HISTORY OF THE VIKINGS IN SPAIN AND THEIR HERITAGE

The history of the Vikings in Spain and their heritage dates back to the years 844, when they arrived with their quantities of ships and men, to wreak havoc on their territories and inhabitants of the different cities of the Iberian Peninsula.

Vikings in Spain

The Iberian Peninsula, found itself involved in clashes between Christians and Muslims, was an ideal territory for this class of pirates. During the passage of time, certain actions occurred, where the Scandinavians devastated many important territories of current Spain.

The first arrival of the Vikings to Spain is cited in the year 844, when Arab chroniclers mention that they surrounded their ships on the coasts like “red-and-black seabirds.”

In the story captured in the 12th century Los Annales Complutenses, they tell about an invasion near Gijón with Vikings who came in 54 boats and who then climbed the nearby Arousa estuary, which is the largest estuary in Galicia.

Later, Ramiro I of Asturias dominated them in Coruña. From then on, the expedition attacked cities such as Lisbon, Cádiz and Seville, all under the rule of the Umayyads of the Arab lineage that was in Córdoba.

They say that in the year 858, after stripping Algeciras, Orihuelas and the Balearic Islands, they established a winter platform in the Camargue, a territory in French Provence that is located in the south of France, where the Arles robbery began and Nimes, and moved via the Ebro River, its streams, to attack Pamplona, trapping King García I Íñiguez as a prisoner, who was released once they paid a significant sum for his release.

It tells the story about Compostela, which was recorded in its writings between the years 1107 and 1149, maintaining that in the year 968 they arrived in Galicia.

The reasons for their arrival are said to be due to mistakes committed that caused people from the Normans to disembark in these territories, devastating the temple of Santa Eulalia de Curtis, and others in the region; His religious were imprisoned and killed with swords; so the fire destroyed the writings, and the stones themselves ended up consumed by the flames.

During that year, the Fornelos conflict occurred, where the bishop of Santiago, named Sisnando Menéndez, was defeated and murdered, allowing the assailants to remain free to continue plundering the territory.

According to the French historian Dudon de Saint-Quentin, they devastated eighteen communities, while that year they remained in Galician spaces, until Gonzalo Sánchez dominated them, murdering their leader named Gundræd, Gunderedo, who had arrived with a hundred boats and eight thousand gladiator men, especially to attack Jakobsland, better known as the land of Santiago.

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However, the writings differ between eight and four attacks by the Vikings on the peninsula. After raiding the entire northern coast of Europe, including the British Isles, approximately eight hundred and forty-three Vikings were founded in the French city of Bayonne, later they continued south.

The Spanish historian and politician, known as Claudio Sánchez Albornoz, tells about the Complete History of Ali ibn al-Athir, where he points out a fight against some al-magnus, who temporarily built a base on the peninsula itself, in the Guetaria-Mundaca territory. . Likewise, he states that they are pagans in general and not especially Vikings.

Then, the Vikings carried out another attack on the peninsula, at the end of the 10th century, they attacked Lisbon again, and Santiago de Compostela. Other writers fragment the Viking presence into three phases, namely:

A period of direct transcendence, with the purpose of seeking information and the marketing of slaves. A second period that is divided into two repeated phases of excursions during the 9th centuries; in Muslim Spain; X and XI Christian Spain. A third period of settlements.

Spain in the Viking Age

After giving a brief summary of the Vikings in Spain, we will talk about the Viking era in this peninsula, which took place between the 9th and 10th centuries. At that time, Spain was divided between Al-Andalus and the legendary Christian kingdoms.

In the beginning, the Nordics identified the crowns of Asturias and Pamplona, as well as the Hispanic seal, as the space for the Empire and its Carolingian dynasty.

In subsequent attacks, they found themselves together with the Kingdom of León. It is important to highlight that more than a century passed between the first battle that arose by the Vikings in Spain and the last one. The state of the peninsula did not have many changes, in the last Islamic refuge, the Kingdom of Granada, it did not cease until the end of the 15th century.

Viking raids in Spain

As mentioned in a previous fragment, the Viking raids in Spain can be fragmented into three concentrations, which are described below:

Bordering the Atlantic coast

The first Scandinavian group that arrived in Spanish territory occurred in the year 844. It was an attack on the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula and then a concentration along the Guadalquivir River. A huge Viking troop that had carried out an invasion along the Garonne River in southern France ended up on the Cantabrian coast after a great storm.

