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Viking expansion was the historical movement which led Norse explorers, traders and warriors, the latter known in modern scholarship as Vikings, to sail most of the North Atlantic, reaching south as far as North Africa and east as far as Russia, and through the Mediterranean as far as Constantinople and the Middle East, acting as looters ...
Norway. Sweden. v. t. e. The Viking Age (793–1066 CE) was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonising, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. [1] [2] [3] It followed the Migration Period and the Germanic Iron Age. [4]
Jan 13, 2022 · Learn how Scandinavians reached almost every part of the known world and discovered new lands as colonisers, traders or warriors. Explore the reasons, methods and results of their remarkable voyages across the North Atlantic, Mediterranean and Asia.
- Vikings History: The Viking Age—An Overview
- Vikings History — Why Did The Viking Age Happen?
- Easy Targets
- Vikings History — from Pagans to Christians
- Vikings History — Society: Men, Women, and Children
- Vikings History — Norse Mythology
- Vikings History—Symbols
- Vikings History — Sagas and Stories
- Vikings History — What Did They Eat?
- Vikings History — Explorations and Settlements: Iceland, Greenland and Vinland
Viking is a Verb, Not a Noun
When the quiet monks on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne saw the dragon ships approaching, they didn’t know what was coming. They were fully unprepared for the ferocity of the warriors, armed with sword, axe and shield. The attack and plunder of Lindisfarne, a rich and unprotected monastery, echoed throughout the next 300 years of European history. The Viking Age had begun. Historians use the term the Viking Age to describe the turbulent expansion of the Scandinavian people into Europe and Russ...
Who Were the Vikings?
The true Vikings history is fascinating. Simply put, the Vikings were Norwegians, Swedes and Danes, men who were usually farmers, traders, blacksmiths, and craftsmen. For various reasons, they took to raiding towns, churches and monasteries. Many of the places they attacked were on the coasts as they were easiest to reach. With their swift and easily landed ships, the Vikings could quickly swarm over the communities, killing and looting, and just as fast return to their ships and leave. They...
Why Scandinavians Left their Homelands
Scholars debate why the Scandinavian people began to go raiding in the late 8th century. Most likely it was a combination of factors that lead to the Vikings setting off in their long boats to raid other communities. We’ll discuss these reasons in articles you’ll find here, explaining why they left their farms and blacksmith forges to first attack and finally settle all over Europe and Russia.
While the Vikings had the runic alphabet, they didn’t have written history. Thus, we don’t know exactly why the Vikings began raiding in A.D. 793. Scholars have many theories about the reasons why the Scandinavians began leaving home on extensive raids, trading missions, explorations and settlement, which include: 1. population pressures and not en...
Vikings were not Christians, therefore, they saw no hindrance in attacking ecclesiastical centers such as monasteries. However, even in warfare, Christians did not attack properties of the Church—at least not often—so Church properties were unprotected. No doubt Vikings did see church properties as easy pickings, as the Church had grown very wealth...
While Charlemagne “converted” pagans to Christianity by the sword, the conversion of Vikings to Christianity occurred without violence for the most part. In the early Viking Age, Viking traders noted that they suffered losses in trade contracts and deals because the other party was Christian. Christian traders tended to give more business and bette...
Within the male-dominated Viking society, women had a certain amount of personal power, depending on their social status. When Viking men were away from home—raiding, fishing, exploring or on trading missions—women in Viking society took over all the men’s work as well as doing their own. Women were valuable members of the society and it was shamef...
In the world of Norse mythology, we find gods and goddesses, giants, strange and powerful creatures, elves, dwarves and land spirits. It is difficult for a 21st century person to conceive of the worldview of the Vikings, brimming as it was with such a variety of spiritual beings.
Viking symbols play a large role in their iconography, just as they do in all societies. Symbols are cultural shorthand, a sign that conveys layers of meaning about the culture. The pagan Vikings used symbols to represent their gods, beliefs and myths. Cultural symbols can take any form, such as sounds, gestures, words, pictures and images. Most of...
Viking culture was rich in stories, tales and poems. Kings, brave heroes, beautiful women, dangerous journeys, battles, fearsome dragons and otherworldly creatures were all subjects of tales told by skalds and everyone else. In the Viking Age, no one wrote them down, but everyone knew them, mostly by heart. Long winters when people were cooped up i...
What did Vikings eat? The Vikings farmed crops, grew gardens and raised animals, as is typical of food produced from a feudal economy. They ate what they produced on their farms or what they could hunt, fish or gather. Viking farms were generally small, but large enough to keep the family or extended family well-fed in good years. Their food was se...
When the Vikings burst out of their homelands starting in the 8th century, they raided, fought and settled in many parts of Europe and Russia, but they also took off on voyages of discovery across the Atlantic Ocean. They moved into Scotland and Ireland and most of the Atlantic Islands—Shetland, Orkney and the Hebrides. Vikings soon settled in the ...
Nov 4, 2009 · Learn about the Viking Age, the period from around A.D. 800 to the 11th century when Scandinavians raided, traded and settled in Europe and beyond. Explore the origins, tactics, conquests and settlements of the Vikings, as well as their legacy and impact on history.
Introduction. The Viking Age approximately lasted from 790 to 1066 A.D. During this period, Vikings left their Scandinavian homelands and ranged far and wide in Western Europe. They expanded their influence through warfare and built settlements throughout Europe, Central Asia, and England.
May 22, 2017 · The Viking Expansion | World History. Medieval History. The Viking Expansion. May 22, 2017. 0. 6291. Historians have theorized a number of factors contributing to the Viking expansion from the 8th to 11th centuries.
