Vikings in Paris

but first a reminder of where we left them

After Lindisfarne numerous attacks in British Isles and Ireland Began to colonize off coast of

Scotland Next turned attention southward Looking not at Christian Churches But at trading posts

like Dorestad on the Rhine

834. A fleet of Danes came to Frisa laid waste to part of it.

On through Utrecht to Dorestad

Slaughtered some took others away, and burned surrounding region. Annals of St. Bertin

Why such a time lag? 1st ~ 793 Dorestad 834

Charlemagne and Frankia Charlemagne's vast

empire of Frankia Modern day – France,

West Germany, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, and Italy

Dominated Europe Culminating with his

crowning as the 1st Holy roman emperor on Christmas day in 800

Although unwieldy Charlemagne constantly fighting to defend or

hold together the empire Charlemagne set up a series of watches and

guards along the “northern sea” These along with naval flotillas were able to

guard against, and prevent, large scale Viking raiding

Upon death in 814 succeeded by Louis the Pious As committed to the cause as his father But, did not have the same forceful

character Civil wars began to break out And the Vikings with a nose for

opportunity moved in

First probed Seine in 820

Then settled back to closer targets Utrecht and Dorestad

in 834 Expanding to Antwerp

in 836 southern Britain at

around the same time And the trading post

of

840 Louis the Pious died leaving the empire to his three sons Louis the German in the east Charles the Bald in the west Lothar in the centre and Italy

With division, internal conflicts and pressure from external raiders the empire began to collapse

842 – Vikings back on the Loire with a fleet of 67 ships

Rumored to have been aided by a rebel Count – Lambert – who wanted Nantes for himself

Lambert’s pilots guided the Viking fleet down the Loire River

On June 24th during the celebration of St John’s day they struck

Rebel Count stepped in and assumed power over shattered town

Death of Louis the Pious turned Frankia into a Viking hunting ground

Also taught Vikings that activity could be a full time commitment

After attack on Nantes Vikings wintered at Noirmoutier

rather than return home

841 – Rouen on the Seine 842 – the trade city of

Quentovis Near modern day Boulogne

845 – Hamburg 845 Viking, Ragnar,

entered Seine with 120 ships

Charles the Bald attempted to repulse

Deployed army on either side of river Crossfire backfired Rangar assessed which was the weaker

of two banks Attacked quickly defeated one bank Hung 111 captives in view of opposing

bank Crippled morale and ripped the heart

out of resistance

Easter Sunday 845 he pounced on Paris Sacked the city

Demanded and received 7,000 pounds of Silver from Charles the Bald to leave Bought Charles 6 years of peace to deal with

internal enemies Set precedent that other Vikings would

follow By middle of the ninth century whole of

Frankish Empire in a state of calamity Monk of Noirmoutier wrote

“The number of ships increases, the endless flood of Vikings never ceases to grow. Everywhere Christ’s people are the victims of massacre, burning, and plunder, clear proof of which will remain as long as the world itself endures. The Vikings overrun all that lies before them, and none can withstand them. They sieze the cities of Bordeux, Périgueux, Limoges, Angoulême, Toulouse; Angers, Tours, and Orléans are made deserts; the ashes of many a saint are counted away . . . Ships past counting voyage up the Seine, and throughout the entire region evil grows strong”

Now recognized that Vikings became settlers and traders Advance art and technology throughout

Europe Must not lose sight of fact that they

were also savage and destructive also Although a time of brutality Actions in Franikia considerably more

brutal and murderous than most.

Gradually raids became more organized and ambitious Example Bjorn Ironside and fellow

commander Haestin Began in 857 with attack upon Paris What one historian described as a

“holocaust” City almost totally destroyed

Only 4 buildings still standing

Ease and success led to other thoughts. If they could sack greatest city in

Northern Europe why not sack the greatest city in the world

Rome Bjorn and Haestin sailed from Paris on

trail of havoc and destruction around coasts of Europe to the Mediterranean

Initially easy pickings round the coast of Brittany and into the Bay of Biscay

When they reached the shores of Moorish Spain their ships were laden with prisoners, gold and silver

Lost two ships in an attempted attack on Spain then pressed on through the Straits of Gibraltar

