My OperaBATTLE OF HASTINGS ...1066... Part I
Sunday, March 20, 2011 11:24:29 AM
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" 1066 BATTLE OF HASTINGS "
9 o'clock On The 14th October 1066 And Lasted Most Of The Day.
The Date That Changed The Course Of English History.
" THE LAST SAXON KING OF ENGLAND "
          
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ANGLES - from Angeln in southwestern Jutland (Neck of the Jutland Peninsula , now in southern Denmark) JUTES - from northern Jutland Peninsula (modern Denmark) , Belgium , some sources (Beowulf) state that the Jutes were actually the Geats of southern Sweden. FRISIANS - Denmark , northwestern Netherlands (Province of Friesland - northern Netherlands , northern Holland - western Netherlands) |
Anglo - Saxon Timeline 350 - : Anglo - Saxon raid English shores and are beaten back by the Romans. 410 : Romans leave England. 449 - 550 : Arrival of Jutes from Jutland , Angles from south of Denmark and Saxons from Germany. 450 : Saxons , from Germany , settle in Kent. 597 : St Augustine brings Christianity to Britain from Rome and become Archbishop of Canterbury. 617 : Northumbria becomes the Supreme Kingdom. 779 : Mercia becomes the Supreme Kingdom and King Offa builds a Dyke along the Welsh Border. |
By the beginning of the seventh century to ninth century , the country was divided into four kingdoms. The Angles inhabited the kingdoms of Northumbria , which once stretched as far as south east Scotland , Mercia and East Anglia. While the Saxons held Wessex (Sussex , Essex and Wessex , see the map above). Wessex was the only one of these kingdoms to survive the Viking invasions. Eric Bloodaxe , the Viking ruler of York , was killed by the Wessex army in 954 and England was united under one king - Edred (born c. 923 , reign 946 - 955 , son of Edward the Elder & Edgiva (or Eadgifu) of Kent , the King's third wife , daughter of Sigehelm , Earl of Kent). |
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The Anglo - Saxons were pagans when they came to Britain. They worshipped many gods , their religion was closely related to the Old Norse beliefs of the Vikings. Each pagan god controlled a particular part of everyday life. BALDER - god of immortality EOSTRE - goddess of birth FRIGG (Freyja) - goddess of love , fertility HEL - goddess of death LOKI - god of cunning SAXNOT - god of the family THOR (Thunor) - god of thunder TIW - god of war and law , identified with Mars WADE - god of the sea WAYLAND - god of metalworking WODEN (Odin , Othin) - the supreme god , the divinity of wisdom The arrival of St Augustine in 597 converted most of the country to Christianity. St Augustine (died c. 604) was sent by Pope Gregory the Great. Augustine was later to become the first Archbishop of Canterbury. |
Names Of The Days Certain days of the week are named after early Saxon gods. MOON ' s day - Monday - the day of the moon. TIW ' s day - Tuesday - the day of the god Tiw. WODEN ' s day - Wednesday - the day of the god Woden. THOR ' s day - Thursday - the day of the god Thunor (Thor). FREYJA ' s day - Friday - the day of the goddess Freyja or Frigg , wife of Woden. |
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SUN ' s day - Sunday - the day of the sun. |
SAXON BROOCH
Museum of London
Sutton Hoo Ship Burial On a small hill above the River Deben in Suffolk is a field , covered with grassy mounds of different sizes. For several hundred years what lay under the mounds remained a mystery. There are eleven mounds or barrows dating back to the 7th century. |
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PURSE British Museum The Anglo - Saxons liked to show off their wealth. This is the lid of a leather purse that would have hung from a belt. It was probably attached to a wide leather belt by the three hinges at the top and fastened by the sliding catch at the bottom. The purse , with gold decoration , is the richest one found from the Saxon time. |
GOLD BELT BUCKLE British Museum The metal and decoration on Saxon's buckle reflected the wealth and status of their owner. This magnificent buckle found in the ship burial was made of gold and weighs 412.7 grams. |
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ANGLO - SAXON HELMET British Museum The helmet was made of iron. Only the wealthiest Anglo - Saxons had helmets made of iron. When it was dug up it had broken into over 500 pieces. It took almost a year to put it back together again. |
They were Vikings ,
they were French , or something far better.
