The Northern Routes to Kingship

This book argues that tribal Scandinavia was set on the route to kingship by the arrival in the AD 180s?90s of warrior groups that were dismissed from the Roman army after defeating the Marcomanni by the Danube.

Using a range of evidence, this book details how well-equipped and battle-seasoned warriors, familiar with Roman institutions and practices, seized land and established lordly centres. It shows how these new lords acquired wealth by stimulating the production of commodities for trade with peers and Continental associates, Romans included, to reward retainers and bestow on partners. In these transcultural circumstances, lords and their retainers nurtured artisanal production of exquisite quality and developed a heroic ethos and refined hall etiquette. The topic of warfare, created by the volatile politics of lordly cooperation and competition, is also explored. Venturing substantially beyond the usual scope of syntheses of this period, this book looks at how the break-up of the Western Roman Empire and the rise of 'Great tribes' such as the Franks and Goths influenced lords and tribal leaders across Scandinavia to form kingdoms, emulating what they for centuries had considered the superior polity, the Roman Empire.

This book?s fresh take on disputed research topics will inspire scholars, students, and interested readers to delve further into this pivotal period of European history.

"This book will be welcomed by many readers. It places relations with the lands to the south at the heart of its interpretation of the Northern World. Late Romanists and historians of the post-Roman West will gain a new understanding of the significance of the North and its connections with continental Europe." ~ Ian Wood, University of Leeds

"Skre has written a monumental history of Scandinavia AD 180?550 by analysing archaeological remains, epigraphy, historical narratives, and place names. His work is challenging and thought-provoking and will be a natural starting point for discussions about the sociopolitical order of Iron-Age Scandinavia in years to come." ~ Anders Andrén, Stockholm University

"In this brilliant book, Skre turns his knowledge of social development to the ill-defined centuries well before the Viking Age. Developing novel approaches and analysing a wide scope of evidence, he shows how and why Scandinavian societies were set on the course that eventually resulted in the Viking achievements." ~ Jesse Byock, UCLA and Háskóli Íslands