Did Christianity Start the Viking Age?

Why did the Viking age start? This question is usually answered in several different ways that can include: A wish to steal valuables, population growth, advanced shipbuilding, etc. However some of these arguments need a lot of additional context to be understood properly, because the Scandinavians didn't suddenly find out that they could go raid monasteries to steal valuables. This was caused by something... Additionally, these commonly given reason are probably true, but probably only played a minor role in the start of the Viking age. Because there is something important to be understood: During the late eighth century, pagan Scandinavian elites, particularly those in Denmark, had reason to become increasingly apprehensive about the political and religious expansion of Latin Christianity. They could observe Charlemagne conquering neighbouring pagan Saxony, destroying pagan sacred institutions, imposing Frankish rule and Christian practices, severely punishing resistance, and presiding over a Christian world that was already discussing the conversion of the Danes. Saxon leaders such as Widukind also had direct links to Scandinavia, making ignorance of these developments unlikely. This background could have made attacks upon Christian institutions politically or religiously attractive to some early Scandinavian leaders. Monasteries such as Lindisfarne simultaneously offered Christian symbolic importance, little military resistance, portable wealth and captives. The economic rewards would have made such expeditions easier to recruit for and finance regardless of whether every participant shared an ideological motive. Once successful expeditions demonstrated the enormous material and social rewards available overseas, raiding became increasingly self-sustaining, and whatever anti-Christian or anti-Carolingian motivation may have contributed to the earliest phase ceased to be necessary. Chapters: 00:00 What is the Viking age? 00:33 The commonly given reasons 03:54 An interesting theory 05:04 Sources: Myhre's "Pagan Reaction" model 06:39 7th - first half of 8th century 07:46 710: Wilibrord 09:25 772: The Saxon wars begin. 10:33 Widukind: The Saxon-Scandinavian connection 11:25 782: The Massacre of Verden 15:22 Coercive Frankish Christianization 16:45 Scandinavian rulers and their interests 17:24 Trade restrictions: Weapons & Armour 19:43 789: Alcuin's letter 21:17 789: Scandinavian hostility starts 22:05 793: Lindisfarne 26:17 Why Lindisfarne specifically? 29:38 793-795: Next attacks also hit monasteries 30:24 Raiding made the attacks feasible 34:51 Context around taking valuables 39:50 Not only raids 42:43 Conclusion