Disir
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- Sep 30, 2011
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The year 793 is normally seen by scholars as the dawn of the “Viking Age” in Europe, a time of wide-ranging pillaging, conquest and empire-building by the fierce warriors of the north.
The turning point came on 8 June of that year when the Vikings launched an attack on the wealthy and unprotected monastery-island of Lindisfarne. Though it was not technically the first raid on the British Isles (that had taken place in 787), it marked the first time the northmen had sent shivers of fear throughout the Kingdom of Northumbria, England and wider Europe.
...In 793, however, none of this was known to the inhabitants of Lindisfarne Island, where a priory founded by the Irish Saint Aiden had existed peacefully since 634. By the time of the raid, it was the centre of Christianity in Northumbria, and a rich and widely-visited site.
The fact that the Vikings chose to attack Lindisfarne demonstrates either extraordinary luck or surprisingly good information and careful planning. Not only was it stuffed with riches used in the religious ceremonies, but it was almost completely undefended and far enough off the coast to ensure that it would be easy prey for seaborne attackers before any help could arrive.
Even if the Vikings had enjoyed prior information about Lindisfarne, the raiders must have been amazed at such rich and easy pickings.
What happened next is predictable and probably best-described by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle – a collection of annals created in the late 9th century that chronicled the history of the Anglo-Saxons:
What Was the Significance of the Viking Attack on Lindisfarne? | History Hit
I'd bet on good information.
The turning point came on 8 June of that year when the Vikings launched an attack on the wealthy and unprotected monastery-island of Lindisfarne. Though it was not technically the first raid on the British Isles (that had taken place in 787), it marked the first time the northmen had sent shivers of fear throughout the Kingdom of Northumbria, England and wider Europe.
...In 793, however, none of this was known to the inhabitants of Lindisfarne Island, where a priory founded by the Irish Saint Aiden had existed peacefully since 634. By the time of the raid, it was the centre of Christianity in Northumbria, and a rich and widely-visited site.
The fact that the Vikings chose to attack Lindisfarne demonstrates either extraordinary luck or surprisingly good information and careful planning. Not only was it stuffed with riches used in the religious ceremonies, but it was almost completely undefended and far enough off the coast to ensure that it would be easy prey for seaborne attackers before any help could arrive.
Even if the Vikings had enjoyed prior information about Lindisfarne, the raiders must have been amazed at such rich and easy pickings.
What happened next is predictable and probably best-described by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle – a collection of annals created in the late 9th century that chronicled the history of the Anglo-Saxons:
What Was the Significance of the Viking Attack on Lindisfarne? | History Hit
I'd bet on good information.
