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Anglo-Saxons, Umayyads, and Viking Raids: A Comparative Analysis of Identities and Disparate Representations
Madsen, Jacob
Madsen, Jacob
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Abstract
The Anglo-Saxons of the British Isles and the Umayyads of the Iberian Peninsula differed in many ways. For one, the former was entirely Christian after their conversion in the sixth century, and the latter was predominantly Muslim. As well as geographical separation, they also had a wide array of contrasting social and political systems. However, the commencement of the Viking raids in the eighth and ninth centuries formed a chaotic period in Western medieval history which indirectly connected the two groups via their shared experiences. By doing a comparative analysis of Umayyad and Anglo-Saxon literature through an examination of their respective religious and cultural perspectives, the Vikings are shown to become the antithesis of the societies that they encounter which contrasts the ideals of those they negatively effect. Specific figures in the respective groups, mainly King Alfred and Emir Abd al-Rahman II, conversely embody the positive ideals of the communities that they lead by means of their contributions to their own intellectual and religious worlds. Both Anglo-Saxon and Umayyad scholars form their own identities, taking the undesirable traits of the Viking enemy and redetermining their meaning by juxtaposing them with a culture’s perceived favorable characteristics. Even with the death of the “Viking Age” in the eleventh century, their representation as a violent group remains present centuries after their first interactions, continuing into the modern world.
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Thesis (B.A. in History, Minor in Art History)--John Cabot University, Spring 2025.
Date
2025
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Keywords
Great Britain, Anglo-Saxon period, 449-1066, Scandinavian influences, Vikings
Citation
Madsen, Jacob. "Anglo-Saxons, Umayyads, and Viking Raids: A Comparative Analysis of Identities and Disparate Representations". BA Thesis, John Cabot University, Rome, Italy. 2025.