Imperator: Rome is getting better with each free update and you can attest to that and support us in these difficult times by trying it via this link: bit.ly/2QIrBqC There will be 3 videos this week!
Brilliantly done! I'd love to see something on more obscure ancient cultures that we of a western audience don't have the opportunity to learn much about, such as Polynesia or Subsarahan Africa.
Funny that this video is sponsored by Imperator. Would have expected it around the release of Crusader Kings 3 instead. But you did inform me it was free to play again - I didn't have much time to try it last time it was free.
I feel like K&G are becoming more and more adept with artistic rendering and various sophisticated animation styles. Very nice guys, thanks for another great production!
The visuals are out of this world, I just wish the narration was a bit softer and engaging. Dan Carlin tells stories... this guy sounds like he’s affecting one of those artificial reading voice apps. He’s clearly British, just speak nicely and engage people in your own voice - that would be enough.
@@ah7910 I'd disagree, this narrator keeps me pretty engaged. Although his voice isn't soothing at all it feels realistic and makes me interested in hearing the story it is telling
God: Ok make this man British Angel: Right. God: Give him the best voice to narrate all history Angel: I sorry but this doesnt make any sin- God MY WILL BE DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@James Abdullah Wang Yes, it's not natural, but maybe it needs this sound, where no words merge, as native speakers would speak. Sounds a bit fake - but great content!
@Klaidi Rubiku are you asking me to explain brother? or would you rather I point you to a theologian who has credentials in this subject? regardless it is quite easy to get informed regarding paganism in catholicism: they have idols and images (banned in The Scriptures and practiced by nearly all pagan religions), they pray to Mary and saints, another pagan practice (even this video made allusion to this fact), they follow the roman papacy (not from The Bible but from men perverting The Simplicity of The Gospel), they have pagan feasts, etc.etc. you can quite easily find more information on this subject, but I would recommend being careful for the net of disinformation the jesuits have is quite extensive....
Pointless Fact: The developer of "Bluetooth" tech. Was reading the sagas, at the time of development. Bluetooth was its code name. When it got leaked to the press, they called it Bluetooth so, they ran with it. In fact, the symbol for "Bluetooth", Is viking H and B, together.
Cool, I was literally just wondering about Bluetooth and its symbol last week and how it came to be. Thanks for answering my question without even realizing it :)
@Anirudh Sivakumar is was the nickname of one of the kings mentioned in the video, the one whose convertion to christianity is considered one of the most important milestones of the eventual conversion of the whole region, he was also the grandfather of Canute / Cnut the great.
As a Norwegian Christian and a history student, I thank you for making this video! Very often the story of Christianisation of Scandinavia is simplified to one of conflict and violence and it is annoying to have to point out that the story is alot more complicated. Archelology has shown Christian grave practices in Norway as early as the 9th century and the Vikings often did adopt Christianity either after settling abroad or they brought the faith home. One thing that also should mentioned is that it was not actually St. Olaf’s violence that firmly established Christianity in Norway, but it was his death and reports of miracles and declaration of Sainthood that made Christianity accepted ar every level of Norwegian society. Excellent video!
I hope there are many true Christians like you in Norway , it's really sad to see Norway turning into atheism today and most Norwegians don't care about Christianity or even don't accept it anymore
@@gtm5336 Well we are still here. Nothing indicates we are declining more now than previously but nothing indicates that we are growing either. There is some indication that the people who are believers, are becoming stronger believers and more devout. There has been a very successful misinformation campaign about Christianity in Norway where Christianity is portrayed negatively through falsehoods in our textbooks at school, which lead to a Norwegian Christian write a book, documenting the falsehoods. The Norwegian title is «Lurt av læreboken» which means ‘’Fooled by the school books’’ The biggest travesty of the anti-Christian influence is that the King who used to be one of Norwegians biggest pride and sense of national identity, St. Olaf, both in Catholic and Protestant times, has now become a villain to most Norwegians.
@@michaelmarini94 Lol, this is not true at all. The Norwegians who fles to Iceland did so due to fear of the Pagan King Harald Fairhair, the first King of Norway. That’s why the majority left. The first Christian missionary King was Håkon the Good and he only had limited success in Western Norway and was never able to get his Jarls to baptise. King Olaf Tryggvasson Christianed parts of Iceland but in the end it was Iceland’s own decision to peacefully convert to Christianity at the Allthing. In Norway the Pagans even burned down some of the Churches set up by Håkon the Good to stop the Faith. The pagans also tried to force paganism in some parts of Ireland through force. The Norse Pagans weren’t conquered by Crusaders. They were converted through multiple efforts and the role of Kings played a part but it was not the only part. By the time of the death of Olaf Tryggvasson, the upper classes in Norway were all Christian and paganism only survived in the Upplands and some parts of the North. They were converted, partially by force, but the biggest thing that made them convert was due to the reported miracles by King Olaf Halfdanson, later St. Olaf. Honouring of St. Olaf became extremely popular. The popularity of King Olaf was also due to Danish oppression and the Norwegians started to regret handling their country to the Danes. And this is just Norway. In Sweden and Denmark, the seeds of Christianity was plantes by missionaries, like Ansgar, who built Churches and converted people, even though the pagans tried to persecute and even murder some of the converts. So don’t oversimplify history just because of your own personal biases. I am a history student who is studying Norwegian Viking and Medieval history and the history of my country and it’s transformasjon into Christianity is way more complicated than most people make it out to be.
The Vikings in Ireland (their biggest European trading port was in Dublin) became Christianised as the Irish legal system was very fond of using fosterage to form allegiances. This meant that Irish Christians were living with Norse families, and Norse children living with Irish Christian families. The Norse kings and jarls who held influence in their ports in Ireland also knew that conversion brought a large amount of infrastructure with it. Bishops and other clerics could be used as administrators. This is why the Norse-Irish converted. Another interesting note is that Irish monks often journeyed to the Faroe Islands during Lent to replicate the harsh weather conditions endured by Christ in the desert (although they were going for the cold). The role of Ireland in the Scandinavian world cannot be underestimated, even though the Norse failed to conquer any large tracts of land in the country. The last Norwegian king killed overseas was Magnus Barefoot, who was killed in an ambush by the Ulaid clan.
One thing about Christianity, regardless of how one may feel- love it or hate it. You still gotta admire how it can not only overcome, but also overtake, whatever obstacle it encounters. Including the fact that civilizations such as the Norse can be converted to it. On some level you have to respect that power..
Yes it takes away all choice and freedom - a scary sideffect of this brain-killing disease. It has been able to hold europe in its claws for 2000ys, and all the primitive reflexes from killing heretics and witches, to the fear of knowledge - the christians are a virtueless bunch, but their abuse of power makes their collective extremely dangerous and difficult to shake off. Torture, pillaging, submission, mental torture, pain - all that is the rose-bouquet of christendom - it destroyed europe entirely. And now, the mental scars are still in the population, submission has been breed into the european genome in a way, that will be hard to get rid off. Yes, as a white european, i fear christianity - an anti-spiritual, anti-everything lifeless ideology. I was very ill treated in the YMCA when i was a child. For me, christianity is nothing but a joke on mankind, a weakness to overcome, something that crept behind me when i was a child, and i had to uproot it with all my might. I despised how everyone was seemingly steeped in this nonsense, and how they all did to others what the romans and jews did to jesus. As i said, a cosmic joke. Weird is also that gnosticism did not get more followers after the reformation - why would they all follow the same boring shit? If the gnostic-allegoric interpretations of thomas and philip would have been canonized, maybe europe would not have been destroyed in the dark ages. Abrahamitic thought is the bane of the earth. But i was stronger than them all combined, and i found my own thing. Christianity in my book is a chapter on how religion can be trauma.I never had a serious issue with jesus though, besides the impetus to evangelize and hellfire torture shit.. But the god of the jews and the religion of christianity - nah, nope, i dont want that in my head!!! Weird, although jesus himself was cclearly a GNOSTIC, his followers serve this worm jhwh.. But a degree more degenerated than christendom itself, is of course the bunch of people revelling in the love for the medieval thought and clothes. A wonder they dont shit into streets..
Yes! Every genuine Christian should share this truth! All are quick to point to the crusades. But before that, how did Christianity spread? Also look up Catholicism in Japan, they were heavily prosecuted and eventually bombed by mason president truman.
@@THELASTOFTHEX Baltic paganism and Norse paganism aren't the same thing, even though like with all pagan faiths there are crossovers. Baltic pagans didn't deserve to be converted by the sword any more than the Christians of Britain deserved retaliation from Norse pagans for German incursions into their domains. It's all this refusal to see distinction and amalgamating things for financial or martial gain that causes a lot of our problems in the first place.
I can highly recommend "History of the Crusades Podcast" by Sharyn Eastaugh on Podcast Republic or whereever. She goes into great detail regarding the baltic crusades. You wont be dissapointed.
The Catholic Church: Thank goodness we've brought the swedes into our fold, now a warrior king from there will never trouble us again. The Church in the 17th century: ...Why do I hear boss music?
I am really impressed by the quality of Kings and Generals videos lately. In just two years this channel went from battle illustrations to top notch short documentaries. Keep up the amazing work!
