The Conversion of Scandinavia by Anders Winroth. As of 2025, Anders Winroth is a professor of medieval history at the University of Oslo. Previously, he held a similar position at Yale University.
I have read and reviewed his other book, The Age of the Vikings, which, interestingly, was published after the book I am reviewing today.
One key insight from this book is how different the concept of “Europe” was in the 9th century. The continent was fragmented into numerous small kingdoms and states, while Scandinavia itself was a distinct and separate world. People in continental Europe often viewed the Scandinavians as uncivilized people and without christian beliefs.
In this book, Winroth explains how and why the Vikings and other Norse groups converted to Christianity. By the late 8th century, before the Vikings began raiding Europe and the British Isles, Christianity had already become the dominant religion among the most powerful rulers of the continent. To many Europeans at the time, the northern peoples were seen as heathens, fierce but pagan outsiders.
Despite their fearsome reputation, Viking society was highly fragmented, consisting of numerous competing chieftains. Many rulers did not hold power for long, as they were often overthrown or killed by rivals seeking to expand their influence.
While Viking raids on England and mainland Europe were frequent in the 9th century, European rulers gradually became more effective at defending their territories. In response, Vikings began forming alliances with local kings. A common arrangement involved a European ruler offering military support to a Viking chieftain in exchange for the latter’s conversion to Christianity. As these chieftains adopted the new faith, their followers in Viking settlements gradually did the same.
Violence played a crucial role in shaping Viking history. Svein Forkbeard, a Viking ruler, conquered England but died shortly afterward. His son, Cnut the Great, went on to rule England, Denmark, Norway, and parts of Sweden by around 1035.
Another fascinating story is that of Erik the Red, a Norwegian Viking who fled to Iceland, where he married and settled. However, after committing several murders, he was outlawed and forced to leave. He then sailed to Greenland, where he established a successful settlement. His son, Leif Erikson, is believed to have been the first European to reach North America. He attempted to establish a settlement in present-day Canada, but frequent conflicts with the Indigenous inhabitants forced the Vikings to abandon the effort and return to Greenland.
One challenge in studying Viking history is that the Norse were not as skilled in writing as medieval French, Romans, or Greeks. Much of what we know comes from sagas, which tend to be exaggerated. Therefore, historians rely heavily on archaeology to verify historical accounts. For example, excavations at a Viking site in Canada have uncovered numerous Indigenous arrowheads, suggesting conflicts between the Norse and Native Americans.
A key takeaway from this book is that early medieval Scandinavian literature glorifies raiding and war booty. Success in battle was celebrated, and warriors were praised for distributing their spoils among their allies. However, moral perspectives have changed significantly over time. This highlights the importance of supplementing historical records with archaeological evidence to gain a more accurate understanding of the past.