Editing Birka (section)

===Rimbert's description===
In ''[[Vita Ansgari]]'' ("The life of Ansgar")<ref>[http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/anskar.html Vita Ansgarii] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108030836/http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/anskar.html |date=8 November 2014 }}. Translation in English.</ref> monk and later [[Archbishopric of Bremen|archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen]] [[Rimbert]] gives the first known description of Birka. The town was the center of Catholic missionary activities in the 9th century Sweden. Rimbert's interests were in the Christian faith, not so much in the Swedish geopolicy, so his descriptions of Birka remain approximate at best.

====Bridgehead of Christian missionaries====
This is how it all started in 829:

<blockquote>Meanwhile it happened that Swedish ambassadors had come to the Emperor [[Louis the Pious]], and, amongst other matters which they had been ordered to bring to the attention of the emperor, they informed him that there were many belonging to their nation who desired to embrace the Christian religion, and that their king so far favoured this suggestion that he would permit God's priests to reside there, provided that they might be deemed worthy of such a favour and that the emperor would send them suitable preachers. (Chapter IX)</blockquote>

<blockquote>[[Ansgar]] then undertook the mission committed to him by the emperor, who desired that he should go to the Swedes and discover whether this people was prepared to accept the faith as their messengers had declared. (Chapter X)</blockquote>

Ansgar was already experienced in the missionary work in [[Denmark]], and set forth to Sweden. Rimbert describes the trip very generally:

<blockquote>It may suffice for me to say that while they were in the midst of their journey they fell into the hands of pirates. The merchants with whom they were travelling, defended themselves vigorously and for a time successfully, but eventually they were conquered and overcome by the pirates, who took from them their ships and all that they possessed, whilst they themselves barely escaped on. foot to land. —With great difficulty they accomplished their long journey on foot, traversing also the intervening seas (maria), where it was possible, by ship, and eventually arrived at the Swedish port called Birka. (Chapters X and XI)</blockquote>

Rimbert does not say where Ansgar sailed off or where he landed. Noteworthy is just his note about several "seas" that they had to cross to get to Birka from the place they had landed to. Since Rimbert mentions them to have crossed the seas by ship "where it was possible" they clearly had the alternative of going around them as well, meaning that the seas were probably the numerous lakes in southern Sweden. When Ansgar again travelled to Birka from Germany about 852, it went easier:

<blockquote>Ansgar accomplished the journey on which he had set out, and after spending nearly twenty days in a ship, he arrived at Birka (Chapter XXVI)</blockquote>

This might mean that he sailed off from [[Hamburg]] or [[Bremen (city)|Bremen]] instead of some port in Baltic Sea, since the later account by Adam of Bremen gives the distance of [[Scania]] and Birka to be only five days at sea.

====Kings====
Several Swedish kings of the 9th century, [[Björn at Haugi|Björn]], [[Anund Uppsale|Anund]] and [[Olof (I) of Sweden|Olof]], are all mentioned in ''Vita'' to have spent time in Birka. None of them is however said to have had his residence there, as the Swedish king and his retinue periodically moved between the [[Husby (estate)|Husby]]s, parts of the network of royal estates called [[Uppsala öd]].

King Björn met Ansgar in Birka when he arrived there in 829 (Chapter XI). Later King Olof met him there as well during his last trip in 852 (Chapter XXVI).

====Church====
Ansgar's missionary work resulted in first churches to be built in Sweden. Talking about [[Herigar]], the prefect of Birka:

<blockquote>A little later he built a church on his own ancestral property and served God with the utmost devotion. (Chapter XI)</blockquote>

Herigar's church was not far from the place where tings were held:

<blockquote>On one occasion he himself was sitting in an assembly of people, a stage having been arranged for a council on an open plain. He then summoned his servants and told them to carry him to his church. (Chapter XIX)</blockquote>

Another church was also built in Sweden, however location is left open:

<blockquote>This Gautbert, who at his consecration received the honoured name of the apostle Simeon, went to Sweden, and was honourably received by the king and the people; and he began, amidst general goodwill and approval, to build a church there (Chapter XIV)</blockquote>

The exiled Swedish King [[Anund Uppsale]] confirms that either one of the churches was in Birka itself when he ponders if Birka should be plundered:

<blockquote>"There are there," he said, "many great and powerful gods, and in former time a church was built there, and there are many Christians there who worship Christ" (Chapter XIX)</blockquote>

====Probable fortress====
[[File:Entry in a defensive wall on Birka September 2015.jpg|thumb|An entry point in a Viking-era defensive wall on Birka]]
Danes attacked Birka, accompanied with the deposed king [[Anund Uppsale|Anund]], which caused great distress in the town.

<blockquote>Being in great difficulty they fled to a neighbouring city (ad civitatem, quæ iuxta erat, confugerunt) and began to promise and offer to their gods—But inasmuch as the city was not strong and there were few to offer resistance, they sent messengers to the Danes and asked for friendship and alliance. —Hergeir, the faithful servant of the Lord, was angry with them and said, "They will lead away your wives and sons as captives, they will burn our city (urbs) and town (vicus)"<ref>The Latin word ''vicus'' which Rimbert uses about Birka can also be translated as "market place" or "village".</ref> and will destroy you with the sword (Chapter XIX)</blockquote>

As the neighbouring "city" is not mentioned in any other context than during the Danish attack as a place where people took refuge, it probably meant a nearby fortress. Eventually Danes left, sparing Birka from destruction.

====''Ting'' assembly====
When Ansgar asked if King [[Olof (I) of Sweden|Olof]]<ref>Scandinavian sources omit King Olof from the list of kings that reigned in [[Uppsala]].</ref> would permit him to establish the Christian religion in the kingdom during his second visit in 852, the king said to him:

<blockquote>On this account I have not the power, nor do I dare, to approve the objects of your mission until I can consult our gods by the casting of lots and until I can enquire the will of the people in regard to this matter. Let your messenger attend with me the next assembly (Chapter XXVI)</blockquote>

<blockquote>When the day for the assembly which was held in the town of Birka drew near, in accordance with their national custom the king caused a proclamation to be made to the people by the voice of a herald, in order that they might be informed concerning the object of their mission. —The king then rose up from amongst the assembly and forthwith directed one of his own messengers to accompany the bishop's messenger, and to tell him that the people were unanimously inclined to accept his proposal and at the same time to tell him that, whilst their action was entirely agreeable to him, he could not give his full consent until, in another assembly, which was to be held in another part of his kingdom, he could announce this resolution to the people who lived in that district. (Chapter XXVII)</blockquote>

[[Thing (assembly)|Tings]] were huge open-air events, which required plenty of space. The more important ting that king Olof talked about was probably the ''[[Thing of all Swedes|Ting of all Swedes]]'', which was held at the end of February in [[Uppsala]], during the [[Disting]]. The king was obliged to obey the common decisions made at this ting, and the most powerful man at this assembly was not the king, but the [[lawspeaker]] of [[Tiundaland]]. Locally important tings were the Westrogothic ''[[Thing of all Geats|Ting of all Geats]]'' in Skara and the Ostrogothic ''[[Lionga thing|Lionga ting]]'' in the vicinity of today's [[Linköping]].