For August 1, a gigantic armada made up of a large number of Viking ships is visualized on the coast of Gijón. Scandinavian men descend to grab water and leave without causing problems. Then, after a few days, the Nordics decided to attack towns near La Coruña.

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The intrusion ends when the gangs of Ramiro I of Asturias devastate the Vikings and force them to retreat. In this way, the second Castilian Annals, also known as the Complutense Annals, are captured.

After their short fight in Coruña, the expedition gets what it wanted in Lisbon. A huge city was surrounded for 13 days between the months of August and September, until the Muslim troops were designated to evict them. Which means that the Nordics will continue the journey towards the southern Iberian coast, arriving at the Gulf of Cádiz.

They took Cádiz, and headed down the Guadalquivir River, attacking the areas that were in their path, and causing enormous deaths so that no one could notice that they were present in those places. Then, they defeated the Muslims in the Cabal War. Continuing the course of the river, approximately 4,000 Vikings arrived at the end of September in Isbiliya and Seville.

The Sevillians stampeded to Carmona, as recounted by the Andalusian historian Ibn al-Qutiyya in his History of the Conquest of al-Andalus. However, within a few weeks, an army of sixteen thousand men arrived from Córdoba, who were sent by Abd al-Rahman II. The prince of Córdoba placed Musa ibn Musa al-Qasi, one of the figures of the time, at the head of this contingent.

The reaction of Al-Andalus

The Vikings established a base in Tablada and fragmented their forces into four important teams for their battles, namely:

The first: made up of approximately 200 men, who fought against Morón. The second: assault on Benilaiz The third: He attacked Fuente de Cantos The fourth: he attacked Córdoba.

Musa Benilaiz’s gigantic regiment destroyed the first group in the Morón battle, and attacked the Tablada fort, where many usurpers died.

The Muslims captured and eliminated approximately 400 usurpers after the combat. Most of them were decapitated, and their heads hung on the palm trees of Seville. Meanwhile, others were buried alive with their heads out, who would be decapitated after they were trampled by the horses. In addition, the Andalusians set fire to 30 Nordic boats.

The Vikings, who had the opportunity to flee, tried to hand over their prisoners and give the loot for food, clothing and a way to the coast, where part of the fleet was located. The tired warriors, who managed to leave the Peninsula safely, continued their excursion through the Mediterranean, devastating the Byzantine territory and reaching Alexandria.

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The few Nordic captives, who were not executed, converted to Islam, and settled as farmers. As a result of the combat, Abd al-Rahman II reestablished the protections of Seville, and ordered the construction of special vessels to protect the Al-Andalus coast. Likewise, a horse courier procedure was established to warn in a timely and rapid manner of upcoming attacks.

Björn Ragnarsson’s expedition

The second Viking invasion of Spain was led by Björn Ragnarsson, known by his pseudonym Iron Casted. From its base, on the Loire River, Ragnar Lothbrok’s son hired a group of one hundred boats to reach the Iberian Peninsula.

During the year 858, Björn’s ships traveled through the Arousa estuary to attack Santiago de Compostela, a city that was protected by a large wall and that they were stalking.

The Christians pay a tax to make them leave, however, the Nordics continue with the cornering. King Ordoño I of Asturias sends a troop governed by Count Pedro Theon, which causes a strong defeat to the assailants. Of the 100 ships that the Vikings carried, only 62 ships were able to escape.

After strong adversity in Christian territory, the Scandinavian troops went south. A failed landing on the Portuguese coast caused them to lose other vessels, however, about 60 managed to arrive in Algeciras. City that was assaulted and the mosque engulfed in flames.

Next, they proposed to carry out invasions through North Africa, long before attacking the Balearic Islands and Orihuela, led by the Segura River. After leaving for the French coast while the winter passed, the excursion headed towards Italy.

The capture of the king of Pamplona

After a few months, Ragnar’s son returned to the Iberian lands. Björn Ragnarsson’s ships progressed along the course of the Ebro River, entering Pamplona. Where they captured King García Íñiguez of Pamplona, who had to pay the sum of 70,000 gold coins to obtain his freedom.

Due to an unrivaled victory, the second visit of the Vikings to Spanish lands had a great misfortune. When they crossed the Strait of Gibraltar to return to his home, Björn met a large squad of Cordoban characters. During the attack, the Vikings devastated approximately 40 ships. The few ships that managed to escape from the Muslim fleet arrived home in 862 full of treasures and fortunes.