Yep. Every knee will bow and tongue confess Jesus is Lord regardless of their religion against Him. It's still not too late. Jesus loves all of you! Repent and accept Him for His sacrifice to reunite you with the one true God. Every person is eternal; there are only two places to spend eternity. Choose wisely. God bless you.
I was thinking the same thing. Kind of interesting how the author interpreted Knut's way of not following the Christian ethic as him rebelling against God.
@@AR-ql4tj Well, we haven't seen much of Canute after his last interaction with Thorfinn in the manga, so there's plenty of reason why we can see a character development that shows the maturity of Canute into a more ethical, but pragmatic monarch.
@@ioannispolemarkhos7364 I wish we could just see him again in the manga. He's my favorite character and he's barely gotten any screen time in the last 50 chapters.
This is so cool. A factually backed unbiased summary of real historical facts, accompanied by great commentary, and with a comment section void of significant controversy and many people learning. This is a rare place on the internet and will enjoy it a while longer :) Skal!
I would also add that the raids on monasteries like Lindisfarne were motivated more by the desire for plunder rather than an anti-christian outlook. Many of the same men attacking monasteries had no problem accepting nominal baptism if they thought it would improve their negotiating power during trade etc.
Indeed. In fact the locations of the wealthy monasteries were probably known to the Norse because of long-standing interfaith trade. The image of the vikings as zealous defenders of the old ways is a mix of contemporary Christian propaganda from said sacked monasteries and later romanticized depictions.
@@Oxtocoatl13 Indeed, many of the Rus Merchants trading in the Khazar Khaganate and the Abbasid Caliphate/Islamic world were Christians due to their contact with it and other monotheistic religions. Much like in Lithuania, the "staunch pagans" trope is grossly exaggerated.
This was a fascinating video. It's amazing to me how the spread of Christianity also helped spread civilization and technology. After all, Christianity was spread from the remnants of the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire and Christianity are the common heritage of Europe. You can't love Europe, without accepting its heritage.
@@karlmagnusson6931 Jesus är kungarnas konung och din frälsare. Att vända honom ryggen är att vända ryggen till evigt liv. I vår gamla asatro så dyrkade man naturen som naturligt är brutal och utan nåd. Kristendomen räddade oss från slaveri och svält som var vanligt under Vikinga-tiden.
@Radagast Love, peace, fairness, justice... You call these things decadent? Do you know that you are calling the banishment of slavery decadent and degenerate?
@@lasislasfilipinas114 I used to be a catholic and I did study their doctrines so yes I know some catholic theology. it is full of paganism and many false doctrines. seek Truth and come out of her
I don't think any of the Scandinavian kingdoms were strong enough to convert their whole kingdoms. Like you said, they were incredibly decentralized. Which means that a vast majority of the conversions were peaceful and gradual. Which is what makes the conversion of the north so fascinating.
Very much like Ireland, much of our pagan folklore lives on as well things people just kinda know. You know we still leave a bowl of porridge for the house elf, tell tales of mistletoe and the gods to our children and still give pagan explanations to why some things are the way they are. Some even believe in elves and trolls living in the forest. Sure the religion is dead but it became culture instead. Not to mention the sami traditions in Norrland. In my village it was just a part of life so you just dont question it
@Marcelo Henrique Soares da Silva lmao, you didnt get it, its a "joke" made because of the amazing with no agenda, Scandinavian Airlines commercial "What is truly Scandinavian?".
Aron Johansson I thinks it may sometimes be a bit of a false dichotomy to say something is pagan or Christian often. Since it’s the spiritual practices of a people. Often times folk belief rise up in Christian populations, pre or post conversion, and you wouldn’t exactly call it Christian or non Christian. Just a part of the local flavor.
Thank you so much for covering Scandinavian history, it's surprisingly very sparse on RUclips for whatever reason and there's no better channel I'd like to fill the void than you guys. cheers from a Swede
Swear you have one of the best channels on RUclips. Not just for history lovers or military strategy fiends, but for anyone who thirsts does knowledge. Keep up the great work!
@@seanranklin2733 Not really. Any indepth knowledge of both christianity and Islam will make Islam fall apart very rapidly. And this is just by using logic, science and coherent arguments.
Never underestimate the sincere conversion, turning away from pagan spiritualism to follow Christ. People do not always change worldview because of political, socio-economic, or familial pressures.
The heavily syncretized folkreligion, which in many ways were mostly christian by name lived on for centuries after the conversion - not just decades. It shared more commonalities with phenomenons such as santaria and voodoo than actual christianity. In my region of Denmark (vendsyssel), last time someone sacrificed a horse, by burying it alive, for good luck was in 1875.
Christian's have " mastered " the art of suckering populations into conversion over the millennia. One thing this video didnt mention, which may have been done on purpose so as not to " offend " Christian viewers, is how Christians hijacked the winter solstice celebrations and turned them into " Christmas " .....
Esaul Viramontes this flexibility and coopt however had the consequence that christianity never really managed to penetrate and wash away the heathen mind, in rural europe - especially in northern and eastern europe.. peasant christianity were hardly christian, more a heathendom with a christian spicing. Christianity proper were a thing of nobility, town dwellers and clergy.
@@mr.e3894 Its one reason i would love to go to mexico, i lived in southern africa for a couple of years. And since traditional Bantu religions has supreme creator god, the level of molten togetherness with Christianity is extreme - Christianity fits perfectly on top of the traditional beliefs without anything has to change. Its pure witchcraft Christianity, where you access God through dealing with your ancestors and its beautiful. I imagine it would have been the path of development scandinavian christianity would have continued to develop if the church had less capability for structural violence and mental abuse
As a Catholic did you know about the Irish brigade who fought with the Mexicans who were also Catholics against the United States? As a veteran, history cannot be changed and how our nation did very evil. Evil from the government, not from the general public.
@@jasonaltig985 I get that a lot of people hate it, but such intolerant one liners backed by nothing isn't an effective way of turning anyone from the church.
@@bibbedcracker121 didn’t think I needed to back it up, I thought looking at the history of the Catholic Church made it self-evident. I’m also aware that if someone really examines the Catholic Church and doesn’t leave it, one liners will do nothing.
Mesmerizing animation, and very interesting story! Here in Portugal we do have a Viking heritage in the form of the traditional Douro river boat, the Rabelo boat, as it is considered a son of the Viking Drakkar.
I know Vikings raided the Portugal and Spanish coasts but don't recall any colonization. If there was any they were probably short lived just like their attempt to raid deep into Spain which was a failure.
@@daneaxe6465 I think there were raids indeed, mostly in Northern Portugal. Colonization at that period is something I can't confirm, but I think it wasn't the best time ever to come here to thrive, once this period is marked in the whole of the Peninsula with the Reconquista. I do know however of a curious case, the town of Godim, located at the banks of the Douro river in Trás-os-Montes, and I think there's the tale that its name comes from the Norse God Odin. Whatever the case, the Rabelo boat has some similar features with the Drakkar, as the square sail and shallow design.
story was pretty interesting as always but i was so focused on the effects-animations and the usage of 3d that from time to time i had to take video back :D ... this one was really good if you ask me :) even tho some scenes didnt really make much sense with the story that narrator was telling from it was pretty good ... good video as always K&G
Fascinating! These kinds of history videos you've been making, imho, are arguably more entertaining and interesting than just the wars and battles, THIS is how we come to understand how life back then was actually like, rather than just how warfare and the politics of the elite!
My girlfriend always making fun of me and tells me 'Good night' when I start a K&G video after 11pm. I always fall asleep because of K&G narrator's voice. I need to finish the video when I wake up in the morning. Thank you. Thanks to you I improve my English (vocab & pronunciation) and my history knowledge.
Love these videos on European history! The animations and succinct yet very well detailed information is so well delivered. I wish that you would list the actual tracks you use from epic music, especially the Mongol related videos.
Great video as always! Hint for when pronouncing Swedish words/names (might hold true for Danish and Norwegian as well) vowels are considered long if not followed by a double consonant. Example: Tak (eng: Roof) is pronounced /ta:k/ Tack (eng: Thanks) is pronounced /tak/ So sustain those vowels!
@Hoàng Nguyên Are you insane? Greeks are fervant Orthodox. What returned was some LARPers dress in togas and immitate a piece of some ritual. You know nothing of Greece and her people, if you think they'd abandon reason and tradition to look for "gods" on Olympus.
The 3D animation effects are brilliant. These documentaries look more and more like cinematic introductions to some video games. The battle reviews and their impact on History are great but these videos more focused on the cultural side of History are a very fine addition ! All the best, K & G. From Geneva.
It is worth remembering the conversion of the Normans, who sailed from Scandinavia and conquered Northern France, at mid 10th century, more or less. In order to secure his new domains and make peace with the locals, the Norman King Rollo accepted the Christian Religion, as the French King demanded. Thus, the conversion of the Scandinavian people can be mostly (but not entirely) explained by both political and trade benefits.
That’s one level of analysis but how do you explain the Vikings building a church on their settlement in Greenland. That was for all intensive purposes two whole worlds away from anyone else. It wasn’t nobles running those settlements or going to Greenland either. On a deep sincere level Christianity was embraced by them evidence shows.
