Explaining the Vikings

[@Euph0rical]

I could listen to Rudyard ramble about history all day, every day

[@proof.120]

Just found this channel and ive been speed running these uploads

[@aasifazimabadi786]

@@proof.120 As for me, I recall this channel being promoted multiple times on the Whatifalthist channel and "Professor Lynch" was kind of upset that they haven't taken off the way those videos have. Because I was a history major in college, I was somewhat hesitant, but there is some new [i.e. relatively unknown] stuff and it is told in a refreshing way. This week, I finally decided to check it out since I am on my summer vacation and I got tired of watching Turner Classic Movies every week. It's pretty good. I started yesterday, and should be finished by tomorrow.

[@wbcorkery]

This and Common Ground interviews are great expansions. Content is great. Thanks so much.

[@spencerbuck1074]

I feel like I speak Rudyard's language, so I understand if others find this dull or nonsensical, but I listen to every word with interest and since I know a bit about history myself, this episode helps me create a lot more connections in my gaps of knowledge on what sort of form this society took, what incentive structures drove them to act how they did, their influence on the people they came in contact with, how trends over time affected the arc of their history, and the extremes that this whole system went to as a result. When you look at it that way you can pull back and see a grand tapestry that speaks to the character of this chapter of history. I appreciate his work and I'm excited for more.

[@gonfreecss6002]

As per your co-host's instructions, I'd like to see videos about the following subjects: 1. Colonial America (The Thirteen Colonies) 2. Biblical Israel/Judea/Judah (From the arrival of the Jews to the land of Canaan to their colonization under the Romans) 3. Czarist Russia (unto the conflict between the Reds and Whites) 4. The Janissaries (up unto the purges of 1800) 5. The Bronze Age Collapse 6. The Cold War (Nuclear Threats, Korean War, Vietnam War, Space Race, etc) 7. The Samurai 8. British India 9. The Chinese Warring States period of the 20th century 10. The French Revolution and the following Napoleonic Wars Obviously if you don't do any of these things, that's fine. Just thought I'd give some ideas since you guys were asking.

[@gonfreecss6002]

Bonus: 11. A short history of the Irish

[@cmleibenguth]

@@gonfreecss6002 There is an entire channel called "The Cold War" that is an offshoot of "Kings and Generals" that focuses on the Cold War in detail It's pretty good Another channel, either History Marche or Invicta, actually just finished a multi hour documentary on The Bronze Age Collapse "Kings and Generals" is now making a series on The American Revolution, which is kinda close to the request for Colonial America, albeit the series is incomplete

[@andrewasmar]

Bonus: History of the Armenians since they lasted for 3000 years

[@jeffhaskins530]

Cold War

[@spencerbuck1074]

All of these I would watch. Very good topic choices.

[@jeffhaskins530]

a cool drinking game is to take a shot every time you hear the interviewer say "yeah fascinating".

[@dusanstanisic-im4go]

Fascinating

[@k.w.2275]

I died

[@MtMeadow]

“That’s insane”

[@Yarblocosifilitico]

I swear, after watching a lot of these 'interviews', this is just unscripted Whatifaltist plus a dude saying "makes sense". I like the channel, but the 'interviewer' doesn't contribute anything

[@MeanBeanComedy]

​@@Yarblocosifilitico Rudyard has a bad habit of "outshining" his co-host! 😆😝

[@monkeyladder]

This is the best content you've put out in my opinion. I want you to do a whole video on the dark ages, high middle ages, than early modern period. Your tirade on it was super interesting. God I could through a hundred topics at you that'd I'd love to hear. I hope you do hundreds of these.

[@davidfereira5354]

The actual youtube channel for the history segments.

[@Smile4theKillCam456]

Ahistorical “history” segments with one too many people, yeah sure

[@ugiswrong]

I like the other page where he wants to become the spiritual leader of the Incels

[@samuraiyun219]

​@@ugiswrong Hahaha, too true

[@FallingUpwards-l8y]

​@@ugiswrong Same

[@benduvall6169]

​@@ugiswrongor he's the intellectual of anti-materialism and anti-modernity who patiently waiting to find a woman who is not corrupted by those forces.

