During the Viking Age, Pregnancies Were Political, Precarious—and Violent

During the Viking Age, Pregnancies Were Political, Precarious—and Violent

A new study shows that pregnancies during the Viking Age were far from a private matter, closely tied to conflict, social status, and the harsh realities of life and death.

Pregnancy And Power: The Political Role Of Childbearing In Viking Age

Pregnant women wielding swords and wearing martial helmets, foetuses set to avenge their fathers – and a harsh world where not all newborns were born free or given burial. These are some of the realities uncovered by the first interdisciplinary study to focus on pregnancy in the Viking age, authored by myself, Kate Olley, Brad Marshall and Emma Tollefsen as part of the Body-Politics project. Despite its central role in human history, pregnancy h…