Because they were
" THE NORMANS "
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The Normans came from Normandy in northern France. However , they were originally Vikings from Scandinavia. The Normans arose as an important civilization rather suddenly in the 9th century. The founder of the Norman kingdom in France was Rollo. He participated in the great siege of Paris in 885 - 887 , and by 900 was the leader of a large band of Vikings. |
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911 - The French King , Charles the Simple , grants the Viking Rollo land in what is now northern France. This land becomes known as Normandy and the people who live there are known as the Normans. 1017 - The Italians request the Normans send an army to help them defend their land. On arrival the Normans like the country and invade it themselves. 1047 - Nineteen year old , William the Bastard wins his first major engagement at the battle of Val Es Dunes on the Norman - Frankish border. 1066 - Duke William of Normandy invades England putting an end to the 500 or so years of Saxon rule. |
1085 - King William I of England orders the Domesday Book be compiled. 1099 - Normans led crusaders , following Pope Urban II ' s orders , capture Jerusalem. 1135 - King Henry I ' s nephew Stephen goes to war with the Empress Matilda and brings nearly two decades of anarchy to the Norman lands. 1204 - The French King , Phillip II , invades and conquers Normandy. |
The Normans gained a reputation as great soldiers. The greatest quality of the Normans was their military prowess. Like their earlier kinsmen the Norse , the Norman barons and knights looked upon fighting as their only profession. Their whole system of life and government was constituted upon the basis of military service. Naturally , they had brought the science of warfare to its greatest perfection. Their arms and armour were of the highest excellence. |
co - operation when actually on the field of battle. This perfection of military skill had won for the Normans many a victory against tremendous odds in many parts of Europe from Normandy to Sicily , and as far as the Holy Land. |
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Most of the Normans in England decided to stay and became English. Most of the Normans in France became French.
In the long term , the Normans influence faded as its leaders intermarried and integrated with the local populations.
The Normans themselves effectively ceased to exist , but the great energy and organizational abilities of the Normans left a strong impression on all of the regions of Europe that were once under their sway.
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" THE VIKINGS "
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The term Viking is used to refer the Scandinavian explorers , warriors and merchants. They lived along the coastlines of Scandinavia. Today Scandinavia comprises three countries - Norway , Sweden and Denmark. The Vikings were often referred to as the Danes but they came from all over Scandinavia. They were also known as the Norse people. The period of Viking expansion is known as the Viking Age. It began about 1,200 years ago in the 8th century AD and lasted for 300 years. |
ships' dragon - heads appeared through the fog like sea monsters and sliding onto shore the fiercest Beserker Vikings came wildly swinging their battle axes. Most think of them as fearless in fight , bloodthirsty vandals. |
 However , the Viking culture and way of life is far less barbaric than most would think. Modern research has found that the Viking culture of Sweden , Denmark and Norway was far more complex than that , and the violence of the Viking culture was no more ruthless than other groups in Medieval Europe of the 8th through 11th centuries A.D. The historians and archaeologists have found no evidence that Vikings always carried weapons. So why do people today think of the Vikings as wild , savage people who were always fighting and raiding ? |
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9th century France
One of the main sources of information about the Vikings is the writing of monks who lived in monasteries in Ireland , Scotland , England and France. These monasteries were often attacked and robbed by Vikings from about A.D. 750 to A.D. 1100. The monks saw the Vikings as pagans who had little respect for Christian holy places. So it is little wonder that they had a bad opinion of the Vikings. |
- The findings of archaeologists who have excavated sites where Vikings settled - camps , farms and towns. - The writings of the Vikings themselves. They wrote long stories called sagas about the brave deeds of great Viking heroes. |
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Viking helmet with peaked cap and noseguard. There is no evidence that Viking helmets had horns mounted on them. |
even if they do know something ,
it is often wrong , such as
There is a popular culture , depicting Vikings with horned helmets. That's False! |
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Viking helmet has a rounded cap with no horns on top and has a guard around the eyes. There is not found helmet of Vikings which has horns. From runestones and other illustrations from time period it is known that Norsemen also wore simpler helmets , often peaked caps with a simple noseguard. Many historians say that probably Scandinavian people or some Celtic tribes used them , but not Vikings. |
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9th century ,
Viking Ship Museum ,
Oslo , Norway.