[@junior4900]

1:55 POV you’re about to get plundered while having the raiders’ socioeconomic pressures for raiding you explained to you

[@pros4206]

33:00 term “Slavs” has an interesting etymology. It derives from the Old Slavic word “slovo,” which means “word” or “speech.” Because someone who spoke slavic language you could understand unlike german speakers thats why they are still called "Niemcy" in west slavic languages which derives from word for mute

[@BroadwayRonMexico]

Yeah, he got it backwards. The word "slave" derives from "Slav", but he makes it sound the other way around

[@niden79]

Although he’s very captivating and nice to listen to these kind of mistakes I noticed in some of the videos I watched so far it makes me question a lot his credibility

[@hugon3895]

@@niden79 I watch few of his videos and almost every time he was speaking about something I have knowledge about he was talking bullshit.

[@thepeak5819]

"Slav" is an exonym that comes from the latin word "esklavo" which means slave.

[@pros4206]

@@thepeak5819nuh uh

[@benandring365]

The Vikings: traded in Baghdad, were super soldiers in Constantinople, founded Russia, took and still hold the throne of England, raided every European County with the exception of Switzerland, they concurred southern Italy, settled Iceland and Greenland, and were the first Europeans in America.

[@joshuamitchell5018]

Vikings playing cute-sounding doot-di-doot panpipes ditties instead of throat chants is the "dinosaurs had feathers and went Bwark" of ethnomusicology.

[@ryanc970]

So true

[@henrystokes1987]

Why must you hurt me like this?

[@Rakibrown111]

Aside from settling in Canada there are mummified dogs of danish breed in South America from before Columbus. So they likely went much further. There are stories that Columbus got hold of maps of America from the vikings travels via the knights Templars who are cultural inheritors of the vikings and likely were still connected strongly up to Denmark and later Scotland that then also had those maps (Roselyn Chapel) to go to America also before Columbus.

[@gdkartongips1391]

You guys have saved my bachelor degree with this one! Keep it up!

[@kingsnozu8683]

I would love for y’all to do a podcast on the crusades

[@ryanc970]

Sneed

[@SNEED_FEED]

​@@ryanc970sneed's feed n seed

[@doeixo]

If you read this, just a small appreciation related to an obsession of mine. In the map of minute 8:05 north west iberia, the map says "Asturias". This is a convention used by spanish historians since the last century, for political reasons. In the sources that kingdom was called with variants of the name Gallaecia, after the Roman province and the suevic kingdom that preceded it. The vikings called it Jakobsland (after the apostle saint Jacob, buried in Santiago de Compostela, or Galizuland. This region has a very interesting and unknown medieval history

[@josephedmond3723]

So vikings were post-apocalyptic raiders. 😮

[@Smittywebenjägermanjensen]

Shit yea pretty much 😂

[@igotfriendsinlowplaces2971]

31:09 is the best part of this video

[@HughGRection443]

Beat off 🤣🤣🤣

[@ladycarys3008]

I laughed 😂

[@mr.foxvii4470]

"Pause!" is what the kids are saying now a days to situations like this one.

[@mitchelllukovsky6197]

Please keep this series going

[@AGB_the_don]

I’m so happy to have found this whatifalltist is my favourite KZbin channel I just binged watch all these lmfao

[@bullphrogva1804]

A good cultural touch point to understand Christianity in the Post-Norse landscape is poems like Dream of the Rood and of course Beowulf and Wanderer. But truth be told the person who captures a Christianized Germanic spirit the best is Tolkien, but that isn't in the direct wake.

[@archstanton3931]

The Russian Civil War is a somewhat well tread topic that your perspective on would be interesting to hear about. Every ideological system pitted against each other trying to rise from the ashes of the pre-WW1 world is right up your alley.

[@homefrontforge]

Maybe dark ages and power vacuum are synonymous.

[@conorfynes]

Good point.

[@joakimsaxin6135]

A lot of south western Finland and Estonia were Scandinavian. We have our own names for all of the islands and the today capital of Finland bares reference to the old Scandinavian tribe of the Hälsings. The Estonian Capitals name literally means the Danish fortress in Estonian.

[@joanpeychinov3151]

For some reason I always related the Estonian capital to Stalin

[@mtra5812]

what is his channel? 14:29

[@bevbevan6189]

Whatifalthist

[@noahtylerpritchett2682]

The Normans established several countries themselves, one in Sicily, a city in Spain, Tunisia, Amtioch, half of Anatolia at one point and a castle in west Africa for God knows why. All from the duchy of Normandy, had a couple thousand more Danes and couple thousand Norwegians settled Normandy and conquered all of France, the Mediterranean sea would of become a Norman lake.

