Essay
40/40 A* OCR History NEA
This is the NEA coursework which I submitted as part of my OCR History A-Level. This coursework achieved 40/40 marks. It is organised with numbered pages, as well as a full bibliography at the end.
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Candidate Number - 9366Class - 13D
1
, Candidate Number - 9366
How valid is the judgement that the Vikings were a solely
barbaric civilisation from the years 750 to 1200?
Driven by accounts from Christans and Muslims, until less than one hundred years
ago the Vikings have been known as barbaric and uncivilised. Their reputation has
been tarnished by depictions of heathens and raiders from contemporary accounts in
Europe, along with accounts from the Muslim world depicting Vikings as the ‘filthiest
of god's creatures’1 when, in reality, this is little more than an oversimplification when
other aspects of Viking culture are considered. Despite this, many historians such as
Ian Stephenson and John Haywood still seek to underpin the argument of Vikings as
barbarians, justifying this view with the wide array of evidence of the Vikings as
raiders, attacking monasteries and European settlements and evidence of this
raiding culture cannot be dismissed. Lindisfarne has been documented all over the
Christian world as an act of barbarism and other Christian accounts suggest similar
raids all over Europe. Moreover, slavery is another area of Viking culture which
contributes to their barbaric reputation. Neil Oliver recognises the importance of
evidence, such as Islamic accounts of Viking brutality with slaves and Thomas
Williams even goes as far as to suggest similarities between the Viking’s slave trade
and that of the British Empire in Africa, supported by evidence such as shackles
found in Birka. Although historians such as Cat Jarman do provide an alternative
argument, suggesting that Vikings were considerate to their slaves, ultimately the
evidence put forward by Neil Oliver and Thomas Williams cannot be ignored and it is
clear to see that the Vikings were, at least partly, barbaric.
Although the evidence of the Vikings as barbaric is compelling, evidence of Viking
trade is significant, suggesting the Vikings were not solely barbaric. Examples of this
evidence include an array of Dirhams located in Sweden and, paired with this, a
combined weighting system, definitive proof that Viking culture was intertwined with
Islamic culture. Neil Oliver takes a different stance on this issue, recognising the
importance of evidence such as the Dirhams in Sweden and Dagfinn Skre comments
on Islamic accounts which suggest trade was an integrated aspect of Viking culture.
1
Ibn Fadlan, ‘Risala: Ibn Fadlan's Account of the Rus’, 921 CE. Accessed on 07/03/2023 at
http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/ibn_fdln.shtml
2
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