Show 69 - Twilight of the Aesir
Jan 15, 2023•5 hr 11 min•Ep. 69
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Summary
Picking up from the Thor's Angels episode, this episode explores the later Viking Age, focusing on the period when Viking raids intensified and shifted towards conquest and settlement across Europe. It examines the complex root causes behind the Viking explosion, from Frankish expansion and Carolingian decline to economic incentives and technological advancements in shipbuilding. The narrative follows the devastating impact of Viking attacks, the development of defensive strategies like fortified bridges and feudalism, and introduces the Vikings of the East (the Rus), highlighting the contrasting experiences in Western and Eastern Europe and setting the stage for the major conflicts and cultural shifts of the 9th century.Episode description
This show picks up where Dan's Thor's Angels show left off. In the early Middle Ages Pagan Germanic-language speakers like the Vikings are a dying breed. Many of their contemporaries wish they'd die faster.
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