[@comparatorclock]

On the dark age question, 12th century bc (bronze age collapse) leads to greek dark age, then 5th century ad (Roman collapse) leads to early middle age. This suggests a periodicity of around 1600 - 1700 years. That suggests civilizational collapse begetting dark age around 2100 ad? So not this current saeculum transition, but the next one instead.

[@dominicadrean2160]

It would have been interesting how history would have changed if the Vikings conquered England

[@brandongorte4746]

Some did conquer England, via Normandy. William the Bastard (Conqueror) was Norman French.

[@def3ndr887]

@@brandongorte4746 I hate Normans

[@saintemz4648]

Canute the Great sucessfully claimed and conquered England and ruled from 1016 to his death 1035.

[@Rakibrown111]

And then lost it to second generation Norwegian vikings

[@allstarsRB]

They did several times. Their influence on English history and culture is unmistakable

[@AMRARDvermebrungruppe]

I love your analysis of the Dark Ages. Reading Chris Wickham you can really see how the pre-feudal order was fundamentally "yeomanistic" in that it was based on the assumption that ordinary people were self-sufficient and could fight in skirmishes.

[@AMRARDvermebrungruppe]

Paris had been the capital before the Viking era. The Merovingian kings were all buried at St Denis, or the mainline ones anyway. Also Spain was a Gothic nation-state before the Muslims.

[@domenicomanglaviti8227]

To have a stock market you need stocks, and the first joint stock company was the Dutch east India company, founded in XVII century

[@cowboydup]

this was great info, thanks. i hope you will still incorporate this subject into a video on your main channel someday

[@def3ndr887]

Been trying to write a fantasy world and been basing the northern section of the world a off of the Scandinavia, this video might make it more in depth than anticipated so thanks.

[@TheWorldOnPaper]

This video was super entertaining . I would enjoy a vid about the Roman Empire.

[@primetimeseal8616]

Can’t get enough of this dudes thoughts on history

[@ryancid4877]

Can you do a deep dive on the Sea People?

[@ryanbradley3293]

It’s really weird because I never really learned about the Vikings until now

[@yux.tn.3641]

you didn't study this in primary school?

[@ryanbradley3293]

@@yux.tn.3641no all I learned there was American history until 6th grade when we learned about really ancient stuff like Mesopotamia and Egypt, along with some Greek stuff. Junior high only had geography and American history, and high school I took AP world which only covered 1200 on. Then after that it was all us and us government. I was never taught in school about the Roman’s and never in depth on the Middle Ages

[@ryanbradley3293]

@@yux.tn.3641no all I learned there was American history until 6th grade when we learned about really ancient stuff like Mesopotamia and Egypt, along with some Greek stuff. Junior high only had geography and American history, and high school I took AP world which only covered 1200 on. Then after that it was all us and us government. I was never taught in school about the Roman’s and never in depth on the Middle Ages

[@yux.tn.3641]

@@ryanbradley3293 ah ok, in UK you get to study Romans, Anglo Saxons and Vikings at least when I was in school

[@mendelkorf639]

You guys should do oliver Cromwell and the english civil wars

[@loganmasse8435]

I would love to see episodes on the Muslim conquest and the Crusades

[@hadtrio6629]

If you like the Vikings so mush how about a alternate history scenario where the Vikings clans/tribes unite at the start of the Viking age and instead of the Vikings simply launching raises they launch Mongol style Conquests ?

[@xXCatalystic37Xx]

Vikings, my people!

[@tiistai9696]

22:55 Accurate. Finland is not Scandinavia, it is a Nordic country

[@tomtom21194]

The dark and middle age Amber trade was pretty cool, the baltic was a major source of it. Look it up, its fascinating

[@fightforaglobalfirstamendm5617]

I can trace my family back to the Norman Army of William the Conqueror, with a Germanic name they were almost certainly of the Danish settlers as the German roots of Frankish was heavily dilutes by 1066. My other side is Anglo Irish and the Irish side are Norse Irish from Dundalk near Dublin and formally of the Kingdom of Dublin. So I have Anglian, Norman, Irish, Danish, and Norse ancestors.

[@jkell018]

Isnt Vinland Newfoundland in Canada?

[@monkeyladder]

Do medieval Ethiopia

[@eylam90]

We need a video about Recoquista and both middle eastern and northern Crusades.

[@ringthatbell9597]

9:00 bro held the empire together with nothing but rizz. Charlemagne the og rizzla.

