The Vikings

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The Vikings
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Who were the Vikings?

• The Vikings were raiders from Scandinavia
  (Norway, Denmark and Sweden).
• Only when they were raiding were they "vikings"
  They were mainly farmers who raised livestock and
  fishermen, some of whom went "a-viking" in the
  summer.
• The Vikings were also known as the Norse or
  Northmen.

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When did the Vikings live?

• The Viking Age began about 750 AD
• The end of the Viking Age is usually given as
  1066 when the Norwegian King Harald Haraade lost
  a battle to the English King Harold.

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Where did the Vikings go?
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Where did they go?

• WEST The Vikings sailed west and discovered
  Iceland, Greenland, and Vinland, which today is
  know as New Foundland, Canada. 
• EAST They sailed east to Estonia, and from there
  sailed down rivers to get further into the land.
  By sailing on rivers, the Vikings got as far as
  the Black Sea!
• SOUTH Most frequently they traveled to the
  British Isles, Ireland or France, which many
  monasteries and villages sadly experienced...
  Isolated towns and churches were easy targets for
  the Vikings, as the locals were caught off guard
  and had not sufficient weapons to defend
  themselves. 
• COLONIES In Northern England the Norsemen
  settled and established a large colony. A great
  number of Vikings settled on Iceland in the 9th
  century, and some went further west, to
  Greenland. Some Vikings also settled in Eastern
  Europe. 

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What did they do?

• Raiding and Pillaging
• They traveled by sea or up rivers in their fast
  and beautiful longships to attack and seize
  treasures from monasteries, towns, and churches.
• Trading
• The Norse were traders and skilled craftspeople
  in wood, jewelry, stone, and ivory.
• In Asia, they traded goods, often slaves, with
  Arabic merchants and brought back home exotic
  goods like glass and spices. 
• Exploring
• They created far-flung trade networks and
  settlements throughout Europe and across the
  North Atlantic Ocean to Iceland, Greenland, and
  briefly to the North American Mainland.

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Why did they raid?

• The increased wealth and trading within Europe
• Fine treasures available in monasteries and
  churches
• Political instability in Scandinavia
• Improved technology of the longships
• Political unrest and frequent warfare in Europe
• Over-population and limited farmland in
  Scandinavia.

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How did they travel?

• There were two distinct classes of Viking ships
  the longship and the knarr.
• The more famous longship was intended for warfare
  and exploration.
• designed for speed and agility
• equipped with oars to complement the sail
• long and narrow hull, in order to facilitate
  landings in shallow water
• The knarr was a slower merchant vessel with a
  greater cargo capacity than the longship.

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How do we know about Vikings?

• Picture stones and grave monuments
• Chronicles written by European monks
• Norse literature (the sagas) written 200-300
  years after the end of the Viking Age
• Archeology and excavations
• Bayeux Tapestry