Facts About Viking Warfare

Coming from Scandinavian countries, predominantly Denmark and Norway, the Vikings began raiding the British Isles in the late 700s (James). The Vikings primarily targeted monasteries, because that is where most of the wealth was concentrated (Loughrey). These raids were very violent, people were killed, and the survivors were sold into slavery (Loughrey). These violent raids earned the Vikings the reputation of barbarians, much like the Mongols a few centuries later in Asia. After some time, once the Vikings exhausted most of the wealth in the monasteries, they turned their interest into settling the British Isles (James). By the late 9th century the Vikings had conquered most of England (James). However, even though these Viking kingdoms did not last very long, the Scandinavians who resided there stayed. These Scandinavians would go on to change the British Isles in many ways. Despite the violent and negative impacts of Viking raids on the British Isles, once the Vikings settled down, they had a significant and positive peaceful impact on the British Isles culturally, politically, and economically.

The Vikings are not guilty of being bloodthirsty pillagers because like any other civilization, they were just overcoming a harsh environment. First, in document 4, the ship-graves that the Vikings built show that “the Vikings were not barbarians, though they are frequently depicted that way” (Document 4). The ship-grave that was discovered contained the imprint of a huge wooden ship and a cast treasure trove, which had been buried with a king or noble warrior. The remains of the man were not there, but his belongings lay there, along with other treasures. This shows that the Vikings were not aggressive people, but instead they were innovative and cared for their dead and respected them as well. Another reason of why the Vikings were not bloodthirsty

The Vikings were Norse seafarers, who mainly spoke the Old Norse language. They raided and traded from their Northern European homelands across wide areas of northern, central and eastern Europe, during the 9th to 11th century. The Vikings originated from Scandinavia, and the beginning of the Vikings expansion often originates from the raid of the Lindisfarne Monetary on 8 June 793. The Vikings were the first Westerners to sail to Iceland, Greenland, and over to the New World. However, the story of the Vikings is also an important story for the development of the Christian world in the West. Throughout this essay, I will explain the importance of Viking religion, Viking trade, and how the Viking age had an impact on the way Western and

The strengths of the Vikings surely was the most significant factor in enabling them to be successful in terms of their strategies and tactics. Their strategies for example included the ‘Great Army’ which consisted of small forces therefore allowing them to use the element of surprise to their advantage and so raid completely undetected. They first gathered in East Anglia (866/7) and were skillfully able to live of this land by taking horses and supplies from the locals. The success of these Great Armies is clearly represented by their ability to destroy 3 kingdoms including Northumbria, Mercia and East Anglia. The Great Army was certainly key as it was believed to have been able to ‘dramatically change the political and demographic

Beginning in about A.D. 800, many Scandinavians sailed south from their homelands to seek their fortunes. These seafaring warriors began by raiding coastal sites of the British Isles but soon grew more ambitious. During the next three centuries, they left their mark as traders, pirates and settlers on much of Britain and the European continent. These raiders became known collectively as Norsemen, or “Northmen,” though they are better remembered by another name: Vikings.

The Vikings were a very successful group of warriors from Scandinavia. They started raiding and violently attacking other places because of their lack of resources. The Viking homeland was rural and people worked as fishers or farmers. Scandinavian people got their fish from the sea, but because the soil in that area was not very fertile, there wasn’t enough grain being grown to feed the rising population. “As Scandinavia's population grew, food shortage became a common problem. Looking for new sources of food and wealth, some Viking leaders decided to take what they needed from other people” (Doc. A). When the Vikings attacked cities, they took everything they could and then burned what was left of the destroyed city. “And the Vikings came on them just like a storm and cut them down, carried off everything, and burned the place” (Doc. B). Because of this, there was no one left to come after them, or anyone to avenge

