TEXT_ Araceli Otero Fernández
ILLUSTRATION _ Marisa Irimia
In the Early Middle Ages, Galicia was under siege from the Arabs who were advancing from the interior and the Vikings attacking its coastline. Neither force had any intention of settling in the region: the reasons for their attacks were pillage and depredations. From the year 843 until the 12th century, Galicia suffered regular attacks by the Vikings who disembarked from their light longboats.
In the words of the Wise King in the Early Chronicles “they were very cruel people”, who used terror as a dissuasive tactic and who remained just long enough to fill their vessels with loot, forcing the local inhabitants to retreat from the coastal areas, which may explain why the seats of the bishoprics such as Mondoñedo and Iria were moved further inland.