Sacked Algeciras before crossing to Africa Took Africans as prisoners

Who ended up shivering as slaves in Ireland Before shifting back to the coasts of Spain and

France

Here they raided the Balerics, Narbonne and the Camargue

They continued east to Italy May have sacked Pisa

Then attacked and raided Luna Between Pisa and Genoa

Suggestions that they may have got as far east as Alexandria in Egypt

Eventually they turned around and headed back

Attacked in the Straits of Gibraltar by Moors

Heavy losses, eventually broke through and headed back up the Atlantic coast

Stopping of in Navarre, to head inland and capture Pamplona, ransoming the Prince for a “Huge sum”

862, 5 years after leaving, the Vikings returned safely to the mouth of the Loire river

Only 20 of the original 62 ships returned This was both: A spectacular and heroic voyage whose

fame would not be forgotten A preposterous exercise in piracy that

brought untold misery

Back in England Sporadic attacks continued for several years 850 a change in tactics A group of Vikings (Danes) rather than attack

and disappear stayed in England Wintering on the Isle of Thanent off the coast

of Kent Over the next decade or so the Vikings worked

their way up the East coast of England

Led initially by Ivor the Boneless and Halfden They fought, bribed and tricked their way north to

Northumbria Fall 866 they took York

capital of Northumbria Another shift in policy Moved from setting up winter camps to taking

over a large city – and staying Appointed a puppet King and with their rear

safe headed south

Vikings attacked and claimed land throughout England

Making vassals of several regions 871 shocked by a counter attack under

Alfred of Wessex Although not able to defeat the Vikings

Alfred was able to force a negotiated truce In 877 the Vikings, under Grunthum,

broke the truce and attacked Wessex once more

Alfred pushed back and harried constantly Easter 878 looked as though the Vikings

would expand their new English colony Alfred managed to launch a successful

counter-attack Gunthrum forced into an unconditional surrender received Christian baptism as part of the price of peace

Gunthrum honored the treaty and moved back into East Anglia

Setting up dual control of England

Alfred in control of the South and West

Vikings remained in control of the North and East

This situation would remain in place for many years

Untill Canute was able to expand Viking terriotory and become de facto King of England

A situation which remained until the arrival of William the Conquerer

However the influence of the Viking remained in many ways on English culture from this point forward

One example can be seen in events still taking place to this day on the Isle of Man Small island of the British Coast

The East Consolidation in Sweden led to

expansion Across Baltic Latvia Divna – Dnieper Rivers Forced out “we seek a prince to rule

over us and judge us according to the law”

Novgorod – Rusland Intermarige – Russians AD 839 reached Constantinople

Crescent and the Cross

Between fall of Rome and early crusades

Mediterranean was relatively free of piracy

Crusades lent impetus to a new trade Re-enter the pirates Pirates across North African coast

took advantage of this new trade

Terminology “Barbary coast” &

“Barbary Pirates” Originally coined

c.1500 Not often used

Reintroduced at a later period

at the time Europeans used

Moors Turks Occasionally Africans

Initial pirates although Islamic Driven by the usual motivation of

pirates Greed and profit But as well as enriching themselves They also struck a blow against

Christianity for Islam

Muslim states traditionally not overly interested in the sea

Advanced where their armies could march

General who had conquered Egypt referred to the sea as

“a huge beast which silly folk rode like worms on logs”

Pirates fleets began to grow in size attracting support and money

Also began to make arrangements with rulers of states of North Africa Algiers Morocco Tripoli Tunis

Rulers began to make profit but also gained prestige within the Muslim world

The rulers supported pirates for many years

No single power Christian or Muslim had ability (or committed desire) to suppress the pirates