[@Deathmittens1]

Smaller paint brush and smaller strokes guys. The scope of your assertions make them very hard to substantiate. Either way, very interesting.

[@theoderichgothe3027]

My wished topics: 1. The Black Death 2. The Crusades 3. The English Empire 4. The Germanic Tribes 5. The Rise of Rome 6. Napoleon 7. The Start and End of Antiquity 8. The Protestant Revolution

[@444-w8k]

What are good books for an overview of this history?

[@samvalenti7255]

“fascinating” “thanks” 🗿

[@Tricho]

I would love to see, Edo period Japan, Holy Roman empire, and Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth

[@Glawackus-1600]

38:30. It's more complicated than that considering the Northern Crusades and the Christianization of Northwest Europe.

[@silvadelshaladin]

I think you would enjoy the game called "Dead in Vinland." Or at least enjoy it enough to watch the beginnings of a playthrough of it.

[@AMRARDvermebrungruppe]

Vinland might have been in Quebec or in Nova Scotia. The description isn't as close, but it makes more sense archaeologically.

[@xmariokiler2443]

Yyoooo I didn't know Rudyard watched anime. That's soo poggers🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@KhaganVonUngern-sternberg]

Althist: yapping Eric: wow fascinating

[@feartheturnip]

15:00 you have literally described western civilisation today (in mouse form). that is terrifying!

[@jairofortunato7329]

this is FCKN AWESOME

[@strategicgamingwithaacorns2874]

One thing I don't like hearing when people talk about the "Dark Ages" was the oft-repeated talking point that "Society Collapsed". Society did not "Collapse", the so-called "Barbarians" reached cultural and political parity with Rome in the 5th and 6th Centuries AD, and the Franks, Visigoths, Saxons, Vandals, Ostrogoths, and Lombards all built their kingdoms on Roman infrastructure (both physically and culturally). The fall of Rome marks more a triumph of proto-Feudalism over the centralized Oligarchic nation-state, than an abject failure of Civilization in Europe. Also, nitpick: 18:20 this map is anachronistic, the Tang Dynasty still ruled China in 800 AD (and would continue to do so until 930 AD), and the Tibetan Empire is absent.

[@christianhathaway5423]

The thing about women dying in childbirth and going to Vallhol isn't true, its a spartan thing that got misapplied to the norse

[@davidpiersiak9503]

❤ these videos

[@arth-ritisoutdooradventure7467]

“Apex of the YOLO”, it’s called the White Boy Highlight Reel

[@Yarblocosifilitico]

Wait, so, vikings (raiders) were frowned upon in Scandinavia, yet their religious was centered on a War God (Tyr or Woden, I'm guessing) and in order to go to 'heaven' you had to die in battle? That seems conflicting. Maybe we're overestimating the importance of the Warrior religion because it was mostly warriors who went out of Scandinavia.

[@mwi3865]

49:00 part of their legacy is that they simplified alot of the english language

[@Mcfunface]

Vikings: masters of amphibious assault, terrible at cavalry 😅

[@MrReedling]

Yeah, fascinating

[@WizzaStrap]

Please do a video on the Russo-Japanese War :)

[@kristofferhaugstad7616]

Not all Norse societies where not peacefull though, in norway 1/3 of all people died due to violence, through combat or otherwise. In Denmark it was in the single digits, so it depends on the country

[@antonsamuelsson1317]

The wise woman said Once you're hardened in battle, there's no coming back (Fight or fall) And before the attack Feel your blood starts to boil In your veins as you charge (Hundreds fallen) As the fire inside is ignited by bloodshed In berserkers from North Could it be as was said When the serpent be woken Fenrir howls Swedish pagans, marching a shore Forged in Valhalla by the hammer of Thor Out from Asgard, our viking ship sails Never to turn back again Where brothers have fought is where we will be proven On ground stained by blood (Standing tall) And we know if we fall, our comrades awaits in Valhall (Odin's calling) As the fire inside, is ignited by bloodshed In the circuits of nord Will it be as was said, will the serpents be woken Fenrir howls Swedish pagans, marching a shore Forged in Valhalla by the hammer of Thor Out from Asgard, our viking ship sails Never to turn back again First to the battle, firs to the feast Destiny waiting, no retreat, retreat Swedish pagans, marching a shore Forged in Valhalla by the hammer of Thor Out from Asgard, our viking ship sails Never to turn back again

[@jackf1557]

*around **31:20* "because he was the guy who could beat off.. heh heh. He was the guy who could *defeat*..."

