Was just reading about the early exposure to Christianity by the Vikings and how it took them hundreds of years to fully convert and how they maintained much of their culture for a long time after their conversion got me thinking about the Protestant Reformation. The Vikings remained very Viking like for many generations after their conversion.
It seems like every single country that had a significant Viking presence for a long period of time ultimately participated in the Protestant Reformation on the side of the Protestants. Every country except for Ireland but they had their own Celtic history that was unique to them and different.
I know a lot of the reformation was top down but it's an interesting pattern nonetheless. That fierce independence of Protestantism spread like wildfire in areas that had an ancestry of a warrior culture that valued individual glory. Since Protestantism is generally about a personal relationship with God and very individualistic, I can't say I'm surprised it took off in an area of Europe that had ancestors who behaved in that manner.
Has this idea been explored anywhere? I'd like to read more about the whole situation.
It seems like every single country that had a significant Viking presence for a long period of time ultimately participated in the Protestant Reformation on the side of the Protestants. Every country except for Ireland but they had their own Celtic history that was unique to them and different.
I know a lot of the reformation was top down but it's an interesting pattern nonetheless. That fierce independence of Protestantism spread like wildfire in areas that had an ancestry of a warrior culture that valued individual glory. Since Protestantism is generally about a personal relationship with God and very individualistic, I can't say I'm surprised it took off in an area of Europe that had ancestors who behaved in that manner.
Has this idea been explored anywhere? I'd like to read more about the whole situation.