"The Viking Art of War"
by Paddy Griffith

Of all the warrior cultures in history, few had as fierce a reputation as the Vikings—the mysterious, seafaring Norsemen who ravaged, conquered, and explored lands from Near Asia to the New World. During the early medieval period, nothing could strike as much fear among sedentary peoples as the sight of a Viking fleet suddenly rising over the horizon, their distinctive, dragon-decorated “long ships” intent on delivering mayhem.

Yet the actual facts about the Vikings’ era of rampage have been elusive, and their actual method of warfare unclear. Now, this groundbreaking and authoritative study of the Vikings establishes the facts behind their rise to prominence, and cuts away the myths that have built up about their military and seafaring skills, reputation, and exploits.

In this book, renowned military historian Paddy Griffith applies modern military thinking to his incisive examination of the Viking art of war while examining their tactics, seamanship, mobility, strategy, concept of battle, and how they exploited their victories and dealt with defeat. He also examines how threatened populations sought to cope with their raiders, and how capricious weather at times wreaked more havoc on Viking fleets than did their human foes.

In these pages Griffith demonstrates just how the Vikings were able to establish colonies in hostile territories while confronting an enormously diverse range of enemies—from the Franks of the Carolingian Empire and the Anglo-Saxons to the Volga Bulgars and the wild tribes of Ireland—across three centuries of military conquest, battle, and adventure.

Carefully separating historical truth from legend, while closely examining the sometimes fanciful sagas of the Norsemen themselves, this stimulating investigation into the secrets of the Vikings’ success shows how they earned their fearsome reputation throughout the world.

—

PADDY GRIFFITH was a senior lecturer in War Studies at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst for sixteen years, and is the author of numerous books and articles on the history of warfare, including Battle Tactics of the Western Front, 1916-18, The Art of War of Revolutionary France, 1789-1802, and Battle Tactics of the Civil War.

I call my book collection The Neverending Reading List!
To see why, and the list of books I’ve already shared, click here!
Interested in the book? Snag it real quick here!

Enjoy what I do? Please consider tipping via the Support button below!
Like what you see and want to know when there's more?
Click here to subscribe for updates and/or hit the Follow button!
This post contains an affiliate link.

For more about MonriaTitans, click here!
Watch MonriaTitans on Twitch, YouTube, and Rumble!