Orning Hans Jacob, Esmark Kim, Sigurðsson Jón Viðar (eds.) New Perspectives on the 'Civil Wars' in Medieval Scandinavia

Brepols, 2024. — 448 p. — (Comparative Perspectives on Medieval History 1).In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, Scandinavia was rocked by an ongoing period of ‘civil war’, conflicts traditionally characterized by medieval historians as internal struggles that took place in the context of predominantly national, state-centred, political and constitutional frameworks. This volume, however, aims to overturn these established narratives, with carefully curated essays written by experts in the field offering a new pan-Scandinavian perspective on the period in question that emphasizes the importance of fluid, often overlapping social networks, permeable borders between realms, and constant underlying hostilities between rival groups. Through detailed examinations of pivotal moments in Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish history, together with analyses of topographical patterns, gender issues, diplomacy, and three contributions that draw parallels within similar conflicts outside of Scandinavia, this book provides an important corrective to teleological narratives of the medieval ‘civil wars’ as a necessary stage on the route to state formation and modernity.Hans Jacob Orning, Department of Archaeology, Conservation and History, University of Oslo, Norway; Jon Vidar Sigurdsson, Department of Archaeology, Conservation and History, University of Oslo, Norway; Kim Esmark, Department of Communication and Arts, Roskilde University, Denmark.