The Gokstad ship is a Viking ship found beneath a burial mound at Gokstad farm in Sandar , Sandefjord , Vestfold , Norway. The site was excavated in 1880 by Nicolay Nicolaysen.
Viking chieftains were often buried with their ships to take with them to the afterlife. Some made funeral pyres of their ships and were burned at sea. When a ship could not be spared , stones were placed on the ground in the shape of a vessel to ensure passage to valhalla. Toward the end of the Viking Age around 1000 the Vikings became Christians.
FJORD is a long , narrow inlet with cliffs. (steep - sided bay) |
Vikings were extremely clean people. They made their own soap , tweezers and razors. They even bleached their hair. Most people in the time where between 5 feet and 5 feet 4 inches for the men , Vikings on the other hand easily topped 6 feet and up. |
by Conny Jonsson
Lief Ericson (975 - 1020) is thought to be one of the first Europeans to set foot in America. His father was " Eric the Red " or Erik Thorvaldsson Raudi , who established the first European settlement on Greenland. A Viking man called Bjarni Herjolfsson discovered America by accident in the year 985 , when his ship was blown off course on the way to Greenland. Erik the Red had heard tales of Bjarni's trip in 985 to a mysterious land to the west while searching for Greenland. He was too old for the venture but hìs son Leif was not. Lief was the first established seaman to make direct voyages between Greenland , Scotland , and Norway. In 1001 , he went to Bjarni and sought information on routes and landmarks , and purchased Bjarni's ship for the journey. |
Sea Wolves or King of the Sea All their achievements would have not been possible without their ships , of perfect design , and their sailing skills. Their ships , called drakkars , were a technological breakthrough at that time. The Vikings made ships able to navigate in any condition. They were large enough to sail in the open sea , but small enough to navigate through the rivers of Europe. They were 24 - 28 m (80 - 83 ft) long , 3.5 - 5 m (12 - 17 ft) wide , and 2 m (7 ft) tall. These ships were adequate for both attacks and explorations. In a typical attack , the Vikings employed 2 - 3 ships , each carrying 40 - 50 men. Warships were designed to come right up on the beach so that men could jump out and start fighting straight away. |
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L ' Anse - aeu - Meadows in northern Newfoundland which correspond to Leif's Vinland. The Vikings were pagans and their heaven was called Valhalla. The red haired Viking god Thor , god of thunder , fights his enemies with thunder bolts , boulders , and a boomerang - like hammer. Odin , the one - eyed magic god of wisdom , had great bravery. The Norse gods who ruled the sea were Aegir and his wife Ran. Aegir's nine daughters were the waves of the sea. |
The Vikings did not know the compass nor the sextant , but they guided themselves using the sun , the stars , the direction of the wind and the sea birds flight. The Vikings used ravens for navigational purposes. Their sailors found their way by looking for familiar landmarks and they knew the coastlines like the back of their hands. Recently , the Vikings were proven to have even employed sunstone crystals to sail in foggy conditions. That's why their attacks many times took their targets by surprise. The Vikings traded all over Europe , as far east as Central Asia. They bought goods and materials such as silver , silk , spices , wine , jewellery , glass and pottery. In return , they sold items such as honey , tin , wheat , wool , wood , iron , fur , leather , fish and walrus ivory. Everywhere they went the Vikings bought and sold slaves. But it was usual for all lands that time. They paid for their goods using silver coins , or pieces of silver or jewellery. |
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The ship often carved with dragons , serpents , wild animals , and ornate designs. The Vikings had a dragon head on the bow of the ship to protect against the evil spirits of the sea. |
Thor's hammer returns to Thor's hand like a boomerang. Norse mythology influenced Richard Wagner's use of literary themes from it to compose the four operas. The Valkyrie is the second of the four operas " The Ring of the Nibelung. The best - known excerpt is the " Ride of the Valkyries. " |
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During the following three hundred years , the Vikings played a prominent part in many important events in Europe. Apart from being known as warriors , the Vikings were highly skilled traders with trade connections around most of their known world.
