The Vikings in the Isle of Man

By David M. Wilson

EUR 26.95 (includes 25% VAT)
156 p., softbound, ill., 2008
ISBN 978 87 7934 370 2

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Contents

Reviews

The Isle of Man provides a microcosm of Viking settlement in the West. Set in the northern part of the Irish Sea, it was a major player in the economic and political life of this Norse region from the beginning of the tenth century until the end of the Scandinavian overlordship of the Hebrides and the Man in the middle of the thirteenth century.

This book presents, for the first time, for both specialist and general reader, a major survey of the Island in the period from the early tenth century to the middle of the eleventh century. The rich archaeological material - pagan grave-goods, silver-treasures, headland fortifications, farm-sites, inscribed and carved Christian memorial stones - and the wealth of evidence provided by runic inscriptions, place-names and institutions, provide a unique picture of a vibrant society striving to be ever more politically and economically powerful. The story tells of the gradual change from paganism to Christianity and of the absorption of a native population into a society dominated by incoming land-owners and a king owing allegiance to Norway.

Book reviews

Marcus Smith British Archaeology

"..David Wilson provides a thorough syntesis of the archaeological evidence from the background that led up to the Viking settlement in the eighth century through to the cession of Man to the Scottish crown in 1266."

"The book is lavishly illustrated in colour, with both protographs and drawings....this is a strong introduction to the period from a Manx perspective, with frequent comparisons and parallels."

Jo Tozer Antiquity

"There are no problems of focus and definition for the last in our British round-up, David Wilson's Vikings in the Isle of Man. It is written by one of the most respected scholars of the Viking period in Europe, ... This book is wonderfully clear and concise. Note that it is not a Tempus book, but one in a similar format published by Aarhus University Press. Here the (excellent) colour plates occur throughout the text, and there are helpful, unobtrusive footnotes. The paperback version costs less than the Tempus books, so perhaps the History Press can learn a trick or two from the Danes."

James G. Schryver Eolas, The Journal of the American Society of Irish Medieval Studies

"In his introduction, David Wilson notes that he has set out in this book to 'examine and try to explain the story of the Isle of Man in the period from the end of the ninth century to the middle of the eleventh century'. He has succeded quite well in accomplishing this task. What is more, I enjoyed reading this book, learned quite a bit from it, and as a result gained in my understanding not only of the Isle of Man, but also of the Irish Sea and of the North Atlantic during this period."