Islamic pirates attacked Christian ships with support of Muslim leaders

Christian Pirates attacked Islamic ships with the support of Christian leaders

1504 a Muslim pirate attacked and captured a papal war galleys

The two galley were lapse in their security Allowed themselves to become separated When a small ship approached the lead galley

the leader did not worry until to late The ship approached fast and easily took the

ship Dressing in the captives clothes and forcing

prisoners below decks they approached and took the second ship

Pirate released Muslim slaves who worked the oars on the papal ships

Returned to Tunis a hero

This Pirate was Arouj Barbarossa One of two Barbarossa

brothers Barbarossa = Red Beard

Barbarossa brothers were the son of a Greek potter

They were born Christian and later converted to Islam

Arouj joined the Turkish pirates Gradually gained respect and power Persuaded his crew to break free of

masters in Constantinople Headed out as an independent crew

Actions against the Papal vessels gained him prestige

The leader of Tunis became an alley offering a safe port and market

Ferdinand of Spain assumed as his Christian duty the responsibility of suppressing the Barbary Pirates

1509-10 Spanish occupied an island that dominated Algiers harbor

After the main force had departed Arouj began to retake the region

After a war of constant attrition During which Arouj lost an arm

His forces grew to include and extensive fleet and 5000 land troops

Eventually invited by King of Algiers to attack and destroy Spanish on island

Arouj had bigger plans, strangled king and took control

Harsh leader – local population invited Spanish to help remove him

Eventually Spaniards cornered and killed Arouj

Death greeted with great joy by the Christian world

Motivated his brother Kheyer-ed-din Who had been the leader of his

brothers fleet To take revenge on the Christian

world A revenge that shocked and shifted

the balance of power in the Mediterranean and beyond

Suleiman the Magnificent leader of the Muslim world Had defeated a Christian force on

Rhodes Removing the Christian presence

in the region Disappointed in his fleet looks

for help Kheyr-ed-din Barabrosa at this

time inherited brothers troops and kingdom that had rebelled

Appealed to Suleiman

In return for Kheyr-ed-din’s fealty Suleiman loaned crack troops Appointed him Governor of the region Kheyer-ed-din regained his brother’s

kingdom town by town Suleiman invited Kheyr-ed-din to oversea

the rebuilding of his fleet He sailed with the fleet and began to

attack Europe attacking several locations in Italy

Took large numbers of prisoners and goods Then turned his attention to the Spanish

dependency of Tunis in Africa After several victories he turned his

attention to the Island out side the harbor of Algiers

After a seventeen day siege the Spanish were defeated

He razed the fort and constructed a mole to connect the island to the main land

In response Charles V Spain sent Christian pirate Andrea Doris to attack Tunis

Charles V was hailed as a hero after a successful attack by Doris

1538 the fleets of Crescent and Cross met in the Adriatic

The Christian fleet was routed by Kheyr-ed-din and his Muslim fleet

1541 Charles V attempted to regain prestige and power by sending out another fleet

A fleet of 500 ships left Dorea warned that they were leaving at a bad time

of year But Charles waved aside his concerns A storm decimated the fleet

300 officers and 8000 men were killed So many slaves were taken that the price

dipped to a degree that it was said that a Christian slave was “not worth an onion”

Disaster weakened Charles’ grip over Europe

Independence campaigns began

1543 Francis I of France concluded a treaty with Suleiman for help against Spain

Suleiman sent Kheyr-ed-din to support Francis

In Marseilles the flag of Our Lady was replaced with the Crescent

Kheyr-ed-din spent time in Marseilles but conducted no campaigns against Spain Eventually dismissed

Kheyr-ed-din died a few years later After his death he was placed in a sepulcher His corpse reappeared several times

Eventually a Greek magician advised he be buried with a black dog

After this time the Kheyr-ed-din was at peace

Dragut became commander-in-chief of the Turkish fleet

Dragut was born a peasant and Muslim

Ran away from home and took to the sea

Proved to be a successful sailor and rose through the ranks

Known as the “drawn sword of Islam” Dragut worked his way along North

Africa Attacking everywhere in Spanish hands Before tuning his attention to the strong

hold of Malta Malta was held by the Knights of Malta In effect the Christian counterpart of the

Barbary Pirates

1565 Dragut attacked Malta Fleet of 185 ships and 30,000 men

The attack was going well until a rumor of Spanish support caused the attacking fleet to flee