To the Viking warrior , honour and glory in battle were the only things that lasted forever. Vikings had a strong sense of honour and competitiveness. Death was not important to the individual , his reputation and the reputation of his family was all - important and everything. Happiness was to have other Vikings remember the Viking's and his family's name forever after his death because of his deeds.
Roman during Decadence
by Thomas Couture
(21 December 1815 -
30 March 1879)
Oil on canvas , H. 472 cm ,
W. 772 cm , Museé d' Orsay (Hervé Lewandowski) , Paris , France.
BRITISH HISTORY TIMELINE 500 BC - Celts AD 43 - Romans 450 - Saxons 793 - Vikings 1066 - Normans |
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The Romans in Britain (43 AD to 410 AD) The Romans invaded Britain. 1. First invasion - August 55 B.C. by Julius Caesar. 2. Second invasion - 54 B.C. by Julius Caesar. 3. Third and final invasion - 43 A.D. by Claudius and General Aulus Plautius. The Romans remained in Britain from 43 AD to 410 AD. They stayed almost four hundred years (four centuries). They left Britain because their homes in Italy were being attacked by fierce tribes and every soldier was needed. The Romans had been troubled by serious barbarian raids since around AD 360. The Roman legions began to withdraw from Britain in AD 383 to secure the Empire's borders in mainland Europe. From Roman point of view , Britain was considered a far - flung outpost of little value. By AD 410 all Roman troops had been withdrawn , leaving the cities of Britain and the remaining Romano - British to fend for themselves. |
There were the people living in Britain during the Iron Age but no one called these people Celts until eighteenth century. In fact the Romans called them " Britons " , not Celts. The name Celts is a modern name and is used to collectively describe all the many tribes of people living during the Iron Age. The word Celt comes from the Greek word , " Keltoi " , which means barbarians and is properly pronounced as " Kelt. " From around 750 BC to 12 BC , the Celts were the most powerful people in central and northwestern Europe , especially what are now Austria , Switzerland , southern France and Spain. Over several years , they spread outwards , taking over France and Belgium , and crossing to Britain. There were many groups (tribes) of Celts but Northwest Europe was dominated by three main Celtic groups : 1. the Gauls 2. the Britons 3. the Gaels |
The Vikings invaded England long ago , in the 860s , and settled in the north. In the year 1016 , the Viking King Cnut (Canute , c. 985 or 995 - 12 November 1035) invaded and conquered England. He became King of England (from 1016 - 1035) , Denmark , Norway and some parts of Sweden. England was ruled by Norwegian kings right up until 1042. |
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Edward " the Confessor " because of his construction of Westminster Abbey. |
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Edward's Early Life Edward the Confessor , the son of Ethelred the Redeless and Emma of Normandy , was born at Islip in 1004. When he was a boy in 1016 , King Cnut invaded England. Edward , at the age of twelve , had accompanied his father into exile in Normandy. Edward and his brother Alfred had spent much of their childhood at the palace of William , Duke of Normandy. They were very kindly treated there. Edward stayed in Normandy until he became King of England in 1042 (almost 26 years). He had acquired the tastes and outlook of a Norman and was extremely fond of his Norman relations including his cousin William. William and Edward were friends , and it was thought by many that Edward intended William to succeed him. |
(1042 - 1065) His Danish half - brother , Harthacnut , the son of his mother's second marriage to King Cnut , invited Edward to England and made him welcome at his court. Edward succeeded to the English throne in 1042 , on the death of Harthacnut. He was said to have secretly detested Godwin for his part in the murder of his brother Alfred. However , he married Edith , the daughter of Earl Godwin and Harold's sister , whom he found all powerful on his accession to the throne. |
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The Conflicts |
Edward the Confessor in stained glass from Chester Cathedral. |
