Arab historians were the first to write about the Vikings in Spain. In 844, between late July and early August, the Iberian Peninsula witnessed the arrival of dozens of ships, one of the most epic expeditions in the history of Norse seafarers. This event marked the beginning of an era of invasions and plunder in Spain by the feared Vikings.
The Viking Age in Spain
The Viking invasions of Spain took place between the ninth and tenth centuries. At that time, Al-Andalus and the ancient Christian kingdoms coexisted on the Iberian Peninsula. Initially, the Vikings encountered the crowns of Pamplona and Asturias , and part of the territory of the Carolingian Empire , the Marca Hispanica.
Later, in subsequent expeditions, they would reach the Kingdom of León . More than a hundred years would pass between the first and last Viking invasions of Spain. During this period, no notable changes occurred on the Iberian Peninsula, as the Kingdom of Granada, the last Islamic stronghold, would endure until the final years of the fifteenth century.
The raids on Spain
The Vikings traveled to invade Spain in three historical moments: the initial one, or "indirect penetration", in which they were dedicated to seeking information and trading with slaves; after this there were two successive invasions in the ninth century, to Muslim Spain, and tenth century, to Christian Spain, followed by a third stage of supposed settlement.
Bordering the Atlantic coast
The Scandinavian explorers made their first expedition to Spain in 844. It was an attack on the Iberian Peninsula , arriving on its Atlantic coast, and then they left via the Guadalquivir River.
A large fleet of Viking ships, which entered the south of France on the Garonne River, managed to reach the coast of Cantabria after a dangerous storm.
A hundred Viking ships that made up a fearsome fleet were sighted on August XNUMXst off the coast of Gijón. The Vikings refueled with water and left, without giving rise to any unfortunate incident.
A few days later, the Scandinavians began looting the area around A Coruña . Ultimately, this invasion ended when the army of Ramiro I of Asturias defeated the Vikings, who were forced to return to their ships and depart.
This is the story that appears narrated in the “ Second Castilian Annals” , also known as the Complutense Annals . These writings are a compilation of narratives, and they record this invasion as it was perceived in the time of the Vikings in Spain.
The objective of the Viking invasion
After the brief skirmish in A Coruña , the expedition found what they were looking for in Lisbon . It was a large city, and they besieged it for thirteen days between August and September, until Muslim troops arrived to drive them out. At that point, the Vikings set off to explore the Iberian coast southward, reaching the Gulf of Cádiz.
They conquered Cádiz , sailed up the Guadalquivir River , sacking every town they encountered and killing the locals to prevent them from alerting others to their presence. After this, they defeated the Muslims at the Battle of Cabtal .
Continuing their journey upriver, the approximately four thousand Vikings arrived in Isbiliya ( Seville ) in late September. The inhabitants of Seville fled in panic to Carmona , an account given by the Andalusian chronicler Ibn al-Qutiyya in his manuscript "History of the Conquest of al-Andalus . "
After a few weeks, a troop of about sixteen thousand men arrived from Córdoba , sent by Abderramán II . He was the emir of Córdoba , and he put Musa ibn Musa al-Qasi , who was very famous and respected at the time, in command of this army.
The reaction of Al Andalus
The Vikings in Spain settled in a camp at Tablada and split into four groups. One group, consisting of 200 men, raided Morón ; the second raided Benilaiz ; the next raided Fuente de Cantos ; and the last attacked Córdoba.
The great army of Musa ibn Musa annihilated the first group in the offensive at Morón and captured the fort of Tablada , where a thousand Scandinavians died. The Muslims apprehended and executed another four hundred Vikings after these battles.
Most were beheaded, and “their heads hung from the palm trees of Seville .” Another group was buried alive, with their heads exposed, to be trampled to death by horses. Furthermore, they set fire to thirty Viking ships.
The Scandinavians who managed to escape, agreed for clothing, food and to be able to retreat to the coast, in exchange for returning the hostages and the loot they took. Mistreated as they were, these survivors fled across the Mediterranean, ravaging Byzantine lands until they reached Alexandria.
Some prisoners were not executed; these converted to Islam , and these Vikings in Spain supposedly settled on farms. Following the attack, Abd al-Rahman II reassessed and reinforced Seville to improve its defenses and built ships to defend the Al-Andalus coastline.
A system of communication on horseback was also established to quickly alert the community when invaders arrived. If you're interested in learning about the mythological beliefs of other cultures, we invite you to read about forest nymphs.
Björn Ragnarsson's Expedition
The second time Vikings appeared in Spain , the expedition was led by Bjórn Ragnarsson , known as Ironside . Son of Ragnar Lothbrok , he commandeered about one hundred ships and sailed to the Iberian Peninsula with this fleet.
It was the year 858. Björn 's fleet sailed up the Arosa estuary , bound for Santiago de Compostela . Upon arrival, they laid siege to this walled city. Despite the Christians paying them tribute to make them leave, the Vikings maintained the siege.
From Asturias , King Ordoño I sent troops, commanded by Count Pedro Theon , who defeated the invaders, and of the Viking fleet made up of one hundred ships, only 62 managed to escape.