9:32 The 'å' in 'Håkon' being pronounced correctly was such a small detail, yet hearing it made me smile, mostly as it was so unexpected. If I wasn't already subbed, I definitely would've just for that! :)
Historically, whenever you speak about Scandinavia, particularly Sweden. You kinda have to speak about Finland too. As around 11th or 12th century Sweden started ruling coastal Finland. This would also be a good starting point for conversion of Finland. I only can recall that it was slow. VERY slow and it is arguable that Christian churches in Finland and Sweden were first proto lutherans much more later with Sweden after all, you can call Sweden and Finland as two arms of one kingdom. After all Vikings had already established colonies in coastal Finland. I am interested to hear about how Finland slowly became Christian
@Van Aser You are wrong about Estonia. I can't remember which channel made video about battle of ice but there was mentioned that there was some crusades against Estonians but they stopped quite quickly and locals started to support fight against Novgorod. So what comes on crusades on Estonia. Yeah there was some killing. In the scale of Jerusalem and on the way there? No way near close of it. Right now the least religious nation in Europe is Estonia and for quite good reasons and as a Fin. I don't really care about religion much. History and culture it provided? Yeah, they are cool and I love memes about Catholic church succession crises.
Incorrect, the Danes went on a crusade against Estonia and forced the locals into Christianity. Whilst they were Pagan, the Kingdom of Sweden did not occupy Finland, but there MIGHT have been a East-Norse speaking (same as Swedes) kingdom in modern day Finland called Kvenland, however Kvenland is known for rivalling the Suomi (the finns near the isle of Aland, sweden).
@@aidansumner8364 I don't think I said anything about complete occupation. Only around mid 16th century Finland was completely recognized as part of Swedish Kingdom. Even then nation enjoyed autonomy under certain conditions. (Payment and contribution in to army when requested as far as I know). So mostly in the coastal Finland and slightly inland. Cultures mixed and Finnish people slowly converted in to Christianity but I think it is safe to assume that some pointy things did find some marks before 16th century during Swedish expansion in to inland of Finland.
Yeah, whenever you call Finland apart of Scandinavia, that usually pisses a lot of people off. Us Fins have a completely different language and culture, and hate being associated with a Peninsula we aren’t even on.
The songs used in the coptic church were originally used for rituals during the pharoic era. And the ankh with historically symbolized eternal life was adopted for christian use too
Very nice! I have a suggestion for a future video: How about the Battle of Kagul of 1774 between the Russian and Ottoman Empires. It was a very significant and decisive event
Kubabayaty6402, Thor doesn’t exist. Jesus is God & he willingly gave himself up as a sacrifice out of love. That’s something your pagan religions don’t have - love. Your paganism is heartless & evil, but you will taste your own medicine when you’re being tormented in hellfire for eternity if you don’t submit to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is risen, & He will conquer you!!!
damn Kings and Generals! you have outdone yourself with the new animations and artistic work! I love it! keep the important duty of teaching history while keeping it interesting and fun to learn/watch!
The story of Sweden is super interesting. I’m surprised that since they were more chill about it the old religion didn’t hold out for a few more centuries. It looks like people just genuinely thought christianity was a better idea though. Still very refreshing to hear about a peaceful, chill exchange of ideas though in history rather than just blood, belligerence and conquest. Even though there was occasionally some asshole who took issue with it, it seems like generally it was alright culturally if everyone maybe didn’t believe in exactly the same thing for a while. At least within Sweden itself. I’d even argue we can learn from this ideal and apply it to today on a number of different issues.
From what I understand, one of the instruments of conversion was to move Ragnorok into the PAST, rather than the future. Thw was accomplished by saying that the two persons who emerged after all the fun stuff, from the Tree were Adam and Eve and the rest just followed
If I remember correctly there is also an supposed "successor god" who is destined to arrive from heaven and inherit the earth who is heavily implied to be the christian god since hes supposedly "above" the Aesir, which doesnt make much sense in the context of the Edda. But who are abrahamic religions to judge with their strong syncretic influence of Zoroastrianism and bronze age desert storm and war god dieties with stories that directly counteract their supposed core tenants, I guess.
@@felixleidinger1670 abrahamic religions are not syncretised with zoroastrionism or desert god religions. Zoroastrian scriptures are much more recent then you think. So chronollogically it is the other way around.
@@felixleidinger1670 I did not hear any more than what I posted, but what you added makes sense and could have been added later, it seems that the Ragnarok mythi simply puts a boundary on the world of the Norse religion and offers just a glimpse of what is beyond and the Christian missionaries took that glimpse and stitched in something that could spring from that glimpse and transition to their religion. AND they did it well. Thank you for adding that
@@danraf1562 Actually its pretty reasonable to assume that the concepts of the cosmic duality between good and bad, the good creator and an evil counterpart and demonology in abrahamic religious beliefs were adopted from Zoroastrianism of which first records appeared in 5000 BCE, and given that even especially christian religious beliefs werent written down until hundreds of years after Christs death I wouldnt negate syncretism in the oral tradition, on the contrary oral tradition fuels such aspects in the first place. I'd like you to think about the popularity of cults like the cult of Mithras or the cult of Sol Invictus as potent rivals with early christianity in the pre-canonisation era, when even christian writers noted surprising similarities. Probably influencing Islamic practices further down the line as well.
@@felixleidinger1670 Also, I understand that one of the missionaries, who was sainted and whose name I've forgotten, caused the Norse to accept Christianiuty by chopping down the tree that was consecrated to Thor with no harm to himslef. Curiously enough, this try was said to be in Germany rather than Scandinvia
I have been enjoying the HBO TV show " VIKINGS" . In this show an enslaved monk Named "Athelred ?" starts to convert Norwegians to Christianity through humble acts of kindness. Do you know if that is based on a historical figure?
2 years late but no its not true. Vikings is what I would call historical fiction. Based on some historical facts and ppl but most isnt real. Ragnar wasnt a farmer for ex, he was the son of a king.
@@nenasiek Thank You nenasiek! You are the first person to answer me in 2 years. I assume that the show is fictional and only loosely based on history but what parts of it do you think are somewhat accurate ?
Beautiful imaginery, splendid narration, interesting story. What more can you ask? Well, as if we need to ask these guys for more stories like this one. Thanks K&G!
10:55 few of those places that were the last to converte to christianity in Sweden were parts of Hälsingland/Helsingia. Ödmården was an ancient forest that separated Hälsingland from the rest of the country in the south. Back when the people were more superstitious there were myths and rumours that revolved around the forest that brought fear to some. It had a difficult terrain to pass through and there were a pagan resistens around Bergviken somwhere above Ödmorden. Those that survived the forest were probably confronted by the hostile inhabitants that were not fond in christians. One of the resorts around Bergviken is Hårga that's depicted in the horror film "Midsummer", even Ödmården is depicted in horror, the movie "Draug".
Pretty good video, but I really feel you didn't cover Iceland in enough detail. It also sounded like you were implying that the Iceland turned christian because of british missionaries which is just wrong. It was a pretty complex moment in history that had much more to do with the king of Norway.
I tend to think Bluetooth's conversion was sincere since he went to the trouble of reburying his parents in a church graveyard with a Jelling Stone basically telling God to look out for them. At least, that's how I preached it in a sermon I gave!
As much as I love this channel's video's on various battles n wars. it's wonderful that it's willing to talk about other things. I sure hope they keep it up for a very longtime to come. My compliments to those who made this video a reality.
Do any of the Scandinavian nations spell it with a Y though? Never heard of that. As far as i know it's spelled "Jul" everywhere. From the standpoint of an english speaker though, "Yule" is probably closer to how it's pronounced in Scandinavia.
Many historians seem to think in super practical terms like we do today. Religion was far more important to people back then, and I doubt they would convert for pragmatism.
Most Norse people converted because they were miserable in their old culture and religion. Norse faith was totally fine with rape, slavery and mass murder, of course after hearing the book of Matthew from a missionary, Christianity does tend to become VERY attractive for both men and women who are in a bad economic and social situation.
@@christianriddler5063 so much so in the beginning and when it first entered regions it was called the slaves and women's religion. Sadly and ironically later it was called a religion of slavers, masters, used to control people. I get the feeling Luke would have spoken powerfully to them too with it having the most miracles of them, thoguh of course all love the Sermon on the Mount. Mark has a lot of action too, John is deep. Matthew was primarily written to the Jews, with all the prophecy and such in it, so they may not have gotten it as well.
@@catholicracialist776 amen, brother. I meant that now people don't seem to care about religion as much as they did then, sicne there are so many more atheists for example, or people under playing the value religion may have played like here, saying 'so and so only converted for pragmatic reasons' but that does not make religion itself any less important.
Hello from Hindustan (India) . I am so inspired to understand and observe these documentaries presented by Kings and Generals that no matter what is the topic being it a matter of dynasty , civilization , culture , war etc . I am adding more knowledge and can help myself in understanding this world . Thankyou Kings and Generals for good work . Question - Were the scandanavians converted to Catholic or Protestants ? PS: Sorry if I have missed it somewhere
@Sid Sharma The Scandinavians were converted to Roman Catholicism during the 10th and 11th centuries, but they changed to Protestantism during the 17th century.