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Earl Godwin , the most powerful man , became the leader of an England for the English movement. Once , in 1051 the clash between the Earl and the King became so severe ... |
Edward's sister , Goda , was the wife of a powerful Norman nobleman , Eustace , Count of Boulogne , who visited his brother - in - law in England. While staying at Dover , Eustace and his retainers greatly offended the citizens of the town by taking free lodgings. A scuffle developed , in which an Englishman was wounded. He , acting in self defence , killed one of the Normans. His house was promptly surrounded by Eustace and his men and the Saxon was murdered along with several other inhabitants of the town. The men of Dover then drove the Norman intruders out of the town. Eustace complained to King Edward about the affair and instructed Earl Godwin to punish the town. |
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Edward Coin
half - Norman Ralph the Timid , Earl of Worcester (Edward's nephew through Goda's first marriage). In 1051 , Edward the Confessor had banished Earl Godwin and his family , the King then seized the opportunity to be rid of his Queen , Godwin's daughter , Edith , whom he deprived of all her jewellery and consigned to a convent. Although Godwin was forced to flee England , he did not stay away long. Earl Harold sailed to Ireland , where he gathered troops , on returning to England , he met with his father's forces and they jointly advanced on London. |
Edward the Confessor was forced to restore them to power. The King did not have the power to keep them away without threatening to take the country into civil war. Finally Edward agreed to a compromise , all the Normans were outlawed and Edward was obliged to restore the estates of Godwin and his sons and take back his Queen. |
Edward bore a deep resentment to Godwin , who he believed to be implicated in the murder of his brother , Alfred , when on a visit to England during the reign of Harold I. The King's resentment of Earl Godwin remained very strong and a burning sense of the injustice of his brother Alfred's death smouldered within him. During a banquet at Windsor , Edward ventured the opinion that he was convinced that Godwin was guilty of being involved in the murder. |
" May This Morsel Of Bread Be My Last. " and it was said that he choked on the bread. Whatever the cause , Godwin died on 15th April , 1053 , while FEASTING with the KING during Easter at WINCHESTER , reportedly of an apoplexy. |
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APOPLEXY 1. sudden neurologic impairment due to a cerebrovascular disorder , limited classically to intracranial hemorrhage , but extended by some to include occlusive cerebrovasbular lesions. 2. copious extravasation of blood within any organ. |
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King Edward recalled his nephew , Edward the Exile , the son of his half - brother Edmund Ironside , to England , intending to name him his heir. Edward returned with his family from Hungary , his recall was a popular move among the Saxons. |
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Edgar the Atheling |
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Why not Harold Godwinson ? William Duke of Normandy , at this time , was a second cousin to the late king. Being unlikely to produce children of his own , King Edward invited his maternal cousin to his court. William visited him in 1051. During this visit , Edward is purported to have promised William the crown of England if he died without producing an heir. |
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Harold Godwinson The real Harold would have had long hair. |
Welcome to Normandy In 1064 Harold and William had their first confrontation , but exactly how it came about is still a greatly debated topic among historians. Some say that Harold was sent by King Edward as his envoy to William in order to confirm William as his successor. Others say that Harold was actually sailing to another part of England when his ship was blown off course. Either way , Harold had been shipwrecked on the French coast , and was immediately taken prisoner by Count of Ponthieu. William arranged for Harold's release , but soon after made him swear loyalty to him. It seems , Harold had been forced to swear an oath , as the price of his freedom , to support William in becoming King of England when Edward died , but there is no way of knowing exactly what Harold swore on that day and it was said that the oath was given over a box that unbeknown to Harold contained the bones of a saint. |
