The Viking Danger

The massive military operation undertaken by the Umayyad caliphate in North Africa significantly weakened its capacity to respond to threats that arose on other fronts. One such threat was the Viking attacks, which had been taking place in al-Andalus for a considerable time and were inflicting major damage. Incursions by these Scandinavian pirates – which is what vikingr means in Old Norse, while its feminine form refers to their ’ expedition’ – had begun in the late eighth century using the impressive boats developed by this Norse people, with which they navigated across the Atlantic. Their boats could reach speeds that had never been achieved before, and their remarkable designs permitted them to sail up rivers, as well as transport a significant quantity of troops and provisions. Aside from the longships, which are undoubtedly their best-known vessel, they used other classes of ships, which played a support role and were used for loading and transporting the captives and booty obtained. They were also used to carry the cohorts of warriors that served under leaders – inspired by ideals of a ‘good life’ sailing the seas, fighting and plundering riches – who had invested huge sums in the construction of these ships. One of the places where such riches were to be found in abundance was in the south, in Serkland, the ‘Land of the Saracens’.

In the summer of 844 (229 ah), a Viking squadron formed of fifty-four ships along with a similar number of smaller ships attacked various locations along the north and west of Iberia, including Lisbon. Having then headed south, the squadron sailed up the Guadalquivir River as far as Seville. This was a manoeuvre these Scandinavian pirates frequently used, and they did so at a later date against London and Paris: it consisted of sailing to the mouth of a river and from there navigating upstream to cities where they could pillage greater quantities of booty. This strategy had the further advantage of leaving their rearguard in a safer position as they were able to re-board their ships more swiftly. In Seville, the suddenness of the Viking attack and the delay with which Emir ‘Abd al-Raḥmān II mustered the army allowed the attackers to set up camp undisturbed for forty days.