Luther who famously “protested”against Catholic practices didn’t live til centuries after. So Scandinavian was converted long before Protestantism existed but then they immediately adopted.
As a Norwegian Christian it's really refreshing to watch an objective historical account of the spread of Christianity in the Norse lands, since most people here repeat the cliché about "Christendom was spread in Norway by blood (!!!)" and there's no point in trying to explain real, historical facts, since this black & white image is so ingrained in most people, that they think it's THE Truth. Modern TV-series like "Vikings" where the old pagans are portrayed as pretty, tolerant, feminists and humanistic people, and the Christians as ugly, intolerant, dictatorial, wicked psychos, just make people even more buried under a mound of nonsense. It's not easy to be a Christian here.
Know the history, because i’m Danish and like history - it's really a good overview, where you can quickly get the story, there is more to find out if you are interested, but this provides a basis for better understanding off topics in that time. Nice to see, even if you know the story - from my point of view, it gladly could be translated into danish
@@SergePupko exactly,which is why evaluating oneself with their morals and asking if it's better to sacrifice one's own comfort for a better future. Though the cynic in me says that's impossible
Finns are specifically shown on the map, while Estonians aren't, even though Estonians heavily outnumbered Finns in that era. Also, the Rus' is shown spanning too much into Estonia.
I've long wondered how monotheism versus polytheism affected grassroots politics. IMO it seems like polytheism is an easy way for a population to instigate change. One could always cite some mythical pretence or prescience in prosecution of a political cause. Monotheism is essentially a consolidation of grassroots political power.
@@satyakisil9711 This just increase my support of the concept that our struggles are of the mind and the domination of land. Maybe someday we will be able to rise above that
@@Diogolindir Call me redpilled, but I don't think that can happen. Humans may rise above religion, but they cannot fundamentally rise above conflict and dispute. No war, no peace.
Hi Kings and Generals, are you going to make any videos about Indonesia anytime soon? The historical empires of Srivijaya or Majapahit would be interesting, or perhaps the gradual colonisation of the archipelago by the Dutch.
Awesome! I love your pronunciation of Mr. Blootooth and Sigurd Jorsalaf#&$(@) (Sigurður Jórsalafari, who went to Jerusalem -Jórsalir in old Icelandic) 😂😂. It is interesting that in Iceland around the year 1000 it was decided on Althing that Iceland should be Christian but those who remained heathen, could worship (blóta) the old gods in secret and eat horse meat. Maybe because of that, horse meat has been connected to heathendom so eating it remained a taboo for the next 1000 years in Iceland (although people eat it today and probably did in through the centuries when there was not much food). Keep up the good work , I always enjoy your videos! Greetings from Iceland!
Imperator: Rome is getting better with each free update and you can attest to that and support us in these difficult times by trying it via this link: bit.ly/2QIrBqC There will be 3 videos this week!
@Kings and Generals last time I was this early and asteroid was on its way to wipe my species out
Pls do more on other old nations etc chartage ,illyrian ,scytia
Try eu4, I have 3k hours on it, it's the best paradox game in my opinion
Brilliantly done! I'd love to see something on more obscure ancient cultures that we of a western audience don't have the opportunity to learn much about, such as Polynesia or Subsarahan Africa.
Funny that this video is sponsored by Imperator. Would have expected it around the release of Crusader Kings 3 instead. But you did inform me it was free to play again - I didn't have much time to try it last time it was free.
I feel like K&G are becoming more and more adept with artistic rendering and various sophisticated animation styles. Very nice guys, thanks for another great production!
The visuals are out of this world, I just wish the narration was a bit softer and engaging. Dan Carlin tells stories... this guy sounds like he’s affecting one of those artificial reading voice apps. He’s clearly British, just speak nicely and engage people in your own voice - that would be enough.
@@ah7910 I'd disagree, this narrator keeps me pretty engaged. Although his voice isn't soothing at all it feels realistic and makes me interested in hearing the story it is telling
That is all thanks to Raid : shadow legends
Just realized he kinda sounds like an Oblivion character.
Catholic and Christian are different, catholicism has a lot of paganism in it...
This guy's voice was made to narrate historical documentaries.
XDXD
European ones, yes indeed.
True, but he could improve even more if he practiced the pronunciation of foreign cities and places instead of reading them in a very American way.
God: Ok make this man British
Angel: Right.
God: Give him the best voice to narrate all history
Angel: I sorry but this doesnt make any sin-
God MY WILL BE DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@James Abdullah Wang Yes, it's not natural, but maybe it needs this sound, where no words merge, as native speakers would speak. Sounds a bit fake - but great content!
This feels like I'm watching the old History channel when they actually taught history. Thank you!
Im pretty sure that aliens converted the norse into Christians.
@@alansalas1880 I'm not saying Jesus was an alien, I'm just saying we have no proof that Jesus WASN'T an alien.
Tonight on the history channel: how did transgender handicapped ancient aliens influence inspire the famous Nordic band Aqua?
You don’t think American Pickers is real history?
History has not been any were near this good in years.
love how this channel turned from war, battles and military history to mid duration history and historic transformations
I guess that this technically falls under the "kings" category
Catholic and Christian are different, catholicism has a lot of paganism in it...
@Klaidi Rubiku are you asking me to explain brother? or would you rather I point you to a theologian who has credentials in this subject? regardless it is quite easy to get informed regarding paganism in catholicism: they have idols and images (banned in The Scriptures and practiced by nearly all pagan religions), they pray to Mary and saints, another pagan practice (even this video made allusion to this fact), they follow the roman papacy (not from The Bible but from men perverting The Simplicity of The Gospel), they have pagan feasts, etc.etc. you can quite easily find more information on this subject, but I would recommend being careful for the net of disinformation the jesuits have is quite extensive....
Incoming Historian who always nitpick about historical accuracy.
Let me tell you one thing.
Never expect historical accuracy from Anime.
@@ramichahin2
So, did you practice Jews law?
Did you eat kosher food?
Pointless Fact: The developer of "Bluetooth" tech. Was reading the sagas, at the time of development. Bluetooth was its code name. When it got leaked to the press, they called it Bluetooth so, they ran with it. In fact, the symbol for "Bluetooth", Is viking H and B, together.
wow no wonder I always thought it looked like a rune! Interesting story, thanks for sharing
Cool, I was literally just wondering about Bluetooth and its symbol last week and how it came to be. Thanks for answering my question without even realizing it :)
@Anirudh Sivakumar is was the nickname of one of the kings mentioned in the video, the one whose convertion to christianity is considered one of the most important milestones of the eventual conversion of the whole region, he was also the grandfather of Canute / Cnut the great.
yep, you can say we all have some rune enchanted magic devices in our pockets...
Yeah that came to my mind too when they mentioned him
"and received permission to proselytize in Denmark by his son Harald Bluetooth"
Looks like the file transfer was accepted.
I bet the 4-digits authentication code is 6666.
@@AnhTrieu90 which is, in fact, the symbol of money (gold) (srsly, wiki) 🙂
You have to put your shades on after that and walk away.
What did the priest say when Harald got married? "Bluetooth successfully paired".
That is actually where the symbol and name of Bluetooth originated from. Lmao
These documentaries are just amazing, they get so artistically sophisticated and captivating. Well done, truly.
Ave Aurelian Restitutor Orbis! AVE CAESAR IESUS IMPERATOR ORBIS!!
Praise the sun!!!
Ave Imperator, gloria ad Roma!
As a Norwegian Christian and a history student, I thank you for making this video!
Very often the story of Christianisation of Scandinavia is simplified to one of conflict and violence and it is annoying to have to point out that the story is alot more complicated.
Archelology has shown Christian grave practices in Norway as early as the 9th century and the Vikings often did adopt Christianity either after settling abroad or they brought the faith home.
One thing that also should mentioned is that it was not actually St. Olaf’s violence that firmly established Christianity in Norway, but it was his death and reports of miracles and declaration of Sainthood that made Christianity accepted ar every level of Norwegian society.
Excellent video!
I hope there are many true Christians like you in Norway , it's really sad to see Norway turning into atheism today and most Norwegians don't care about Christianity or even don't accept it anymore
@@gtm5336
Well we are still here. Nothing indicates we are declining more now than previously but nothing indicates that we are growing either.
There is some indication that the people who are believers, are becoming stronger believers and more devout.
There has been a very successful misinformation campaign about Christianity in Norway where Christianity is portrayed negatively through falsehoods in our textbooks at school, which lead to a Norwegian Christian write a book, documenting the falsehoods.
The Norwegian title is «Lurt av læreboken» which means ‘’Fooled by the school books’’
The biggest travesty of the anti-Christian influence is that the King who used to be one of Norwegians biggest pride and sense of national identity, St. Olaf, both in Catholic and Protestant times, has now become a villain to most Norwegians.
@@gtm5336 🤮🤮
@@kimsnightmare do you have stomache ache ?
@@michaelmarini94
Lol, this is not true at all.
The Norwegians who fles to Iceland did so due to fear of the Pagan King Harald Fairhair, the first King of Norway. That’s why the majority left. The first Christian missionary King was Håkon the Good and he only had limited success in Western Norway and was never able to get his Jarls to baptise.