Dragut was killed October 7, 1570 a large Spanish fleet

206 Galleys, 48,000 men Met with the Turkish fleet now under Ochiali After a long battle the Turkish fleet was defeated

In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean

blue

Leaving aside the facts that A) The Vikings were in America before

Columbus B) Columbus did not ‘find’ America because

Native Americans hadn’t lost it C) his arrival led to the death of millions of

people It is the arrival of Columbus that leads to the

next stage of piracy that I will turn The West Indies and Buccaneers

Post 1492, post the annihilation of the Aztec and Inca people

Spain dominant power in Europe Due to the wealth they were able

to extract Aim protect that wealth and

power

Spanish colonists required by law to: Associate only with members of the

Catholic faith Trade only with Spain

If there was something they could not obtain they were to do without

Colonists tended to ignore these rules

Spanish colonists traded with anyone who had what they needed

French and British merchants happy to help

Merchants prospered Spanish authorities worked hard to stamp

them out Harder they tried

the more those people believed they needed to be there

France attempted to form a colony in Florida in 1562 quickly wiped out

Spain not able to prevent the British settlement of St. Kitts

However, they captured several British merchant ships and

“cut off the hands, feet, noses, and ears of the crews and smeared them with honey and tied them to trees to be tortured by flies and other insects”

Spanish claimed actions were justified Dealing with pirates

French claim Had no fortification in the region

no judicial presence Therefore no legal responsibility English crown affirmed to Spain that It had issued no commissions

therefore had no authority or responsibility in the region

Despite political détente all parties were being economical with the truth

British and French because despite their claims They would use any methods to carve out a place in the

New World Wanted a piece of the New World pie

‘unofficially’ encouraged: Attacks on Spanish shipping Settlement attempts

Spanish attacking traders and pirates alike

Early French merchants began to settle on the island of Hispaniola

Joined by a number of Englishmen and members of other nations

The population rose to about 500 who lived by hunting

Small groups head out establish a camp

Lived at the camp for a year or so

When they shot a beast they would Butcher it Drink its ‘brandy’

The blood-hot marrow After a number of animals

were killed returned to the camp stretched out the hides

Lived on meat alone which they dried over ‘boucans’

Hard and dangerous lifePrimarily because the Spanish were

determined to eliminate them Chosen method to hunt them and

then burn them at the stake Hoped to intimidate them Made them hate the Spanish

prepared to fight to the death

Capture proved difficult Soldiers operating on foreign terrain Buccaneers excellent marksmen

Could shoot an orange from a tree through the stem without hitting the tree or the fruit

Spanish soldiers often retreated when faced with only a single buccaneer

If Spain had left them alone may well have remained content with their lives

Not Spain’s approach New tactic Shot the animals not the people Cattle didn’t shoot back This technique did force the buccaneers of

Hispaniola But it also reinforced their hatred for the

Spanish The buccaneers fled to a little island of the

coast of Hispaniola Tortuga

Hispaniola & Tortuga Ile de la Tortue Tortuga Island Named after the

islands turtle population

In Tortuga the buccaneers Built homes Founded an egalitarian society

Survived by turning to the sea attacking occasional ship selling goods from

market on Tortuga One day this all changed Thanks to a French buccaneer from Dieppe Known as Pierre Le Grand - “Peter the

Great”

1602 ‘Peter the Great’ was at sea in a small boat crew of approx. 28 low and supplies and about to head back to

shore Spotted large Spanish ship

Captain of the Spanish ship dismissed the small craft

Peter followed the ship until dusk

Peter encouraged men to attack the larger vessel

While men were swearing an oath to support each other to the death Second in command was drilling a hole in

the boat They came alongside and boarded Peter and his crew quickly took over

the ship

Flag ship of the Spanish treasure fleet Put ashore those he did not need

Headed straight for France Obtained a back dated privateers license Sold the ship and treasure and lived in leisure for the

rest of his life

Alexandre Olivier Exquemelin Esquemeling, Exquemeling, or

Oexmelin Born in France Indentured servant Turned surgeon Sailed with

Morgan Kept records 1st published 1678

1602 changed the meaning of the word buccaneer

They now ranged farther from the island base and took larger prizes

Attacked settlements as well as ships

Successful captains became famous

At the end of a voyage Payments would be handed out as

prearranged Anything left over would then be shared

out equally Even when a buccaneering voyage failed The knowledge that others had succeeded

and that other prizes were out there led many to try their luck

Website

November 1558 Elizabeth Tudor ascended to the British Throne following the death of her half sister Mary I

