When Vikings Reached Islamic Spain

A ninth century raid that tested a powerful Muslim state

Abd al Rahman II, Emir of Córdoba (r. 822 to 852), shown receiving Basque ambassadors in a later artistic engraving. Credit: Prisma / UIG / Getty Images.

At first, Vikings and Islamic Spain may seem completely unrelated. One is usually associated with Scandinavia and the North Atlantic, the other with the Muslim world of the Mediterranean. Yet in the ninth century, these two worlds collided, leaving a lasting mark on Iberian history.

In the year 844, Viking raiders launched a major attack on al-Andalus, the Muslim ruled territory that covered much of what is now Spain and Portugal. Their target was not a small coastal village, but one of the most important cities in the region, Seville.

Who the Vikings Were and Why They Raided

The Vikings were seafaring peoples from Scandinavia, mainly from present-day Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. From the late eighth to the mid eleventh century, a period known as the Viking Age, they traveled widely by sea and river. They raided, traded, settled, and explored areas stretching from North America to Central Asia.