Swedish outward pressure fits a much older Scandinavian response to scarce resources. To go Viking was an activity undertaken by Norse people rather than the name of a single permanent social identity. Voyages could combine raiding, trade, migration, and settlement according to the opportunities encountered. Productive populations near the limits of what harsh home environments could support had strong incentives to look outward. The Swedish Empire later repeated that relationship between capability, scarcity, and expansion.
Notable Point · 33:32-34:36
Resource scarcity drove Scandinavian raiding and settlement
The older pattern of going Viking combined raiding, trade, and settlement as productive communities sought resources unavailable at home.