruptions. Initial Viking raids were largely reconnaissance missions to test defenses and assess wealth. Successful raids like Ragnar Lothbrok's sacking of Paris in 845 became templates that provoked waves of copycat attacks throughout the 860s. The Vikings strategically switched targets between France and England as each became exhausted or conquered. European rulers' responses often backfired spectacularly, as demonstrated by Ethelred the Unready of England, who paid 7.5 million silver pennies in a single year - equivalent to 48,000 pounds of silver - to make Vikings go away. This appeasement strategy only attracted more raiders, and throughout his reign, Ethelred paid approximately 20 tons of gold and silver in tribute, demonstrating how paying Viking raiders was like paying muggers - it only brought more of them.