What was the Viking slave trade?
What was the Viking slave trade?
The Vikings kept some slaves as servants and sold most captives in the Byzantine or Islamic markets. The slave trade was one of the pillars of the Norse economy during the 6th through 11th centuries.
How did Viking slaves become slaves?
They acquired slaves primarily on their expeditions to Eastern Europe and the British Isles. They could also obtain Viking slaves at home, as crimes like murder and thievery were punished with slavery. For example, a woman who stole could be punished by being forced to become her victim’s slave.
Where was the center of slave trade during the Viking Age?
Dublin
In Northwestern Europe it is likely that Viking Age Dublin became the center of the Slave trade, with one account from the Fragmentary Annals describing Vikings bringing “Blue Men” back from raids in the south as slaves.
Are Swedes Vikings?
The Vikings originated in what is now Denmark, Norway and Sweden (although centuries before they became unified countries). Their homeland was overwhelmingly rural, with almost no towns. The vast majority earned a meagre living through agriculture, or along the coast, by fishing.
Did the Vikings trade with Africa?
There is no evidence of vikings trading with African societies. Their trade routes was mainly towards the east, along the rivers of what is today Russia.
Where did Viking slaves come from?
Many of these slaves came from the British Isles and Eastern Europe. In one historical account of Viking-era slavery, an early-medieval Irish chronicle known as The Annals of Ulster, described a Viking raid near Dublin in A.D. 821, in which “they carried off a great number of women into captivity.”
Where did the Viking trade?
The Vikings traded all over Europe and as far east as Central Asia. They bought goods and materials such as silver, silk, spices, wine, jewellery, glass and pottery. In return, they sold items like honey, tin, wheat, wool, wood, iron, fur, leather, fish and walrus ivory.
Where did Vikings get their slaves?
Are Swedes descended from Vikings?
Along with the other North Germanic languages, Swedish is a descendant of Old Norse, the common language of the Germanic peoples living in Scandinavia during the Viking Era. It is the largest of the North Germanic languages by numbers of speakers.
Who did the Vikings trade with?
Viking ships reached Britain, France, Spain, Italy and North Africa. Traders made long journeys overland through Russia, reaching as far south as Constantinople in modern-day Turkey. Some merchants travelled further east to Baghdad in Iraq.