After a reign of twenty - three years , Edward the Confessor died on the stormy night of 4th - 5th January , in the year of 1066 , and was buried in the great church of St. Peter , Westminster , which he had built. But ten days previously , on his deathbed Edward was said to have willed his throne to Harold Godwinson. " Into Harold's hands I commit my Kingdom. " It's unknown if anyone believed this story , there were no witnesses to Edward saying this. But at least the Witan believed it. The Witan , or the Saxon Witanagemot - the Saxon council of wise men , elected Edward's brother - in - law , the powerful Harold Godwinson, Earl of Wessex , as King. The day after Edward died , Harold became King Harold II of England. He was crowned by Archbishop Stigand at the Westminster Abbey on 6th January , 1066. |
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William of Normandy considered himself rightfully the next King of England. William declared that Edward had promised the English Crown to him in the 1051s , during a visit of the latter to England , and Harold had sworn the oath on holy relics that he would support William's right to the throne. |
William the Conqueror
Harald Hardrada The Norwegian King , another claimant to the throne of England , had been joined by Tostig Godwinson , a brother of Harold Godwinson. Hardrada was King of Norway and a direct descendant of the kings of England. He was related to King Cnut , the great King of England (1016 - 1035). Harald Hardrada or Harald Sigurdsson Hardrada or King Harald III of Norway was a legendary figure in the Scandinavian lands , even before his fateful decision to press his claim to the English throne. The epithet " Hardrada " was given later , and is Old Norwegian for " hard ruler. " Hardrada ruled Norway jointly with his nephew Magnus the Good until 1047 when Magnus died. |
Middle Ages , so this particular oath bound Harold to helping William , and made Harold's own claim to the throne look illegal. William appealed to the Pope. The Pope himself , due to Harold's foresworn oath on holy relics , supported William's enterprise. He received the blessings of the church and the Pope provided him with a battle standard , carried at William's side during the Battle of Hastings by a knight called Toustain (Toustain Fitz Rou le Blanc , married Agnes , daughter of Alfred de Marlbourough and had two sons Rollo and Eustace). |
Anglo - Saxon King of England. Now with Magnus and Edward dead , Hardrada claimed that he , as Magnus's heir , was the rightful King of England. |
 King Harald III of Norway or Harald Sigurdsson Hardrada |
But Four Candidates.
The Winner Takes All.
The Loser Loses Everything - Even His Life.
AND THEN THE WAR BEGAN...
End Of Part I
Go To Part II
Unregistered user # Saturday, October 29, 2011 5:04:01 AM
Unregistered user # Tuesday, February 14, 2012 8:11:06 PM
JohnWilliamGodward # Thursday, February 16, 2012 3:54:30 PM
Read more: http://www.jowsey.com
Saxons, Angles, Jutes and Danes (500-1000 AD)
Anglo-Saxon England refers to the historical period from the end of Roman Britain through the establishment of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in the fifth century, until the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. Anglo-Saxon culture is a general term referring to the medieval Germanic tribes, including Angles, Saxons, Frisians and Jutes, who settled in the British Isles during the early Middle Ages, their language, laws and politics.
300AD: Saxon invasions (from Saxony/North Germany)
500-800AD: Invasions of Angles (Anglia, Germany) and Jutes (Jutland, Denmark)
800AD: Scandinavian Vikings invade central-east coast (York, Norfolk)
800-1000AD: Viking Age (Denmark, Norway) invasions of southern England; Danelaw
1066AD: Norman Conquest (Norsemen = Gallic Danes)
Y-DNA haplogroup I (M170), descended from prehistoric Cro-Magnon Europeans, represents nearly one-fifth of the contemporary population of Europe. It can be found in the majority of present-day European populations; the greatest density to be found in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Norway, Sweden, Serbia, Sardinia, Denmark and Germany. The haplogroup is frequent near the southern Baltic and North Sea coasts, but almost non-existent outside of Europe.
