Merchants and trading towns were often the targets of robbers and pirates, and accidents were always possible during long trading and transport trips.
While raids and attacks on traders were commonplace, there was also a host of initiatives aimed at setting up a certain level of security for trade.
One example, according to the National Museum in Copenhagen, is a diplomatic agreement between kings. The Annals of Fulda for the year 873 state that the Danish king Sigfred’s emissaries traveled to Worms to reach an agreement with King Louis the German.
They wanted to secure peace in the border areas between the territories of the Danes and the Saxons, which would enable traders to carry out their activities freely and safely in the adjacent empire.
Such agreements are proof of times of peaceful coexistence between countries. However, it is also important to note that trade required protection from the authorities of the time in order to have a certain level of stability.
Swedish Vikings and their love of trade
While Vikings from Norway and Denmark were famous for their raids and often brutal exploits, the Vikings of Sweden, in particular, are known for their affinity toward trading and diplomacy.
According to researchers, the find at Fröjel on Gotland island, which is located east of the Swedish mainland, provides abundant evidence of the wealth that Swedish Vikings gathered thanks to their love of business.
Furthermore, it is known that, in times of great uncertainty or war, when trading routes revolving around the Mediterranean were threatened, Vikings also kept trading routes between Byzantium and the west open via Kiev and Russia.
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