The name “Estonia” first mentioned by Cassiodorus in his Letters (Book. V, Letters 1-2).
It is a controversial question about the territory inhabited by the Estonians in the early Middle Ages, but historians agree on their religious beliefs. The Scandinavians knew Estonians as spellcasters. Similar customs were at that time among the Finns.
Saxon Grammar mentions the Courses and the Estonians as participants in the Battle of Bravalle on the side of the Suev against the Danes; they were also joined by the Livs and Vendians of Pomerania. However, among the participants of the battle, Saxo does not mention other Balts, in particular, the Letts and the Lithuanians.
Snorri Sturluson in his Saga about the Ynglings tells how the king of England Ingvar the High (VII century), the son of Esten was forced to protect the coast of his kingdom from the Estonian pirates. The saga talks about his invasion of Estonia, where he died in a battle against numerous Estonians. After the battle, Ingvar High was buried near the seashore, and the Svei returned home. Presumably, the remains of these graves are the finds of two ships in the Salme parish on the island of Saaremaa.
According to the Circle of Earth Circuits, in 967 the Norwegian Queen Astrid fled the country with her son, the future King of Norway Olaf Trygvason, to Novgorod , where her brother Sigurd held an honorary position at the court of Prince Vladimir. During their journey, the Ezelian Vikings attacked the ship, killing several crew members and turning others into slavery. After 6 years, when Sigurd Eirikson went from Estonia to collect taxes on behalf of Vladimir, he found Olaf in the market in Saaremaa and bought it out.
The battle between the Ozelians and the Icelandic Vikings in 972 near Saaremaa is mentioned in the Saga of Nyala.
Around 1008, Olaf the Holy, the future king of Norway, landed on Saaremaa. Taken aback by the locals, they initially agreed to pay the tribute Olaf demanded from them, but later gathered an army during the negotiations and attacked the Norwegians. Olaf, however, managed to win the battle.
The chronicler Nestor mentions the Chud as a tribe. According to the Tale of Bygone Years, in 1030, Yaroslav the Wise invaded the lands of the Chonians and founded the fortress of Yuryev. According to the ancient Russian chronicles, the Chud was one of the peoples that made up the population of Kievan Rus.
According to the Novgorod first chronicle, the Varyag Ulf (Uleb) from Novgorod was defeated by Estonians in a naval battle near present-day Tallinn in 1032. No other chronicles confirm the sea battle with the Estonians near present-day Tallinn in 1032.
In the XI century Scandinavians are often mentioned in chronicles as battling the Vikings from the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea.
The territory of Estonia is very rich with treasures of the XI and XII centuries, in comparison with other Baltic territories. The earliest is a treasure of Arab dirhams of the 8th century. The largest treasures of the Viking Age were found on the territory of Maidla and Kose. Of the 1,500 coins published in the catalogs, 1000 are Anglo-Saxon.
The Varbola Stronghold fortress on the territory of the modern Estonian district of Harjumaa was one of the largest fortresses with a circular shaft of its time and a major trading center.
Early Christian period
With the spread of Christianity in Europe and the centralization of power in Scandinavia and Germany, the Baltic crusades began. At first, the Livs, Letts and Estas, then the Prussians and Finns were crushed, baptized, occupied by the Germans, Danes and Svay. Often the local population was subjected to repression and extermination.
By the beginning of the thirteenth century, a system of political and administrative division of the country by parishes (kihelkond) and districts (maakond) began to take shape in Estonia. The parish consisted of several villages. Almost every parish had at least one fortress. The defense of the area was supervised by a high official – the elder of the parish. The districts consisted of several parishes, and they were also headed by elders. By the 13th century, 8 maakondas and 45 kichelconds were formed.
Sources:
History of Estonia 2nd Edition. Tõnu Tannberg, Ain Mäesalu, Tõnis Lukas, Mati Laur and Ago Pajur