Viking (Civ4)

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Viking (Civ4)
Introduced in Warlords
Leaders Ragnar
Unique Unit Berserker (replaces Maceman )
Starting techs Fishing
Unique Building Trading Post (replaces Lighthouse)
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The Viking people represent a civilization in Civilization IV.


This section requires expansion.

Civilopedia EntryEdit

More properly known as Scandinavians or Norsemen, the Vikings were a group of people from northern Europe who became famous for carrying out a series of raids across the continent between roughly 800 - 1050 AD. The period is sometimes known as the "Viking Age," and it was an era of chaos and disruption for large parts of Europe. The Vikings can be classified into three main groups: the Danes largely attacked England; the Norwegians visited Scotland, Ireland, and points further west; while the Swedes invaded the river systems of what is now Russia. Although the Vikings usually employed hit and run tactics, many of them settled in new communities in the areas they had subjugated, eventually mixing with the local population. And while the Vikings are thought today to be bloodthirsty brigands, they probably acted more often as commercial traders than as warriors.

Historians debate the reason why the Vikings suddenly emerged from Scandinavia at the end of the eighth century AD and began preying upon other parts of Europe. Theories include: the Vikings were suffering overpopulation caused by better agricultural tools; that the unification of Norway led to an excess of idle warriors; the Vikings were reacting to attempts by the Franks to muscle them out of the trade with the east; or that the men went off to raid and pillage out of simple boredom. One particularly interesting theory is that the climate of Europe was warmer during the early Middle Ages, leading to an excess population in Scandinavia and the subsequent Viking colonization of places such as Iceland and Greenland.

Whatever the actual reason for their expansion, the Viking drive outward began with the sacking of the important island monastery of Lindisfarne, located off the coast of Britain, in 793 AD. England was regularly raided by the Danes in the following decade, and in 865 a major invasion landed in East Anglia. This force was led by several landless Viking kings; in the battles that followed most of the English kingdoms were defeated, but the state of Wessex under Alfred the Great managed to hold the invaders off. The Vikings settled in Northumbria, and their territory became known as the "Danelaw" (most of these Vikings were Danes).

Another wave of Vikings landed in England in 947 under the command of Erik Bloodaxe, who managed to capture the city of York. Vikings would largely remain in control of England until the Norman invasion of 1066 - and the Normans were themselves the French descendents of Vikings. Scotland and Ireland also experienced a heavy Norwegian Viking presence at this time; a number of important cities were founded by them - including Dublin. Eventually the Vikings settled down and intermarried with the native Irish.

The main target for Viking aggression, however, was France. All throughout the ninth century the Vikings sailed up and down the Seine River with impunity, sacking French towns and monasteries at their leisure. Finally the French king Charles the Simple made an agreement with the Viking leader Hrolf Ganger in 911, in which Hrolf was granted control over territory in northern France. In exchange, Hrolf and his men agreed to convert to Christianity and become vassals of the French king. Hrolf's name was changed to Rollo and he became duke of the province of Normandy (named for the Norsemen who settled in it). The Normans retained their martial edge even after conversion to Christianity, and would go on to make a number of important conquests in England, the Mediterranean, and during the Crusades.

The exploits of the Viking sailors were the stuff of legend. Viking mariners found their way to Iceland, Greenland, and even Newfoundland in North America, setting up colonies in all of these locations. Viking longboats were both fast and seaworthy, and their shallow drafts allowed them sail far up the river systems of Europe. The Vikings could strike from the sea and be gone again before the military forces of a kingdom could be marshaled to meet them. In the east, the Swedes traveled down the rivers of modern Russia and founded the state of Kievan Rus', which grew rich off the river trade between the Baltic and the Byzantine Empire. These Vikings also found employment as mercenaries within the Byzantine domains, and their most elite warriors found employment in the Byzantine Varangian Guard. The Viking Age finally came to a close around 1050 AD, as the Vikings were incorporated into Christian Europe and settled down to the less exciting but more stable pursuits of agriculture and fishing; their reputation as fierce invaders from the sea has endured to this day.

List of CitiesEdit

Founding Order City Name Notes
1 Nidaros City in Norway, now known as Trondheim
2 Uppsala City in Sweden
3 Haithabu Town in Germany, now known as Hedeby
4 Birka City in Sweden
5 Bjorgvin City in Norway, now known as Bergen
6 Jelling Town in Denmark
7 Roskilde City in Denmark
8 Tonsberg Town in Norway
9 Sigtuna City in Sweden
10 Lodose Town in Sweden
11 Odense City in Denmark
12 Oslo Capital of Norway
13 Ribe Town in Denmark
14 Lindholm Former settlement in Denmark
15 Vasteras City in Sweden
16 Aarhus City in Denmark
17 Lund City in Sweden
18 Kaupang City in Norway
19 Reykjavik Capital of Iceland
20 Thingvellir Original site of the Icelandic parliament
21 Jorvik City in England, now known as York
22 Lincoln City in England
23 Deoraby City in England, now known as Derby
24 Stamford City in England
25 Dyflin Capital of Ireland, now known as Dublin
26 Vadrejford
27 Limerick City in Ireland
28 Rowane
29 Konugard Capital of Ukraine, now known as Kiev
30 Holmgard City in Russia, now known as Novgorod
31 Aldeigjuborg Town in Russia, now known as Staraja Ladoga
32 Kirkjuvagr Largest settlement of Orkney; Kirkwall
33 Tynwald Legislature of the Isle of Man
34 Leirvik Largest settlement on Shetland; Lerwick
35 Tinganes Old town of Tórshavn, the Faroese capital
36 Kirkjubour Village in the Faroe Islands
37 Brattahlid Erik the Red's estate on Greenland
38 Vinland Norse colony in America (Newfoundland, Canada)
39 Thunderfall

Unit DialogueEdit

The Viking units seem to speak modern Norwegian instead of Old Norse. Some of the orders are apparently translated literally, making them poor Norwegian sentences. Corresponding English dialogue appears in parentheses.

Order000: Som du ønsker! (As you wish!)

Order001: Flytt ut! (Move out!)

Order002: Selvfølgelig! (Of course!)

Order003: Vi er på saken! (We're on it!)

Order004: Ikke noe problem! (No problem!)

Order005: Anse det som fullført! (Consider it as completed!)

Order006: Greit! (Ok!)

Order007: Vi er på vei! (We're on our way!)

Order008: La oss komme avgårde! (Let us get moving!)

Order009: De kan regne med oss! (You can count on us!)

Select000: Alle er til stede og opptalt! (All are present and counted!)

Select001: Til din tjeneste! (At your service!)

Select002: Fortell meg hva jeg skal gjøre! (Tell me what I should do!)

Select003: Venter på dine ordre! (Waiting for your orders!)

Select004: Klar for aksjon! (Ready for action!)

Select005: Hva er planen? (What's the plan?)

Select006: Ja? (Yes?)

Select007: Dine ordre? (Your orders?)

Select008: Hva trenger de? (What do you need?)

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