King Olaf Tryggvasson Christianed parts of Iceland but in the end it was Iceland’s own decision to peacefully convert to Christianity at the Allthing.
In Norway the Pagans even burned down some of the Churches set up by Håkon the Good to stop the Faith. The pagans also tried to force paganism in some parts of Ireland through force.
The Norse Pagans weren’t conquered by Crusaders. They were converted through multiple efforts and the role of Kings played a part but it was not the only part.
By the time of the death of Olaf Tryggvasson, the upper classes in Norway were all Christian and paganism only survived in the Upplands and some parts of the North.
They were converted, partially by force, but the biggest thing that made them convert was due to the reported miracles by King Olaf Halfdanson, later St. Olaf. Honouring of St. Olaf became extremely popular.
The popularity of King Olaf was also due to Danish oppression and the Norwegians started to regret handling their country to the Danes.
And this is just Norway. In Sweden and Denmark, the seeds of Christianity was plantes by missionaries, like Ansgar, who built Churches and converted people, even though the pagans tried to persecute and even murder some of the converts.
So don’t oversimplify history just because of your own personal biases. I am a history student who is studying Norwegian Viking and Medieval history and the history of my country and it’s transformasjon into Christianity is way more complicated than most people make it out to be.
The Vikings in Ireland (their biggest European trading port was in Dublin) became Christianised as the Irish legal system was very fond of using fosterage to form allegiances. This meant that Irish Christians were living with Norse families, and Norse children living with Irish Christian families. The Norse kings and jarls who held influence in their ports in Ireland also knew that conversion brought a large amount of infrastructure with it. Bishops and other clerics could be used as administrators. This is why the Norse-Irish converted. Another interesting note is that Irish monks often journeyed to the Faroe Islands during Lent to replicate the harsh weather conditions endured by Christ in the desert (although they were going for the cold).
The role of Ireland in the Scandinavian world cannot be underestimated, even though the Norse failed to conquer any large tracts of land in the country. The last Norwegian king killed overseas was Magnus Barefoot, who was killed in an ambush by the Ulaid clan.
The Irish impact on history is very understated (and this is coming from an Anglo)
it is not Ned Kelly and JFK president of America. Comedians and boybands you have enough.
@@boshirahmed lol
I remember hearing about the Druids having a profecy about Jesus.. they where expecting him.
amen
Title: How the Norse became Christian
Me: Flashbacks of Ivar Ivaring becoming Catholic every single 867 CKII run
Funny thing, I only have memories of Augustus Basil becoming Hellenic on my 867 runs
Harald Bluetooth. Connected since 960.
I fucking love this comment
Lol
One thing about Christianity, regardless of how one may feel- love it or hate it. You still gotta admire how it can not only overcome, but also overtake, whatever obstacle it encounters. Including the fact that civilizations such as the Norse can be converted to it. On some level you have to respect that power..
Yes it takes away all choice and freedom - a scary sideffect of this brain-killing disease. It has been able to hold europe in its claws for 2000ys, and all the primitive reflexes from killing heretics and witches, to the fear of knowledge - the christians are a virtueless bunch, but their abuse of power makes their collective extremely dangerous and difficult to shake off.
Torture, pillaging, submission, mental torture, pain - all that is the rose-bouquet of christendom - it destroyed europe entirely. And now, the mental scars are still in the population, submission has been breed into the european genome in a way, that will be hard to get rid off.
Yes, as a white european, i fear christianity - an anti-spiritual, anti-everything lifeless ideology. I was very ill treated in the YMCA when i was a child. For me, christianity is nothing but a joke on mankind, a weakness to overcome, something that crept behind me when i was a child, and i had to uproot it with all my might. I despised how everyone was seemingly steeped in this nonsense, and how they all did to others what the romans and jews did to jesus. As i said, a cosmic joke. Weird is also that gnosticism did not get more followers after the reformation - why would they all follow the same boring shit? If the gnostic-allegoric interpretations of thomas and philip would have been canonized, maybe europe would not have been destroyed in the dark ages. Abrahamitic thought is the bane of the earth.
But i was stronger than them all combined, and i found my own thing. Christianity in my book is a chapter on how religion can be trauma.I never had a serious issue with jesus though, besides the impetus to evangelize and hellfire torture shit.. But the god of the jews and the religion of christianity - nah, nope, i dont want that in my head!!!
Weird, although jesus himself was cclearly a GNOSTIC, his followers serve this worm jhwh..
But a degree more degenerated than christendom itself, is of course the bunch of people revelling in the love for the medieval thought and clothes. A wonder they dont shit into streets..
Yes!
Every genuine Christian should share this truth!
All are quick to point to the crusades. But before that, how did Christianity spread?
Also look up Catholicism in Japan, they were heavily prosecuted and eventually bombed by mason president truman.
Jesus the Christ is truly the King of kings and Lord of lords.
Cancer can do that too and I don’t have to admire it.
@@1984a-g9f actually he is just a religious nut job who was killed 2,000 years ago if he even existed at all.
6:38 "Annoyed Warlord finds those Christians disurbing."
12:55 "Annoyed Warlord is Christian now, but still cannot stand those clerics."
Can't say I blame him given what the Catholic church was like
It's because he was never truly Christian & was rather a Pagan Infiltrator just trying to survive Christian implemented Genocide.
@@ProjectEkerTest33 The Catholic Church is the best and only true Christianity.
@@scutumfidelis1436 says no one that read the bible from cover to cover...
@@WhereThereDude Oh the bible, yes, you're welcome.
Floki the shipbuilder does not approve.
Isabella the Catholic approves, especially the forced conversions.
Floki lost my respect when he did not become a human sacrifice for his gods. What a pussy.
@Esben M no. Jesus saves 🥳🥰
Thank God we left these cults of human sacrifices.
@Esben M i am Austrian
@Esben M thats because u are brainwashed. The old religions were horrible, including human sacrifice.
How about covering the Christianisation of the Baltics as well? They were the last regions of Europe to be Christianised.
Those poor people. They didnt deserve what those Christians did to them.
Lithuania in the late 14th century, Based and Paganpilled
@@activatewindows2305 Saints Cyril and Methodius....
@@THELASTOFTHEX Baltic paganism and Norse paganism aren't the same thing, even though like with all pagan faiths there are crossovers. Baltic pagans didn't deserve to be converted by the sword any more than the Christians of Britain deserved retaliation from Norse pagans for German incursions into their domains. It's all this refusal to see distinction and amalgamating things for financial or martial gain that causes a lot of our problems in the first place.
I can highly recommend "History of the Crusades Podcast" by Sharyn Eastaugh on Podcast Republic or whereever. She goes into great detail regarding the baltic crusades. You wont be dissapointed.
The Catholic Church: Thank goodness we've brought the swedes into our fold, now a warrior king from there will never trouble us again.
The Church in the 17th century: ...Why do I hear boss music?
GUSTAVUS... ADOLPHUS
@@Masterchieftsh
He's the man of culture
@@Masterchieftsh LIBERA ET IMPERA
@AshhadASLAM DAHRI
Nope.....
Of course not....
@AshhadASLAM DAHRI nooo Selim was a drunk
I am really impressed by the quality of Kings and Generals videos lately. In just two years this channel went from battle illustrations to top notch short documentaries. Keep up the amazing work!
You can sack your enemy's holdings, but you can't hold your enemy's sack
ctastrophe 😂😂😂
ctastrophe dont threaten me with a good time
@@Yuki_Francisco 🤣
@@Yuki_Francisco who? Me?
Can't I?
Watching your videos is the best way to spend my quarantine time, thanks a lot guys! Greetings, a fan from northern Italy 🇮🇹🤜🏻
Take care amici..I visited italy when I played Assassin's creed.
😅😅
I wish your country a speedy recovery. The rest of the world is with you....
I hope it will be okay soon stay strong
@@umtoge Thanks. Yes it will. Take care.
Stay strong brother
It’s almost Harvesting Season
OF YOUR SOULS!!! * WIELDING A BATTLE AXE INTENSIFIES*
Yep. Every knee will bow and tongue confess Jesus is Lord regardless of their religion against Him. It's still not too late. Jesus loves all of you! Repent and accept Him for His sacrifice to reunite you with the one true God. Every person is eternal; there are only two places to spend eternity. Choose wisely.
God bless you.
@@HisWordisLife4U Amen.
@@winburna852 😊
I keep having Vinland Saga flashbacks when Knut is mentioned.
I was thinking the same thing. Kind of interesting how the author interpreted Knut's way of not following the Christian ethic as him rebelling against God.
@@AR-ql4tj He probably did believe as much as anyone but his secular lifestyle caused him consternation.
@@AR-ql4tj Well, we haven't seen much of Canute after his last interaction with Thorfinn in the manga, so there's plenty of reason why we can see a character development that shows the maturity of Canute into a more ethical, but pragmatic monarch.
@@ioannispolemarkhos7364 I wish we could just see him again in the manga. He's my favorite character and he's barely gotten any screen time in the last 50 chapters.
