Dagfinn Skre is professor at the Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo. Over the last 40 years, he has researched several aspects of Iron-Age, Viking, and Medieval Scandinavia, including political, economic, ecclesiastical, urban, and monetary history. His publications include multi-volume series on the Viking town Kaupang and the kingly manor Avaldsnes.

"This book will be welcomed by many readers. It places relations with the lands to the south at the heart of its interpretation of the Northern World. Late Romanists and historians of the post-Roman West will gain a new understanding of the significance of the North and its connections with continental Europe." ~ Ian Wood, University of Leeds"Skre has written a monumental history of Scandinavia AD 180–550 by analysing archaeological remains, epigraphy, historical narratives, and place names. His work is challenging and thought-provoking and will be a natural starting point for discussions about the sociopolitical order of Iron-Age Scandinavia in years to come." ~ Anders Andrén, Stockholm University"In this brilliant book, Skre turns his knowledge of social development to the ill-defined centuries well before the Viking Age. Developing novel approaches and analysing a wide scope of evidence, he shows how and why Scandinavian societies were set on the course that eventually resulted in the Viking achievements." ~ Jesse Byock, UCLA and Háskóli Íslands

• List of Figures; List of Tables; Abbreviations; Preface; Acknowledgements; Introduction; PART I Coming to Grips with Early Kingship – 1. Post-1970 Kingship Studies: How to Proceed?; 2. Rulers and Polities: Tribes, Lordships, and Kingdoms; 3. Religiously Derived Ethics: A Societal Perspective; Part II The Military Twist: Armies, Lords, and Retainers (AD 180–450) – 4. Warriors and Traders; 5. Kinsmen and Strangers; 6. Settling and Sustaining the Men; PART III Obtaining Wealth for Gifts and Rewards (AD 180–450) – 7. Long-Distance Routes and Relations; 8. Iron from the Woodlands; 9. Arctic Wildlife Commodities; 10. Raiding for Slaves; PART IV Olden Ways, New Beginnings (AD 180–500) – 11. Wealth and Warfare: The Precarious Politics of Lordship; 12. The Transformative 5th Century; PART V Building the Kingdom – 13. Swearing in the Men; 14. Granting the Land; 15. Kingship in the Heroic Age; Epilogue: Colonialist and Emic Approaches; Notes; Bibliography; Index.

Dagfinn Skre is professor at the Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo. Over the last 40 years, he has researched several aspects of Iron-Age, Viking, and Medieval Scandinavia, including political, economic, ecclesiastical, urban, and monetary history. His publications include multi-volume series on the Viking town Kaupang and the kingly manor Avaldsnes.

"This book will be welcomed by many readers. It places relations with the lands to the south at the heart of its interpretation of the Northern World. Late Romanists and historians of the post-Roman West will gain a new understanding of the significance of the North and its connections with continental Europe." ~ Ian Wood, University of Leeds"Skre has written a monumental history of Scandinavia AD 180–550 by analysing archaeological remains, epigraphy, historical narratives, and place names. His work is challenging and thought-provoking and will be a natural starting point for discussions about the sociopolitical order of Iron-Age Scandinavia in years to come." ~ Anders Andrén, Stockholm University"In this brilliant book, Skre turns his knowledge of social development to the ill-defined centuries well before the Viking Age. Developing novel approaches and analysing a wide scope of evidence, he shows how and why Scandinavian societies were set on the course that eventually resulted in the Viking achievements." ~ Jesse Byock, UCLA and Háskóli Íslands

• List of Figures; List of Tables; Abbreviations; Preface; Acknowledgements; Introduction; PART I Coming to Grips with Early Kingship – 1. Post-1970 Kingship Studies: How to Proceed?; 2. Rulers and Polities: Tribes, Lordships, and Kingdoms; 3. Religiously Derived Ethics: A Societal Perspective; Part II The Military Twist: Armies, Lords, and Retainers (AD 180–450) – 4. Warriors and Traders; 5. Kinsmen and Strangers; 6. Settling and Sustaining the Men; PART III Obtaining Wealth for Gifts and Rewards (AD 180–450) – 7. Long-Distance Routes and Relations; 8. Iron from the Woodlands; 9. Arctic Wildlife Commodities; 10. Raiding for Slaves; PART IV Olden Ways, New Beginnings (AD 180–500) – 11. Wealth and Warfare: The Precarious Politics of Lordship; 12. The Transformative 5th Century; PART V Building the Kingdom – 13. Swearing in the Men; 14. Granting the Land; 15. Kingship in the Heroic Age; Epilogue: Colonialist and Emic Approaches; Notes; Bibliography; Index.