Viking Age (793–1066)
The Viking Age is the era that anchored Norway in world history. Between 793 (raid on the Lindisfarne monastery in northern England) and 1066 (Battle of Stamford Bridge), Norwegian Vikings were the most feared seafarers and warriors in Europe — but also traders, explorers, and settlers.
Norwegian Vikings primarily traveled westward (unlike the Swedish Varangians, who went east):
- Ireland & Scotland: Founding of Dublin (841), settlement of the Orkney and Shetland Islands
- Iceland: Settled from 874 by Norwegian emigrants, founding of the Althing (930) — the world's oldest parliament
- Greenland: Erik the Red founded settlements on the southwest coast around 985
- North America: Leif Eriksson reached North America (Vinland) around the year 1000 as the first European — almost 500 years before Columbus. The archaeological site L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland confirms this.
The Vikings were by no means just raiders. They were excellent shipbuilders — the three Viking ships in the Oslo Vikingskipshuset (Oseberg ship, Gokstad ship, Tune ship) testify to craftsmanship unmatched in Europe. They were traders (furs, walrus ivory, slaves), lawmakers (Thing assemblies), and storytellers (sagas).
Harald Hårfagre (Harald Fairhair) is considered the first king of a united Norway after the Battle of Hafrsfjord near Stavanger (circa 872). Olav Haraldsson (Olav the Holy, reigned 1015–1028) Christianized Norway and became a national saint after his death in the Battle of Stiklestad (1030) — his grave in the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim remains a pilgrimage site to this day.