The Vikings were a group of Scandinavian raiders that were around from about the 8th century to the 11th. They mainly attacked the British Islands , the Frankish empire, England, but they also plundered places such as the Iberian peninsula and northern Africa. Vikings did not always settle into the places that they found, for instance after exploring North America they left the place never to return again. Even so, after landing on Greenland they colonized themselves there, and ancestors of the Vikings still live there today. So now that you know a little about the history of the Vikings lets go into detail about the specifics of the Viking age. (Peter Sawyer, Oxford Ill. History of the Vikings p. 1-19)

The Vikings lived about one thousand years ago in the lands that we now call Iceland, Lapland, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. To most people the Vikings were raiders that got in their longboats and sailed somewhere and then went from town to town killing and pillaging. This is not completely true, because the Vikings were also

Viking history and culture have been depicted in many movies, television series, and stories. Vikings are commonly known as barbarians that raid villages and intimidate others with huge ships with dragon heads, and horned helmets. This information is based on facts, but has been distorted and exaggerated over many years and tales. Viking history spans from the years 780 until 1100, which is the time span of the Viking raids. Not every Scandinavian was a Viking; Vikings were known as the men that conducted raids and bloody battles. The old definition of Viking was synonymous with the term pirate. The modern definition is relevant to the Scandinavian medieval culture, to include farming, crafting and trading.

Have you ever wondered how the vikings became the raiders of the sea and how they lived?. They were the fiercest people to ever sail the seas. People were scared of them because of their raiding reputation. It was there means of survival. I will be talking about the ships they sailed, the armour they wore, the way they lived, different arts, and their religion.

Vikings were a group of people from Scandanavia (modern-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden) who navigated the North Atlantic and Baltic Regions, sailing to destinations in the south to North Africa, and east to Russia, Constantinople (“Istanbul”) and the Middle East, as ‘hit-and-run’ looters, traders and colonists. Notably, the Vikings were seen as a barbaric clan by their victims, especially to those in Europe with whom they had an imposing influence. Equally, as the Old Norse (the language of the Norsemen) translation of the word ‘Viking’ signifies, the Vikings were feared as fierce and ruthless pirates. However, most of these people may not have called themselves Vikings since only a few engaged in raiding and pillaging, which was seen as a

When most people hear the word Vikings, they immediately think of them being fierce and savage beings with no sense of humanity. Vikings are believed to be a bunch of people killing everyone and stealing their belongings, but this was not the case and that stereotype is far from the truth. They were more advanced than people imagine and there was much more to them. The Vikings were a very complex and advanced society due to their laws, social classes, and religion.

Stokstad writes about the Vikings: “for the next eleven hundred year's Vikings, together with Huns and Vandals, were synonymous with barbarian destruction, lightning raids and ruthless devastation of settled and pious communities” (Stokstand & Watkins, 172). They were warriors, seaborne raiders that killed inhabitants and pillaged towns. They are known for their efficiency and self sufficiency. The Vikings were not only fighters aiming for the destruction of the Christian church but farmers, craftsmen, merchants, and traders.. They are “handy with a club, nifty with a sword -- also, on the evidence, the Vikings wielded a mean pair of tiny pliers” (Gale).

The people that lived in northern Europe between A.D. 800 and 1100 were known as Danes, Northmen, or Norsemen. In later years they became known as Vikings, a name derived from a Norse word for pirate. They were famous and feared pirates and raider. The Vikings were known to be remarkable traders, explorers and warriors. The Vikings were most known for their fighting ability but they were also excellent at trading goods such as slaves and exploring many parts of the world. They were also well known for their weapon choice but also people knew to be scared of them because they are such fierce warriors and if you are not expecting it can be extremely bad for you

I believe that Vikings weren’t just brutal raiders. Instead of raiding they sometimes liked to spend time with their family, manage their farms and learn poetry. But when the Vikings were raiding they were so brutal and absolutely terrifying. When Vikings came people were helpless, they couldn’t do anything. They would have to just run around and hope for the best. Not many people survived Viking raids, but if you did there must have been a miracle. However, despite the fact that Vikings liked to raid and kill there were some good in them.