The Conversion of Scandinavia: Vikings, Merchants, and Missionaries in the Remaking of Northern Europe - Softcover

Winroth, Anders

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0300205538 ISBN 13: 9780300205534

Publisher: Yale University Press, 2014

Synopsis

In this book a MacArthur Award-winning scholar argues for a radically new interpretation of the conversion of Scandinavia from paganism to Christianity in the early Middle Ages. Overturning the received narrative of Europe's military and religious conquest and colonization of the region, Anders Winroth contends that rather than acting as passive recipients, Scandinavians converted to Christianity because it was in individual chieftains' political, economic, and cultural interests to do so. Through a painstaking analysis and historical reconstruction of both archeological and literary sources, and drawing on scholarly work that has been unavailable in English, Winroth opens up new avenues for studying European ascendency and the expansion of Christianity in the medieval period.

About this title

Review:

"'Challenging the stereotypical master narrative of zealous evangelicals and active missionaries converting an at best passive, at worst resistant, native heathen population, Winroth is able to substitute a fascinating description of the distinctive political dynamics that characterised all of Western Europe after the barbarian invasions' (Patrick Madigan, Heythrop Journal) 'He is well acquainted with the comprehensive and varied research and guides the reader to synthesizing conclusions and wider perspectives... Winroth has made a fine and stimulating synthesis of Viking Age Scandinavia and its place within European history.' (Thomas Lindkvist, University of Gothenburg, The Journal of English and German Philology) 'Anders Winroth's The Conversion of Scandinavia provides much material to ponder as well as a great deal of information. His meticulous gathering of materials opens new avenues for consideration, while his thoughtful survey of the material will provide guidance for anyone interested in the topic and period.' (Benjamin Hudson, The Journal of Medieval Religious Cultures)"

About the Author:

Anders Winroth, the Forst Family Professor of History at Yale, is the author of The Making of Gratian's "Decretum," for which he was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 2003.

About this edition

• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0300205538
• ISBN 13: 9780300205534
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256