As the news was brought to Elizabeth she is reported to have stated

“A domino factum est mirabile in oculis nostris”

“This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous to our eyes”

In reality the England she inherited was anything but marvelous

She stepped into a precarious position The country was simmering with

religious frustration Catholics and Protestants had vied for

power and position under the previous two monarch’s

Edward VI – Protestant Mary I - Catholic

1559 nationwide audit of men and Arms was begun to find out How empty the royal coffers were How, or rather if, she would be able to secure her

country’s borders A Protestant, Elisabeth led a country

potentially at odds with most powerful Monarch in Europe

Phillip II of Spain One area of conflict – Caribbean

Elizabeth’s reign of 44 years would be dominated by England’s relationship to Spain

Decisions would continue to be based on Defense of the realm Revenue Generation Official court favor Court intrigue

Central in the early years was trade and plunder London the heartbeat and brain of trade

The City of London merchants provided approx. 75 % of Tax revenues as well as paying duties on numerous

imports and exports Membership of 12 great livery companies

of London provided the administrative hub of the city

The most powerful company at the time of Elizabeth’s ascension was the

Merchant Adventurers

Membership in one of London’s companies could only be achieved after a long apprenticeship Even if new entrants were following the family line

Ensured that unlike many other European trading centers

London was run by people who had been engaged in business since they were old enough to work

Merchant Adventurers made the wealth from the exportation of cloth to Antwerp and the import of luxury goods

The Merchant Adventurers alongside the Gentleman at court were Elizabeth gateway to security

The wealth or treasure that they provided could both Buy them royal favor Provide funds to defend the realm

These are the people referred to by both allies and adversaries as

Corsairs, rovers, and pirates Although they are often referred to today as

buccaneers (a word not coined in English till 1664)

These people were not the stuff of ordinary merchant stock

These were men who had: A thirst for knowledge Tremendous egos desperation for wealth An acute business sense Intelligence and cunning And a high degree of Patriotism

Initially thought great wealth through approaching Indies overland through the northeast Muscovy Company was formed Despite promise, no great wealth came form Muscovy

England’s future lay not in overland trade but in somehow dominating the sea Control of the ‘English’ channel first step

allowed for a larger stake in the money to be made flowing from the Netherlands

Other protestant seamen set out to ‘harvest’ the Catholic vessels that plied their trade in the same region

1562 Phillip of Spain having troubles with Low

Countries and Ottoman Empire France teetering on civil war Distractions gave Elizabeth opportunity to flex

the muscles of her Gentlemen Justification (or the needed excuse) came with

the news that English Merchants in Spain had been arrested and put in front of the Inquisition

Led to reprisal attacks on Spanish shipping On one occasion a Spanish Crew were

trussed in their own sails and thrown overboard to die

While their ship, now a prize, was sailed back to England

The Merchants also took this opportunity of Spanish distraction to begin to trade

“beyond the line”

“Beyond the line” included Coast of Africa the Indies the Caribbean the Spanish Main the Philippines Brazil

Initially privately sponsored But as further reports of actions against

British traders in Spain filtered to England As noted - Elizabeth stepped in

Elizabeth began to hand out

Letters of reprisal or letter de Marque

nothing new Since medieval time this

system Allowed a merchant,

traveler, or ship who had been robbed on foreign territory

To recoup their losses

As noted, this was a well-established practice within a number of countries from the medieval period

Only being outlawed by most states in 1856 by the Declaration of Paris.

Today only one country still retains the right with in its laws to issue such letters

The USA

In Article 1 section 8 of the United States Constitution we find that congress has authority to

To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offenses against the Law of Nations

To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water

Elizabeth not only issued letters of mark.

In October 1562 she also granted

John Hawkins Permission to voyage

to Africa to buy slave and sell them on Spanish plantations in the Caribbean

In doing so she was Responding to the growing international

diplomatic crisis For the queen and Privy council it was a

political act And also to the outcry of her own people

who demanded vengeance on the Inquisition and it perpetrators For the people it was a matter of religion and

pride But for the Merchants it was commercial

Although it wavered into the political for them too

Elisabeth’s Sea dogs