Armoured Productions I’m just taking this in now lol
This is so cool. A factually backed unbiased summary of real historical facts, accompanied by great commentary, and with a comment section void of significant controversy and many people learning. This is a rare place on the internet and will enjoy it a while longer :)
Skal!
this animation is GORGEOUS
I would also add that the raids on monasteries like Lindisfarne were motivated more by the desire for plunder rather than an anti-christian outlook. Many of the same men attacking monasteries had no problem accepting nominal baptism if they thought it would improve their negotiating power during trade etc.
Indeed. In fact the locations of the wealthy monasteries were probably known to the Norse because of long-standing interfaith trade. The image of the vikings as zealous defenders of the old ways is a mix of contemporary Christian propaganda from said sacked monasteries and later romanticized depictions.
@@Oxtocoatl13 Indeed, many of the Rus Merchants trading in the Khazar Khaganate and the Abbasid Caliphate/Islamic world were Christians due to their contact with it and other monotheistic religions. Much like in Lithuania, the "staunch pagans" trope is grossly exaggerated.
This was a fascinating video. It's amazing to me how the spread of Christianity also helped spread civilization and technology. After all, Christianity was spread from the remnants of the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire and Christianity are the common heritage of Europe. You can't love Europe, without accepting its heritage.
Christianity is not the common heritage of Europe, it is a middle eastern cult
@@karlmagnusson6931 Jesus är kungarnas konung och din frälsare. Att vända honom ryggen är att vända ryggen till evigt liv. I vår gamla asatro så dyrkade man naturen som naturligt är brutal och utan nåd. Kristendomen räddade oss från slaveri och svält som var vanligt under Vikinga-tiden.
@Radagast Love, peace, fairness, justice... You call these things decadent? Do you know that you are calling the banishment of slavery decadent and degenerate?
Christianity has brought dark ages to Europe destroying their culture
@@shivajyotipegu1941 No The great migration brought the dark age to Europe.
This topic always fascinated me.
Portrayed as stunt pagans, later fervorous Christians.
JonatasAdoM Catholic and Christian are different, catholicism has a lot of paganism in it...
@@ramichahin2 nice b8, do you know Catholic theology or just b8ting?
@Erni Muja Catholicism has been shaped by european traditions from across the continent, yes, that's obvious
@@lasislasfilipinas114 I used to be a catholic and I did study their doctrines so yes I know some catholic theology. it is full of paganism and many false doctrines. seek Truth and come out of her
@Christian Trevisan catholicism is a cheap copy of True Christianity, like rabinical judaism is a copy of the True Jewish religion
I don't think any of the Scandinavian kingdoms were strong enough to convert their whole kingdoms. Like you said, they were incredibly decentralized. Which means that a vast majority of the conversions were peaceful and gradual. Which is what makes the conversion of the north so fascinating.
Very much like Ireland, much of our pagan folklore lives on as well things people just kinda know. You know we still leave a bowl of porridge for the house elf, tell tales of mistletoe and the gods to our children and still give pagan explanations to why some things are the way they are. Some even believe in elves and trolls living in the forest. Sure the religion is dead but it became culture instead. Not to mention the sami traditions in Norrland.
In my village it was just a part of life so you just dont question it
But but... What is truly Scandinavian?
@@gordusmaximus4990 nothing south of Kiruna
@Marcelo Henrique Soares da Silva lmao, you didnt get it, its a "joke" made because of the amazing with no agenda, Scandinavian Airlines commercial "What is truly Scandinavian?".
Aron Johansson I thinks it may sometimes be a bit of a false dichotomy to say something is pagan or Christian often. Since it’s the spiritual practices of a people. Often times folk belief rise up in Christian populations, pre or post conversion, and you wouldn’t exactly call it Christian or non Christian. Just a part of the local flavor.
Thank you so much for covering Scandinavian history, it's surprisingly very sparse on RUclips for whatever reason and there's no better channel I'd like to fill the void than you guys. cheers from a Swede
But but... What is truly Scandinavian?
@@charlieread2097 damn, arrived 30 minutes late.
You should check our History Time. He has a bunch of stuff, is very proffesional and thorough.
@@johan8969 his videos are absolutely great, wonderfully researched
Ok Varg
Swear you have one of the best channels on RUclips. Not just for history lovers or military strategy fiends, but for anyone who thirsts does knowledge. Keep up the great work!
Wow the animations of the cities were amazing, almost looks like game of thrones.
Scandinavia: *Slowly Converts to Christianity*
Rest of Europe: *(BREATHES A HUGE SIGH OF RELIEF)*
Yep, paganism was too strong a force to be reckoned with!
@Marcelo Henrique Soares da Silva Norse paganism*
Now its going to turn Muslims haha 🤣🤣🤣
@@seanranklin2733 Not really. Any indepth knowledge of both christianity and Islam will make Islam fall apart very rapidly. And this is just by using logic, science and coherent arguments.
@@JamesAsp ok. When the populations reach UK or French amounts you're finished.
Never underestimate the sincere conversion, turning away from pagan spiritualism to follow Christ. People do not always change worldview because of political, socio-economic, or familial pressures.
From pagan to newly another pagan
The heavily syncretized folkreligion, which in many ways were mostly christian by name lived on for centuries after the conversion - not just decades. It shared more commonalities with phenomenons such as santaria and voodoo than actual christianity. In my region of Denmark (vendsyssel), last time someone sacrificed a horse, by burying it alive, for good luck was in 1875.
Christian's have " mastered " the art of suckering populations into conversion over the millennia. One thing this video didnt mention, which may have been done on purpose so as not to " offend " Christian viewers, is how Christians hijacked the winter solstice celebrations and turned them into " Christmas " .....
Esaul Viramontes this flexibility and coopt however had the consequence that christianity never really managed to penetrate and wash away the heathen mind, in rural europe - especially in northern and eastern europe.. peasant christianity were hardly christian, more a heathendom with a christian spicing. Christianity proper were a thing of nobility, town dwellers and clergy.
@@EmilReiko yes sir. I am of Mexican heritage. Mexican Christianinty has many Aztec / Native elements. It is the syncretism at work.
You should read about what the missionaries told the Japanese 😂 it’s freaking ridiculous the lengths they’d go to
@@mr.e3894 Its one reason i would love to go to mexico, i lived in southern africa for a couple of years. And since traditional Bantu religions has supreme creator god, the level of molten togetherness with Christianity is extreme - Christianity fits perfectly on top of the traditional beliefs without anything has to change. Its pure witchcraft Christianity, where you access God through dealing with your ancestors and its beautiful. I imagine it would have been the path of development scandinavian christianity would have continued to develop if the church had less capability for structural violence and mental abuse
Great video guys. I love the battle videos, but seeing these less battle focused episodes are a treat.
Tfw the Danes realize they still have catholic colonies in Iceland and Greenland
?
Tfw the Danes realize all their colonies in Greenland have died off.
@@daisybrain9423 Hey! Suicide doesn't count!
@@johan8969 Pardon, am I not getting a joke?
We don’t?
Cool video. I'm a Catholic, and I like to know more about history. Thanks for making these!
Hello fellow Catholic! From an Italian brother ^^
As a Catholic did you know about the Irish brigade who fought with the Mexicans who were also Catholics against the United States?
As a veteran, history cannot be changed and how our nation did very evil. Evil from the government, not from the general public.
You should leave that cult.
@@jasonaltig985 I get that a lot of people hate it, but such intolerant one liners backed by nothing isn't an effective way of turning anyone from the church.
@@bibbedcracker121 didn’t think I needed to back it up, I thought looking at the history of the Catholic Church made it self-evident.
I’m also aware that if someone really examines the Catholic Church and doesn’t leave it, one liners will do nothing.
Mesmerizing animation, and very interesting story!
Here in Portugal we do have a Viking heritage in the form of the traditional Douro river boat, the Rabelo boat, as it is considered a son of the Viking Drakkar.
I know Vikings raided the Portugal and Spanish coasts but don't recall any colonization. If there was any they were probably short lived just like their attempt to raid deep into Spain which was a failure.
@@daneaxe6465 from what I have read some of them stayed converted to Islam and became cheesemakers or something
@@daneaxe6465 I think there were raids indeed, mostly in Northern Portugal. Colonization at that period is something I can't confirm, but I think it wasn't the best time ever to come here to thrive, once this period is marked in the whole of the Peninsula with the Reconquista.
I do know however of a curious case, the town of Godim, located at the banks of the Douro river in Trás-os-Montes, and I think there's the tale that its name comes from the Norse God Odin.
Whatever the case, the Rabelo boat has some similar features with the Drakkar, as the square sail and shallow design.
@@GilleanFreire yes and?
story was pretty interesting as always but i was so focused on the effects-animations and the usage of 3d that from time to time i had to take video back :D ... this one was really good if you ask me :) even tho some scenes didnt really make much sense with the story that narrator was telling from it was pretty good ... good video as always K&G
Jesus those animations are just amazing, how much money do you have to spend on it?
Jesus thanks you. He didn't have to spend anything though.
@@litmusing did you make them?
@@loods2215 sponsorship
@@knightofgodserventofholymo7500 oh right I didn't think of that lol
He made this vedio for Jesus, actually.