Haplogroup I1 is a sub-type of haplogroup I occurring at greatest frequency in Scandinavia, associated with the mutations (SNPs) identified as M253, M307, P30, and P40. The group displays a very clear frequency gradient, with a peak of approximately 40% among the populations of western Finland and more than 50% in the province of Satakunta, around 35% in southern Norway, south-western Sweden especially on the island of Gotland, and Denmark, with rapidly decreasing frequencies toward the edges of the historically Germanic (Saxon) sphere of influence.
http://files.myopera.com/JohnWilliamGodward/blog2/I1-gene.jpg -
European distribution of the I1a-M170 gene type
The most recent common ancestor (MRCA) of I1 lived 5,000 years ago somewhere in the far northern part of Europe, e.g. Denmark. His descendants are primarily found among the Germanic populations of northern Europe, and the bordering Uralic and Celtic populations.
On average only 25% of gene types in England derive from north-west Europe. Within England, areas with the highest concentration of Germanic (Danish-Viking/Anglo-Saxon) Y chromosomes occur in areas associated with the Danelaw and Danish-Viking settlement, especially York and Norfolk. In these areas, about 60% of Y chromosomes are of Germanic origin. On the west coast of Scotland, only 15% of the yDNA is Norse in origin. These studies cannot distinguish between Danish, Frisian and German (Schleswig-Holstein) Y chromosomes.
Such genetic research has shown that, contrary to long-standing belief, the Germanic tribes (Angles, Saxons and Danes) did not "wipe out" the Romano-British inhabitants of medieval Britain but rather, over six centuries, politically dominated the indigenous peoples of England and south-east Scotland, who gradually assimilated their language and culture.
Scandinavian Vikings (800-1000 AD)
R1a is thought to have been the dominant haplogroup among the northern and eastern Indo-European speakers who evolved into the Indo-Iranian, Mycenaean Greek, Macedonian, Thracian, Baltic and Slavic branches. The Proto-Indo-Europeans originated in the Yamna culture (3300-2500 BC), in the Pontic-Caspian steppe between modern Ukraine and south-west Russia. Their expansion is linked to the domestication of horses in the Eurasian steppes, and the invention of the chariot.
The eastern part of the Pontic-Caspian steppes is strongly associated with the Indo-Iranian and Balto-Slavic branches of Indo-European languages. Based on archeological, linguistic and genetic data, it is possible to say that the pastoralist nomads who lived in the northern Russian steppes and forest-steppes 5,000 years ago carried predominantly R1a paternal lineages.
Nowadays, high frequencies of Indo-Europeans of the "Corded Ware" or "Battle Axe" culture (R1a haplogroup) are found in Poland (56% of the population), Ukraine (50-65%), European Russia (45-65%), Belarus (45%), Slovakia (40%), Latvia (40%), Lithuania (38%), the Czech Republic (34%), Hungary (32%), Croatia (29%), Norway (28%), Austria (26%), Sweden (24%), north-east Germany (23%) and Romania (22%).
http://files.myopera.com/JohnWilliamGodward/blog2/R1a-gene.jpg -
European distribution of the R1a-M17 gene type
In Europe, R1a, again almost entirely in the R1a1a sub-clade, is found at highest levels among peoples of Eastern European descent (Sorbs, Poles, Russians and Ukrainians; 50-65%). In the Baltic countries R1a frequencies decrease from Lithuania (45%) to Estonia (around 30%). Levels in Hungarians have been observed ranging between 20%-60%.
There is a significant presence of the R1a/M17 haplogroup in peoples of Scandinavian descent, with highest levels in Norway and Iceland, where around 20-30% of men are in R1a1a. Vikings and Normans carried the R1a1a lineage westward, accounting for its presence in the British Isles.
The Norse Vikings spread out from their native Scandinavia in longships during the Viking Age, starting around 800 AD. Although infamous for their looting and pillaging, genetic evidence confirms their colonisation of Iceland and the Northern Isles of Scotland, and to a lesser degree other parts of Scotland and England, and the Isle of Man.
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