After this defeat inflicted on the Vikings in Christian lands, the Scandinavian ships headed south. They attempted to land on the Portuguese coast, but failed; they lost two ships there, while the other sixty reached Algeciras . In this city, they sacked and destroyed the mosque.
They then departed and raided North Africa , before invading the Balearic Islands and Orihuela , arriving via the Segura River . They retreated to the French coast for the winter, and then headed for Italy.
The capture of the king of Pamplona
Some time later, Ragnar 's son returned to Spanish lands. Bjön Ragnarsson 's ships sailed up the Ebro River , reaching Pamplona . Once there, they captured King García Íñiguez of Pamplona , who had to pay a ransom of 70000 gold coins for his freedom.
The Vikings in Spain rarely applied the so-called Danish tax, which consisted of extorting money to allow passage without plundering a settlement. One of the documented cases is the ransom of the King of Pamplona. This practice eventually became common in other kingdoms also ravaged by Viking raids.
After this success, this second wave of Vikings in Spain suffered a major setback. Crossing the Strait of Gibraltar to return home, Björn encountered the fleet of the Emir of Córdoba.
In this skirmish, the Vikings lost approximately 40 ships. The ships that escaped reached home in 862, laden with riches. To learn more about other interesting warrior cultures, follow this link: Mayan legends.
the last stage
The next and final Viking invasion of Spain began in 966. This invasion differed from the previous ones, as it involved several attempts. A small Viking fleet, consisting of only twenty-eight ships, was sighted at Alcácer do Sal , near Lisbon .
They clashed with the local armies and the Scandinavians won, they captured a large number of prisoners. Immediately, they were hunted down by sea from Seville and some of the prisoners were recovered. This success dealt a heavy blow to Viking morale.
Two years later, the chieftain Gundraed sailed up the estuary with 100 ships to invade Santiago de Compostela. The defending troops, led by Bishop Sisnando , were defeated at Fornelos and lost their commander. The next three years were marked by Viking plunder, met with no resistance.
In 971, the Kingdom of Asturias confronted them. The troops were led by Bishop Rudesindo and Count Gonzalo Sánchez; this army defeated the Vikings in a great battle, killing Gundraed.
A few months later, a large fleet was heading towards Lisbon , intending to invade in search of riches. What they hadn't counted on was that the years of plunder and invasions had taught the Andalusians valuable lessons, and they combined their Atlantic and Mediterranean fleets to confront the Vikings.
In this way, the last attempt of the Vikings to continue ravaging the Iberian Peninsula was thwarted , thus closing a period of uncontrolled violence and looting that left deep marks on both cultures.
Viking settlements in Spain
Despite everything, the Vikings did not manage to impact Spain to the same extent as they did England or France . They failed to establish colonies, nor did their culture penetrate Spanish society.
Some theories claim that Viking settlements never existed in Spain . However, in a location in Galicia , archaeological remains have been found that are similar to the temporary camps the Scandinavians set up during their raids on foreign lands.
This possible Scandinavian settlement is located in Os Mountillós , near San Román beach , in Vicedo, Lugo . Researchers are still excavating and analyzing the site. So far, it is the only one found, but this does not rule out the existence of more.
At the beginning of this discovery, it was speculated that this site could be a fort, but everything seems to indicate that it is a temporary Norman seat, similar to those found in England. Which consists of a raised mound with a wall and a moat.
The main objective of Viking expeditions was plunder and the capture of slaves; when they traveled, it was not with the intention of settling, much less of farming. This is perhaps the reason why little evidence of the Viking presence in Spain has been found.
Since the custom was to arrive, burn and loot, it was very unlikely that the Vikings in Spain would have bothered to build very complicated and durable structures.
Evidence of settlements VIkings in Spain
It's important to keep in mind that the presence of other Viking sites in Spain shouldn't be ruled out . There are certainly more of them in the rest of the peninsula.
There is news of other places where they possibly settled, but since they were constructions designed to last a short time, their permanence and conservation over time are unlikely, it should be noted that they used to build a settlement in four or five days.
Another aspect to consider is geographical onomastics; it is worthwhile to study the etymology of place names. In the region of the province of Lugo, there are many mounds on the terrain, and they are called "motas ." This word is known to come from a Nordic language, and one can see the similarity to the term "motte & Bailey ," which is used to refer to fortifications located on hills.
In general, all the bibliographic references that exist about the Vikings in Spain , and more specifically in Galicia , are made up of very old works, with a very partial approach, full of contradictions, as well as allusions to the supernatural.
This makes verifying the Scandinavian presence in the Iberian Peninsula extremely difficult, as the available data lacks sufficient historical support for its confirmation. These 18th-century works present the facts in a very traditional manner, offering a perspective that contrasts sharply with the insights provided by more recent research on the Viking world in Northern Europe.
In any case, they present highly interesting and important data for piecing together the history of the Viking presence in Spain , and could eventually help locate other settlements. If you want to learn more about the Vikings, we invite you to read about Viking symbols.