![]() ![]() But they were all – in their different ways – part of the same medieval Norse diaspora a remarkable, diverse, far-travelling culture that made its mark on many of the great civilizations of the age.’ Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough. Some of these enterprises were predominantly Icelandic affairs, others Norwegian, Swedish or Danish. In the balmy south, they embarked on pilgrimages and crusades to Rome and Jerusalem, and became members of the emperor’s elite bodyguard in far-away Constantinople. ![]() ![]() In the east, they navigated the great waterways of Russia, trading furs, slaves, and amber all the way down to the shores of the Caspian Sea and beyond to Baghdad. North beyond the Arctic Circle they traded and allied themselves with nomadic tribes, collecting tribute from them and marrying their women. They expanded westwards across the North Atlantic, settling Greenland for several centuries and attempting to settle the fringes of the North American continent. ‘In the centuries that followed the sacking of Lindisfarne, Norse ships of oak and iron transported these northern voyagers to all corners of the medieval word and beyond, where they not only raided but also traded with locals, explored and colonized new lands, and embarked on pilgrimages and crusades. ![]() Beyond the Northlands by Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough ![]()
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