3:57 is that Crusader Kings 2 Music? A man of Culture i see
Fascinating! These kinds of history videos you've been making, imho, are arguably more entertaining and interesting than just the wars and battles, THIS is how we come to understand how life back then was actually like, rather than just how warfare and the politics of the elite!
My girlfriend always making fun of me and tells me 'Good night' when I start a K&G video after 11pm. I always fall asleep because of K&G narrator's voice.
I need to finish the video when I wake up in the morning.
Thank you. Thanks to you I improve my English (vocab & pronunciation) and my history knowledge.
"Excuse me King Harald, do you have a moment to talk about our Lord and Savior?"
Should have talked to Ivar The Boneless. He knew how to deal with annoying evangelists like Edmund just fine.
Dude you can tell the love K&G has for this channel. This video took dedication for real, by far your best yet mate.
Love these videos on European history! The animations and succinct yet very well detailed information is so well delivered. I wish that you would list the actual tracks you use from epic music, especially the Mongol related videos.
Would have been interesting to mention the story behind the Christianization of Guthrum; it had a lot of twists. Great video, guys!
Great video as always! Hint for when pronouncing Swedish words/names (might hold true for Danish and Norwegian as well) vowels are considered long if not followed by a double consonant.
Example:
Tak (eng: Roof) is pronounced /ta:k/
Tack (eng: Thanks) is pronounced /tak/
So sustain those vowels!
I was not disappointed by heavy metal music at the end. Nice Touch!!
Would love to see a history of Greek-Roman paganism, and what eventually happened to it!
Hoàng Nguyên Wrong lol
It faded into the ether because it didn’t make any sense
@Hoàng Nguyên Are you insane? Greeks are fervant Orthodox. What returned was some LARPers dress in togas and immitate a piece of some ritual. You know nothing of Greece and her people, if you think they'd abandon reason and tradition to look for "gods" on Olympus.
@Hoàng Nguyên cringe
They still pagans. They changed christianity which was monotheistic in nature to making Jesus as son of God. Still pagan.
The 3D animation effects are brilliant. These documentaries look more and more like cinematic introductions to some video games.
The battle reviews and their impact on History are great but these videos more focused on the cultural side of History are a very fine addition !
All the best, K & G.
From Geneva.
It is worth remembering the conversion of the Normans, who sailed from Scandinavia and conquered Northern France, at mid 10th century, more or less. In order to secure his new domains and make peace with the locals, the Norman King Rollo accepted the Christian Religion, as the French King demanded. Thus, the conversion of the Scandinavian people can be mostly (but not entirely) explained by both political and trade benefits.
And in his old age Hrólfr proved to be still pagan
That’s one level of analysis but how do you explain the Vikings building a church on their settlement in Greenland.
That was for all intensive purposes two whole worlds away from anyone else.
It wasn’t nobles running those settlements or going to Greenland either.
On a deep sincere level Christianity was embraced by them evidence shows.
9:32 The 'å' in 'Håkon' being pronounced correctly was such a small detail, yet hearing it made me smile, mostly as it was so unexpected. If I wasn't already subbed, I definitely would've just for that! :)
He also said Knut corretly imo
Yet Århus wasn't
Historically, whenever you speak about Scandinavia, particularly Sweden. You kinda have to speak about Finland too. As around 11th or 12th century Sweden started ruling coastal Finland. This would also be a good starting point for conversion of Finland. I only can recall that it was slow. VERY slow and it is arguable that Christian churches in Finland and Sweden were first proto lutherans much more later with Sweden after all, you can call Sweden and Finland as two arms of one kingdom. After all Vikings had already established colonies in coastal Finland. I am interested to hear about how Finland slowly became Christian
@Van Aser You are wrong about Estonia. I can't remember which channel made video about battle of ice but there was mentioned that there was some crusades against Estonians but they stopped quite quickly and locals started to support fight against Novgorod.
So what comes on crusades on Estonia. Yeah there was some killing. In the scale of Jerusalem and on the way there? No way near close of it.
Right now the least religious nation in Europe is Estonia and for quite good reasons and as a Fin. I don't really care about religion much. History and culture it provided? Yeah, they are cool and I love memes about Catholic church succession crises.
Incorrect, the Danes went on a crusade against Estonia and forced the locals into Christianity. Whilst they were Pagan, the Kingdom of Sweden did not occupy Finland, but there MIGHT have been a East-Norse speaking (same as Swedes) kingdom in modern day Finland called Kvenland, however Kvenland is known for rivalling the Suomi (the finns near the isle of Aland, sweden).
@@aidansumner8364 I don't think I said anything about complete occupation. Only around mid 16th century Finland was completely recognized as part of Swedish Kingdom.
Even then nation enjoyed autonomy under certain conditions. (Payment and contribution in to army when requested as far as I know). So mostly in the coastal Finland and slightly inland.
Cultures mixed and Finnish people slowly converted in to Christianity but I think it is safe to assume that some pointy things did find some marks before 16th century during Swedish expansion in to inland of Finland.
As a Dane I can tell you that we don’t really like to talk about the Finns...
Yeah, whenever you call Finland apart of Scandinavia, that usually pisses a lot of people off. Us Fins have a completely different language and culture, and hate being associated with a Peninsula we aren’t even on.
K&G never fails to amaze us. Love from Bangladesh ❤️
Fascinating! Syncretism and cultures fusing are always interesting topics. :)
The songs used in the coptic church were originally used for rituals during the pharoic era. And the ankh with historically symbolized eternal life was adopted for christian use too
there was a documentary that i watched about this but i want to see it on k&g
Very nice!
I have a suggestion for a future video: How about the Battle of Kagul of 1774 between the Russian and Ottoman Empires. It was a very significant and decisive event
They may cover that in their Ottoman series
Oh I needed this. Your channel is getting me through dishwashing everyday stuck at home and I think I've watched more than half your library already
The only channel that I like before I watch. I love you guys. Keep this greatness up!
Fun fact, it was a Norwegian king, Sigurd, who was the first monarch to Crusade.
Amazing video! Very informative, and art and effects were awesome! Continue working hard making such interesting videos! 😊❤️
Jesus died, then resurrected on the third day. Repent and trust alone in jesus and be saved.
Thor held the hammer that crucified Yeshua
Kubabayaty6402, Thor doesn’t exist. Jesus is God & he willingly gave himself up as a sacrifice out of love. That’s something your pagan religions don’t have - love.
Your paganism is heartless & evil, but you will taste your own medicine when you’re being tormented in hellfire for eternity if you don’t submit to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is risen, & He will conquer you!!!
damn Kings and Generals!
you have outdone yourself with the new animations and artistic work!
I love it! keep the important duty of teaching history while keeping it interesting and fun to learn/watch!
Damn I must say the visual quality of your video's is really great lately.They're styleised but still manage to capture a historical and ancient feel.
The story of Sweden is super interesting. I’m surprised that since they were more chill about it the old religion didn’t hold out for a few more centuries. It looks like people just genuinely thought christianity was a better idea though. Still very refreshing to hear about a peaceful, chill exchange of ideas though in history rather than just blood, belligerence and conquest. Even though there was occasionally some asshole who took issue with it, it seems like generally it was alright culturally if everyone maybe didn’t believe in exactly the same thing for a while. At least within Sweden itself. I’d even argue we can learn from this ideal and apply it to today on a number of different issues.
The Christian missionaries were such valiant fearless men, they risked their lives to spread the word of god among ruthless warrior viking societies
Catholics are like that
The were golems of the jews
From what I understand, one of the instruments of conversion was to move Ragnorok into the PAST, rather than the future. Thw was accomplished by saying that the two persons who emerged after all the fun stuff, from the Tree were Adam and Eve and the rest just followed
If I remember correctly there is also an supposed "successor god" who is destined to arrive from heaven and inherit the earth who is heavily implied to be the christian god since hes supposedly "above" the Aesir, which doesnt make much sense in the context of the Edda.
But who are abrahamic religions to judge with their strong syncretic influence of Zoroastrianism and bronze age desert storm and war god dieties with stories that directly counteract their supposed core tenants, I guess.
@@felixleidinger1670 abrahamic religions are not syncretised with zoroastrionism or desert god religions.
Zoroastrian scriptures are much more recent then you think. So chronollogically it is the other way around.
@@felixleidinger1670 I did not hear any more than what I posted, but what you added makes sense and could have been added later, it seems that the Ragnarok mythi simply puts a boundary on the world of the Norse religion and offers just a glimpse of what is beyond and the Christian missionaries took that glimpse and stitched in something that could spring from that glimpse and transition to their religion. AND they did it well. Thank you for adding that
@@danraf1562 Actually its pretty reasonable to assume that the concepts of the cosmic duality between good and bad, the good creator and an evil counterpart and demonology in abrahamic religious beliefs were adopted from Zoroastrianism of which first records appeared in 5000 BCE, and given that even especially christian religious beliefs werent written down until hundreds of years after Christs death I wouldnt negate syncretism in the oral tradition, on the contrary oral tradition fuels such aspects in the first place. I'd like you to think about the popularity of cults like the cult of Mithras or the cult of Sol Invictus as potent rivals with early christianity in the pre-canonisation era, when even christian writers noted surprising similarities. Probably influencing Islamic practices further down the line as well.
