Viking castle
Viking castle is a collective name for circular structures from the reign of Harald Blauzahns or Sven Gabelbarts in Denmark and Skåne . Some of them have been dated using dendrochronology .
The Trelleborg-type castles were named after the first site found, the Trelleborg near Slagelse , which was excavated between 1936 and 1941. The so-called Trelleborge are not quite appropriately referred to as ring castles because of their geometric structure . However, they differ from other Nordic systems (Fornborgar), which often have radial installations. From a technical point of view, the “ring castles” of the Vikings belong to the hill castles from which they are distinguished by their exact geometry. The structure of the "wall" is explained at Trelleborg , as it was clearly revealed here during the excavation.
Viking Age ring castles
- Aggersborg at the Limfjord , Denmark .
- Borrering near Køge , Zealand, Denmark.
- Fyrkat near Hobro , Denmark.
- Nonnebakken in Odense , Denmark.
- Trelleborg near Slagelse , Denmark.
Similar castles, which are not counted as Trelleborg-type, are:
- Trelleborg , in Trelleborg , Skåne , in Sweden.
- Borgeby north of Lund near the Lödde å , Skåne.
- In 2002 the Lyby ring castle was found in a district of Rygge in Østfold , southeast Norway. It is a ring-shaped formation that is currently interpreted as a Viking Age ring castle.
Borgeby and Trelleborg in Skåne are not regarded by science as true ring castles. Borgeby is not even mentioned in the real dictionary of Germanic antiquity. At Trelleborg in Skåne there is no inner building, the wall was simple and the ditch was not V-shaped, but trough-shaped ( lit .: Roesdahl). The castles Borgeby, Trelleborg in Skåne and Trelleborg on Sjælland were built in several phases, whereas Aggersborg and Nonnebakken were built immediately in their final form according to a finished basic concept. It is uncertain who built the precursor castles of the ring complex, which was built in several phases.
etymology
There are two different interpretations of the name "Trelleborg":
- Traditionally the name Trelleborg has been explained as a fortress built by slaves (the Danish word for slave is træl ).
- On the other hand, the name could be derived from the design. The split beams used to clad the inner and outer walls of the circular rampart built using rod construction technology were formerly known as "treller". The name would then be something like "Balkenburg".
Comparison of the individual ring castles
| Surname | Inner diameter | Wall width | Number of houses | Length of houses | Dating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aggersborg (DK) | 240 m | 11 m | 48 | 32.0 m | |
| Fyrkat (DK) | 120 m | 13 m | 16 | 28.5 m | around 980 (d) |
| Borrering (DK) | 122 m | approx. 11 m | |||
| Nonnebakken in Odense (DK) | 120 m | ||||
| Trelleborg near Slagelse (DK) | 136 m | 19 m | 16 | 29.4 m | around 980 (d) |
| Lyby (N) | 140 m | 12-13 m | 10th century | ||
| Borgeby (S) | 150 m | 15 m | |||
| Trelleborg in Trelleborg (S) | 125 m | around 980 (c14) |
Round castles like the Troldborg Ring near Vejle , the Hagenshøj, north of Skive, the Kajborg on Als and the Schmölwall (Smøl Vold) north of Broager were built in Denmark as early as the Iron Age. They are much smaller than the later Viking castles, but it is interesting that ring castles in Denmark have an early tradition. Direct role models of these large ring castles have not been found in Europe. Similar systems have been found on the North Sea coast from northern France via Belgium to the southern Netherlands. So far, it is believed these "rampart Castles" in France in Saint Omer , Brokburg, Bergues (Sint-Winoksbergen) in Belgium in Veurne , Oudenburg , Bruges and in the Dutch province of Zeeland in Oostburg , Oost-Souburg , Middelburg , Domburg and Burgh prove to be able to.
The layout of Oost-Souburg on the island (today peninsula) Walcheren on the Scheldt estuary is of a similar size, but inside it is different, especially not as regularly laid out. Today it has been partially reconstructed and can be visited.
It is agreed that the facilities were built by the king. The oldest known royal castles were only granted for a short time. Neither royal nor aristocratic castles are known in Denmark from the 11th century. The strict geometric figure was associated with military discipline under the impression of the Jómsvikinga saga from around 1200. The opposing multi-layered and civil use of the houses may well come from a time when the military purpose had already been abandoned.
interpretation
In the course of time, four directions of interpretation with a scientific claim were developed, which were also represented in variants.
- Barracks and winter camps in connection with the conquest of England in 1013 and 1016. The background for this view was that the royal power and society in the Viking Age were considered primitive. The Danegeld should have financed the construction of the facilities. The purpose was the conquest and plunder of England. It is no longer represented today for chronological reasons.
- Defense systems against external enemies, especially from the north and south. This theory is based on the location of the castles in the north and east of Denmark where there were no other fortifications. There are also parallels in other countries that suggest this purpose. The military confrontations with Norwegians, Swedes, Germans and Slavs would be reason enough.
- Castles in the course of the unification of the empire. This theory also emerged before dendrochronological dating. It was based on Harald Blauzahn's statement on a Jelling stone that he had conquered all of Denmark. Its location, far from the sea, but close to important road connections, was fitting. As a variant, it is still suspected that these are Harald's prestige systems and political centers of power.
- Fortresses, the main purpose of which is to fight the unrest that culminated in Sven Gabelbart's revolt against his father. The background of these theories is the more precise dendrochronological dating to the late reign of Harald Blauzahn.
- A new interpretation has emerged since a complex with long houses of the Trelleborg type was discovered in Jelling, which is considered to be Harald Blauzahn's mansion. This leads to the question of whether the other Viking castles are possibly also royal palaces .
literature
- E. Roesendahl: Fyrkat. In: Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde . Vol. 10, 1998, pp. 295-301.
About the interpretations:
- K. Christensen: Træningslejr eller tvangsborg. 1970.
- TE Christiansen: The Age of Trelleborg. Archaeological Dating. In: Aarbøger for nordisk Oldkyndighed og Historie. 1982, pp. 100-109.
- N. Bonde, K. Christensen: The Age of Trelleborg. Dendrochronological Dating. In: Aarbøger for nordisk Oldkyndighed og Historie. 1982, pp. 139-152.
- Olaf Olsen, Holger Schmidt: Borgen og bebyggelsen. I Commission Hos Herm. HJ Lynge og Son, Copenhagen 1977, ISBN 87-87483-10-6 (Fyrkat. En jysk vikingeborg, vol. 1).
- Olaf Olsen: The geometric Danish Viking castles. In: Maria-Letizia Heyer-Boscardin (Ed.) Castles made of wood and stone. Castle History Colloquium Basel 1977, 50 years of the Swiss Castle Association. Walter, Olten 1979, ISBN 3-530-12790-6 (Swiss contributions to the cultural history and archeology of the Middle Ages).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Svanberg p. 86.
- ^ Prospectus about Trelleborg Trelleborg , trelleborg.se, accessed on August 25, 2010
- ↑ http://www.archaeologie-online.de/magazin/nachrichten/harald-blauzahns-koenigshof- discovered- 11437 / This new finding also means that we may have to look at the Ringforts in general in a different light, explained Jessen [. ..] If the fortification in Jelling is to be regarded as a palace, the other fortifications could also be royal estates and temporary mansions that the king used on his travels through the country