Harley Botham
Supervisors
Prof Stefan Brink (INS, UHI), Dr Shane McLeod (INS, UHI) and Dr Irene García Losquiño (USC).
Research title
Relaciones diplomáticas entre los nórdicos y la diáspora del sur [Diplomatic relations between the Norse and the southern diaspora].
Research abstract
Vikings are traditionally recognised as Scandinavian raiders, conquerors and colonizers (Christys 2015: 4). Consequently, viking contact is often analysed from the perspective of violent exchanges which has resulted in portrayals of the Norse in a piratic, violent and feared light, without faith or law, deemed Majūs; a seemingly negative connotation for fire-worshippers, magicians or heathens (Pritsak 1990; al-Azmeh 1992; Price 2008: 464; Christys 2015: 15; Cattaneo 2021: 4; García Losquiño 2022: 357). Consequently, there has been far less emphasis on diplomatic relations and their outcomes. It is only in recent years that scholars have endeavoured to provide alternative perspectives to viking contact. At the centre of these recent studies, Irene García Losquiño’s research into Norse-Iberian relations in northern Iberia demonstrated that diplomatic relations were multifaceted, having established diplomatic trade links, settlements and mercenary contracts which undoubtedly influenced lasting cultural exchanges, including material culture and language (García Losquiño 2022). This research therefore proposes to expand on García Losquiño’s findings and identify the complex diplomatic relations in southern Spain and the Middle East.
Through the exploration of primary and secondary literature, this research will assess the extent to which diplomatic Norse-Iberian interactions resulted in lasting cultural exchanges in al-Andalus and the Abbasid caliphate. This research will therefore provide a comprehensive review of relevant literature, including an analysis and interpretation of current academic understanding to provide insight into the necessity for diplomacy in viking alliances, trade and settlement. This research also undertakes comparative analysis of Norse-Iberian diplomacy with other, better recognised contexts, such as Norse-Anglo-Saxon relations, in order to identify similarities and differences between these contexts and unique aspects of viking relations in the southern diaspora.
Biography
Harley is a full-time distance student, working towards a PhD in Northern Studies at the Institute for Northern Studies. Prior to this, Harley completed an MLitt in Viking Studies (Distinction) at the Institute for Northern Studies and was awarded UHI Student of the Year 2024. Harley has also obtained a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (Level 7, Secondary Spanish with QTS) from Leeds Trinity University, and an undergraduate BA (Hons) Arts and Humanities (Spanish and History) from the Open University.
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