Christian History Home > Issue 63 > Conversion of the Vikings: Christian History Interview - Converting By the Sword
Conversion of the Vikings: Christian History Interview - Converting By the Sword
Why Christians used it, why it worked, and why it died.
interview with Richard Fletcher | posted 7/01/1999 12:00AM
This issue, more than any other we've published, raises the awkward matter of forced conversions—"Be Christian or die." There's no sense in pretending this was an exceptional missionary tactic; for many centuries, it was the method of choice among Christian rulers and missionaries. The conversion of much of Europe and of Latin America is unimaginable without the sword.
It is not a pleasant aspect of our heritage, but one that nonetheless teaches us a great deal about human nature and what, in fact, solidifies Christian faith.
To explore this topic, Christian History spoke with Richard Fletcher, history professor at the University of York, England. Professor Fletcher has spent a lot of time researching medieval Europe, the era when forced conversions were the rule, and his The Barbarian Conversion: From Paganism to Christianity (Henry Holt, 1997) is one of the splendid results.
When did Christians first begin to use force to convert people?
Soon after the conversion of the Roman emperor Constantine, ...
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