Salt and the Earliest Scandinavian Raids in France: Was there a Connection? - Archive ouverte HAL Accéder directement au contenu
Article Dans Une Revue Viking and Medieval Scandinavia Année : 2016

Salt and the Earliest Scandinavian Raids in France: Was there a Connection?

Résumé

The island of Noirmoutier lies in the bay of Bourgneuf just south of the mouth of the River Loire, near Nantes in western France. In the early decades of the ninth century Noirmoutier and other nearby islands and coastal areas became primary targets for Scandinavian raids. What was so attractive about this small area for the Northmen? Why did they keep coming back year after year? After examining these early raids in some detail, this paper will highlight the importance of salt production and trade in this part of France in the early medieval period before suggesting the possibility that one of the objectives of the Northmen might well have been salt. The question of how the Northmen might have been able to profit from salt will also be posed and different possibilities explored.
Fichier non déposé

Dates et versions

hal-01944829 , version 1 (04-12-2018)

Identifiants

  • HAL Id : hal-01944829 , version 1

Citer

Stephen M. Lewis. Salt and the Earliest Scandinavian Raids in France: Was there a Connection?. Viking and Medieval Scandinavia, 2016, 12, pp.103-136. ⟨hal-01944829⟩
56 Consultations
0 Téléchargements

Partager

Gmail Facebook X LinkedIn More