Society, Law, Gender And Slavery Flashcards
Why is there a lack of knowledge about Viking society?
This is due to a lack of written sources.
What contemporary society did Scandinavia possibly have similarities too?
Anglo-Saxon.
What kept Viking communities together?
A common judicial system.
What was the typical landscape for judicial focal sites?
Mounds/hills suitable for assemblies
What was the purpose of judicial focal sites?
Places people met for legal discussion.
What type of social structure did Vikings live in?
Not entirely sure, could be a egalitarian peasant society or a hierarchical one.
Is it fully known who constructed the assemblies and led them?
No.
When do the earliest written Scandinavian laws come from?
Late Middle Ages.
What Icelandic saga chronicles a Thing meeting?
Heinskringla.
What issues may be taken from the Heinskringla account of the Thing meeting?
It is not contemporary.
What evidence give certainty to the existence of Thing sites?
Ballsta Rune, outside Stockholm.
As well as runic evidence, how else may thing sites be discovered?
Through archaeological excavation.
Give one example of a Thing site discovered using archaeological investigation.
Reykjavik.
What piece of indisputable evidence tells of Viking law?
The Forsa Rune Ring
Where is the Forsa Rune Ring located?
Hanging on the door of a parish church just outside Stockholm.
When was the Forsa Rune Ring first recorded?
1599
What laws does the Forsa Rune Ring talk of?
Ecclesiastical law regulating tithes and the protection afforded by asylum.
When does the Forsa Rune Ring originate from.
9th century, making it the oldest law rules in Scandinavia.
Viking society is alternatively believed to be a pyramidal structure. What order is this?
King
Skilled labourers
Serfs
Slaves
What dramatic change led to the complete upheaval of Viking society?
Change in religion from Paganism to Christianity.
What class/title were the great landowners?
Jarls/Earls
What trade occupied the middle classes?
Farmers/traders/merchants.
Women in Viking society were subordinate to men, true or false?
True.
Was it possible to married women to obtain power?
Yes, but very difficult has they had no formal right to political action.
Who gives great insight into Viking marriage and when?
Snorri Sturlson, 13th century.
Has the view of women in the Viking age mostly been the same?
No, currently undergoing large reassessment.
What could widows do that wives couldn’t?
Hold property, bring cases to law and put up runestones.
When did Viking society stop being viewed as entirely egalitarian?
The 1960’s.
What are the largest estimates of the population belonged to the Slaving class?
~25%
What defines a slave?
No family, no legal rights and no societal context. Purely viewed as a tool.
Why is the picture of slaves painted by contemporary literature not to be trusted?
Filled with cliches and stereotypes.
What are the origins of the Scandinavia word ‘slave’?
Comes from foreigner eg ‘Slav’
Were all Viking captives to become slaves?
No, many were ransomed or sold perhaps resulting in a smaller slave population than believed.
What origin does many of the slaves mentioned in the sagas have?
Irish.
What funerary evidence is there for slavery?
Double graves
What material evidence is there for slavery?
Excavations at Winchester discovered shackles from the 11th century.