@@felixleidinger1670 Also, I understand that one of the missionaries, who was sainted and whose name I've forgotten, caused the Norse to accept Christianiuty by chopping down the tree that was consecrated to Thor with no harm to himslef. Curiously enough, this try was said to be in Germany rather than Scandinvia
I have been enjoying the HBO TV show " VIKINGS" . In this show an enslaved monk Named "Athelred ?" starts to convert Norwegians to Christianity through humble acts of kindness. Do you know if that is based on a historical figure?
2 years late but no its not true. Vikings is what I would call historical fiction. Based on some historical facts and ppl but most isnt real.
Ragnar wasnt a farmer for ex, he was the son of a king.
@@nenasiek Thank You nenasiek! You are the first person to answer me in 2 years. I assume that the show is fictional and only loosely based on history but what parts of it do you think are somewhat accurate ?
Beautiful imaginery, splendid narration, interesting story. What more can you ask? Well, as if we need to ask these guys for more stories like this one. Thanks K&G!
This was a very high-quality production, along with being very interesting. Great video!
10:55 few of those places that were the last to converte to christianity in Sweden were parts of Hälsingland/Helsingia.
Ödmården was an ancient forest that separated Hälsingland from the rest of the country in the south.
Back when the people were more superstitious there were myths and rumours that revolved around the forest that brought fear to some. It had a difficult terrain to pass through and there were a pagan resistens around Bergviken somwhere above Ödmorden.
Those that survived the forest were probably confronted by the hostile inhabitants that were not fond in christians.
One of the resorts around Bergviken is Hårga that's depicted in the horror film "Midsummer", even Ödmården is depicted in horror, the movie "Draug".
Sorry Bannerlord hurt your guys initial views on release! Video is great!
Pretty good video, but I really feel you didn't cover Iceland in enough detail. It also sounded like you were implying that the Iceland turned christian because of british missionaries which is just wrong.
It was a pretty complex moment in history that had much more to do with the king of Norway.
Arith Harger made a video about it, I think it's pretty informative but if I recall correctly he unfortunately didn't gave many dates or even names.
Keep them coming since everyone is quarantined this will be a great time to get more subscribers to your channel!
Been watching tons of these videos lately, forgot how phenomenal this channel is.
I tend to think Bluetooth's conversion was sincere since he went to the trouble of reburying his parents in a church graveyard with a Jelling Stone basically telling God to look out for them. At least, that's how I preached it in a sermon I gave!
As much as I love this channel's video's on various battles n wars. it's wonderful that it's willing to talk about other things. I sure hope they keep it up for a very longtime to come. My compliments to those who made this video a reality.
Rewatching this channel is getting me through the lockdown 😅
Mitch same
Still the best channel on RUclips!
Thank you for posting a video on the christianization of the Norseman! I have been trying to find a video to explain how this happened.
Fun fact: all of Scandinavia still uses the term "Yul", even in church. That means "Yul psalms" and "Yul mass".
Do any of the Scandinavian nations spell it with a Y though? Never heard of that. As far as i know it's spelled "Jul" everywhere.
From the standpoint of an english speaker though, "Yule" is probably closer to how it's pronounced in Scandinavia.
@@Cloud-dq1mr yule sounds kind of like Swedish. In Danish it's a short vowel, and Norwegian I'm not quite sure about.
The Christianization of the Faroes is worth it's own episode. Dare I say it's even worth a.... saga.
Many historians seem to think in super practical terms like we do today. Religion was far more important to people back then, and I doubt they would convert for pragmatism.
Most Norse people converted because they were miserable in their old culture and religion. Norse faith was totally fine with rape, slavery and mass murder, of course after hearing the book of Matthew from a missionary, Christianity does tend to become VERY attractive for both men and women who are in a bad economic and social situation.
@@christianriddler5063 so much so in the beginning and when it first entered regions it was called the slaves and women's religion. Sadly and ironically later it was called a religion of slavers, masters, used to control people. I get the feeling Luke would have spoken powerfully to them too with it having the most miracles of them, thoguh of course all love the Sermon on the Mount. Mark has a lot of action too, John is deep. Matthew was primarily written to the Jews, with all the prophecy and such in it, so they may not have gotten it as well.
@@catholicracialist776 amen, brother. I meant that now people don't seem to care about religion as much as they did then, sicne there are so many more atheists for example, or people under playing the value religion may have played like here, saying 'so and so only converted for pragmatic reasons' but that does not make religion itself any less important.
Hello from Hindustan (India) .
I am so inspired to understand and observe these documentaries presented by Kings and Generals that no matter what is the topic being it a matter of dynasty , civilization , culture , war etc .
I am adding more knowledge and can help myself in understanding this world .
Thankyou Kings and Generals for good work .
Question - Were the scandanavians converted to Catholic or Protestants ?
PS: Sorry if I have missed it somewhere
@Sid Sharma
The Scandinavians were converted to Roman Catholicism during the 10th and 11th centuries, but they changed to Protestantism during the 17th century.
Luther who famously “protested”against Catholic practices didn’t live til centuries after.
So Scandinavian was converted long before Protestantism existed but then they immediately adopted.
These videos are always a treat in these pandemic times
As a Norwegian Christian it's really refreshing to watch an objective historical account of the spread of Christianity in the Norse lands, since most people here repeat the cliché about "Christendom was spread in Norway by blood (!!!)" and there's no point in trying to explain real, historical facts, since this black & white image is so ingrained in most people, that they think it's THE Truth. Modern TV-series like "Vikings" where the old pagans are portrayed as pretty, tolerant, feminists and humanistic people, and the Christians as ugly, intolerant, dictatorial, wicked psychos, just make people even more buried under a mound of nonsense.
It's not easy to be a Christian here.
'It's not easy to be a Christian here.' That's a lie and you know it.
@Heus Had Where did the gays and lesbians come into the convo?
@Batshit69 bro he said 'its not easy being christian here' not 'its not becoming christian here'.
in my area we have a play each year about olav Trygvason when he did the Christianization of norway :)
Olav Trygvason, the Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi of Norway
Sounds like a blood thirsty event
Great timing, I just started reading the Prose Edda.
How its going ?
You guys hit hard from all cylinders with the art, the music, and knowledge. 👏
Know the history, because i’m Danish and like history - it's really a good overview, where you can quickly get the story, there is more to find out if you are interested, but this provides a basis for better understanding off topics in that time. Nice to see, even if you know the story - from my point of view, it gladly could be translated into danish
The animation on this episode is on another whole level, hope whe can see more of it
There are very few videos about kingdoms of Africa , I hope you will bring us some :)
The nobility have a long history of using Christianity for personal gain going back to Rome. Though some were genuine in their adoption of the faith.
Humans will be humans, that means many will do what it means to survive. Nothing wrong with that ( until a certain point anyway)
@@トーキ-g8v It's one thing to do anything to survive, it's another to use it to exploit, assert total domination and often to commit atrocities.
@@SergePupko exactly,which is why evaluating oneself with their morals and asking if it's better to sacrifice one's own comfort for a better future. Though the cynic in me says that's impossible
Catholic Racialist pfft okay church boy
The visuals are soooo good! Very well done.
Why is that outro actually some of the best Metal I've heard lately?
Call of the North
Finns are specifically shown on the map, while Estonians aren't, even though Estonians heavily outnumbered Finns in that era.
Also, the Rus' is shown spanning too much into Estonia.
It was called Novgorod and not Rus so that's another error with the video.
I've long wondered how monotheism versus polytheism affected grassroots politics. IMO it seems like polytheism is an easy way for a population to instigate change. One could always cite some mythical pretence or prescience in prosecution of a political cause. Monotheism is essentially a consolidation of grassroots political power.
Monotheism helps in centralization of the state's power and the increase of literacy
Monotheism and polytheism are suited to alternate its domination at different stages of civilisation.
@@satyakisil9711 This just increase my support of the concept that our struggles are of the mind and the domination of land. Maybe someday we will be able to rise above that
@@Diogolindir Call me redpilled, but I don't think that can happen. Humans may rise above religion, but they cannot fundamentally rise above conflict and dispute. No war, no peace.
@@Diogolindir Unless we find an alien species or wage war on robots, then we can unite with a common enemy.
Hi Kings and Generals, are you going to make any videos about Indonesia anytime soon? The historical empires of Srivijaya or Majapahit would be interesting, or perhaps the gradual colonisation of the archipelago by the Dutch.
I second the Srivijaya Empire. Don't think any channel has covered it well.
By far best video yet! Love the edit on it.
Awesome! I love your pronunciation of Mr. Blootooth and Sigurd Jorsalaf#&$(@) (Sigurður Jórsalafari, who went to Jerusalem -Jórsalir in old Icelandic) 😂😂. It is interesting that in Iceland around the year 1000 it was decided on Althing that Iceland should be Christian but those who remained heathen, could worship (blóta) the old gods in secret and eat horse meat. Maybe because of that, horse meat has been connected to heathendom so eating it remained a taboo for the next 1000 years in Iceland (although people eat it today and probably did in through the centuries when there was not much food). Keep up the good work , I always enjoy your videos! Greetings from Iceland!