Everything You Think You Know About Vikings Is Wrong — Martyn Whittock - #69

Martyn Whittock is a historian, author, and former educator with over 35 years of teaching medieval history, and the author of American Vikings and Vikings in the East.What was a Viking? Not a people, a nation, or a religion — but a job description. The Norse exploded out of Scandinavia for three centuries, raiding from Lindisfarne to Baghdad, yet within two generations almost everywhere they landed, they became the locals. So what actually triggered the Viking Age, why did the most feared warriors in history convert to Christianity so fast, and what did a Danish conquest in 1016 have to do with the Norman invasion of 1066?Expect to learn why "Viking" described what you did rather than who you were, what an 8th-century Islamic silver famine had to do with the sack of Lindisfarne, why everything we think we know about Norse religion was written by a 13th-century Christian, why the Blood Eagle almost certainly never happened, how the Great Heathen Army stopped going home and changed England forever, why 1016 matters more than 1066, and much more…-Save hundreds on the best saunas on the market: HERE (use code MERRILL)Save on an amazing cold plunge: HERE (use code MERRILL)-Thank You For Listening To The Chase Merrill Podcast-Get in touch in the comments below or head: HERE-Martyn's Instagram: HERE-0:00 What Is a Viking, Actually?4:23 What Triggered the Viking Age9:39 Why Silver Ruled the Viking World11:41 Lindisfarne: The 9/11 of the Viking Age21:27 The Longship Advantage28:28 Valhalla and the Will to Fight31:04 Everything We Know About Norse Religion Is Wrong37:28 Why Vikings Converted in One Generation43:51 The Blood Eagle and the Berserkers50:06 The Great Heathen Army1:02:06 120 Longships on Paris1:05:40 Ragnar Lothbrok: Real or Legend?1:10:58 Cnut: The Invasion Everyone Forgot1:32:21 Vikings in America1:37:10 Closing Questions