[@kolobcreek]

You raised a very good point! WE NEED A WHOLE VIDEO! Why doesn't the bible or other religious texts reference the Pyramids? Do any religious texts mention them? I'd say the elephant in the room. But lets just say largest man made structure in the world at the time.

[@stapleman007]

34:45 TLDR: The modern Scandinavians are the people who stayed at home. Enjoy your lutefisk and frozen pizzas.

[@Sohave]

There is actually some debate about the horns on the helmets here in Denmark. Most is attributed to Wagner opera portrayals of the vikings as well as their christian victims portrayal of them as devils. And there is a general consensus that horned helmets were not used. with that being said it is inconclusive, there were only very few archaeological finds of actual viking era helmets and there were finds of miniature figures from the viking ages that wore horned helmets, but those are believed to portray a mythical time, perhaps with the awareness of iron age helmets of Scandinavia that were in fact horned, but it would have been something old and archaic by the viking age, like bringing a Picklehaube to the war in Ukraine today, it could theoretically happen. Perhaps it did actually exist in the viking age but as a symbol like the tycoon hat of today being a passed on symbol of capitalists while no actual capitalists of today wears one. In 1000 years time when looking back at today future historians can be forgiven for thinking that capitalists of today wore tycoon hats or that steam locomotives were the norm because most pictograms depicting a train uses the silhouette of a steam locomotive.

[@thewanderer5939]

When he said beat off and laughed lol

[@adurpandya2742]

34:00 Vikings were outcasts, not elites. Female infanticide was a thing and a big motivator. North America was not empty like Iceland.

[@retromountains]

10:40 age of empires turtles vs rushers

[@kristjanerlings]

What about Kvenland? North West russia and Baltics + sout Finland + middle Sweeden and finally Middle of Norway. My forefather is Fornjótur King of Kvenland 70AD to Rögnvaldur Earl of Möre father of Rollo and Hrollaugur, who was sent to Iceland and Einar Earl of Orkneys among others. One of many brances from Ragnar Loðbrók Sigurðsson

[@SeanyeMidWest]

Me, with Hungarian and Viking ancestry: laughs in barbarian about how my ancestors caused feudalism.

[@JustinianG]

Can I do a collab with you? Or be in one of your videos or anything?

[@bevbevan6189]

Only after you finishing reconquering Spain, Justinian.

[@yanx4797]

45:12 You mean Anime？

[@davverodevs4444]

Fascinating!

[@haakonae]

The first crusader king was Sigurd Jorsalfare of Norway, he pretty much went "Viking for Jesus". Same motivations as his heathen ancestors 100 years before, but in the name of Jesus and against Muslims and Christians who had a different interpretation on Christianity than himself.

[@Patman824]

I'd love a Communist anthology - Pol Pot's Cambodia, Castro's Cuba, Maoist China, etc.

[@spaghettiking7312]

Pretty influential guys.

[@Marcus_Aurelius75]

My only complaint about this is that it's too interesting to go to sleep to! I'll have to listen to something else for now and come back to this when I'm not trying to sleep. 😆

[@thaeus01matthaeus86]

maybe a video about brazil

[@joshuacollins5022]

The beat off laugh lmao

[@Canario_27]

The Viking age, that explains the laser-raptors

[@bitcoinzoomer9994]

Vril📈📈

[@fernandomurillo96]

All this guy said was wow😂

[@monkeyladder]

Talk about the Cholas

[@nathankobell9992]

Topic Request: Decline of Religion since the 20th Century.

[@ludvigalmgren2818]

I think archeologists found a settlement up on newfoundland

[@trippyyoke]

This would be better without a half ass co host. Maybe it helps you to have a person infront of you, but if they dont have real questions, or just say thats fascinating or insane, maybe write him some questions. Id just do a solo rant though. I feel you got the chops to do it.

[@williamhartig9904]

I like this series but I find it a little weird that your co-host only talks to ask you questions and rarely provides input aside from "fascinating"

[@Mcfunface]

Rudyard is just a wealth of information. Sometimes smaller KZbinrs feel out of their depth so take the approach of letting the guest talk the entire time

[@monkeyladder]

Talk about Ireland

[@MyRandomboy]

You should get an editor and put pictures over this like what you do for whaifalthis vids

[@theuniverse5173]

Just found out you changed the name of this channel

[@PvtSchlock]

You get a little more out of life with nearby vikings to toughen you up.