The Vikings Research Paper

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

When one sees the word Viking, the mind firstly shifts to men who are uncivilized and unprincipled. Using evidence of achievements and victories will not only show how much they impacted Europe, but how sophisticated Vikings actually were. As Charlemagne’s empire ended, the people of Europe showed extraordinary resilience toward the new movements of the era. From 800 to 1200 CE, Vikings ruled medieval Europe. These Vikings, along with thick soil, are credited with shifting Europe from endemic violence toward cooperation and legal order. An attack on the Lindisfarne monastery off the coast of Northumberland in northeastern England marked the beginning of the Viking Age. Vikings began to appear in Europe due to Scandinavian raiders repeatedly visiting the Christian countries of Europe. At first they were content with just raiding lands, but soon they began to seize land and proclaim rule. They sought riches, not land. With this established rule, Vikings promised safety and began to reform the lands they had acquired. The people agreed due to starvation and possible attacks from eneimes. The new lands had a need for settled agriculture, defensive warfare and commerce. As the Vikings began to fulfill these needs they saw an expansion in cooperation and rule of law among the villagers.

The vikings had their own groups of people which included landowning chieftains, freeman, and also young clan members who seeked over sea adventures. While the viking members were at home, they can be described as independent farmers, but at sea the vikings became raiders. During viking period it seemed as if the Scandinavians had a surplus amount of manpower that seems practically inexhaustible, who could organize warriors into conquering armies and bands. The bands negotiated the seas in their longships,also known as a viking ship, and mount raids on nearby cities and towns that were along the coast of Europe. Their brutal way of living and manpower earned them the name vikingr, or viking in old english, which was the name for a pirate in early Scandinavian language.

In Western, Europe Vikings were known as fearsome warriors that took whatever they wanted. Arab had trading sites that Vikings used. Vikings would trade honey and fur for silver that they

In fact, agriculture engrained itself into Scandinavian society; every Viking family owned a farm (Godfrey). Despite their love for agriculture, they proved to tremendously mobile people often venturing across the ocean. The iconic and elegantly carved boats they traveled by were known as longboats. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, they were "independent farmers" on their private land but "at sea they

The way the Vikings built and used homes, tools and crafts to sell, links to my thesis. Viking craftsmen used bone, antler and ivory to make tools for a wide range of practical uses. “Each material had it’s own distinct properties”, in which these innovative craftsmen understood well (Lore&Saga, ND). “Besides raiding and farming, Vikings were exceptional craftsmen”. Trading centres began to appear in the Scandinavian countries. They now “specialised in jewellery making, bone carving, weapon making” and etc. (historyonthenet, ND). “Vikings lived in longhouses, rectangular buildings with thatched roofs”. They were built from turf, wood or stone. Families shared the one room, which was also used for cooking and crafting (OxfordUniversity, ND). In conclusion Viking behaviour, in the way they lived shows us that they were domesticated, civilised and innovative

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.

The definition of a Viking is any of the Scandinavian pirates who plundered the coasts of Europe from the 8th to 10th centuries. The Vikings made their impact in parts of modern day Russia, Iceland, Greenland, Newfoundland, Britain, and the majority of the European continent. They were first known as Norsemen and Northmen before they got the name that people know them for today. When conquering these lands, Vikings opted for naval battles as they succeeded at these were what they excelled at; some of the ships the Vikings used held more than three hundred men. Vikings built an extensive network of trade links that stretched all over modern Europe and continued into Russia, the Middle East, and Africa.

The longship represented the pinnacle of Norse shipbuilding techniques in the Viking Age and contributed immeasurably to the success of raiding and Viking expansion

They are usually between 20 and 35 m long. They would fit around 20 and 60 Viking warriors with each their own weapon and shield, and they were made strong and light to be able to sail faster through the waters. The long ship was extremely important to the Vikings. It is said that when a chef dies the ship is sometimes buried in the grave, they thought it would help the dead person to sail quickly to Valhalla; and when a important warrior died they would be placed in their ships and set on fire while the ship sailed

They opened up trade routes, which helped start a revival of Europe's economy. The Vikings also founded some of the best-organized and most dynamic states in Western Europe. For example, the Vikings contributed substantially to the making of the medieval kingdoms of England and Scotland. They founded Normandy as a virtually independent state in western France. Having established a well-run government there, they spread out to conquer England in 1066, laying the foundations for that modern nation.

The Vikings’ use of the longship provided a dependable means of transportation to allow the quickest and most steady trips along the waterways. The ship was big

burn and pillage their way across civilized Europe. During this period much progress was achieved in terms of Scandinavian art and craftsmanship, marine technology, exploration, and the development of commerce. It seems the Vikings did as much trading as they did

The Vikings spent most of their time raiding villages and killing people. They sailed very far distances in their longships to find land to raid. The Vikings mostly raided western and eastern parts of Europe. They also raided places like Greenland and Canada. While raiding the Vikings would basically kill anyone that got in their way and they would destroy villages completely. If you survived a Viking raid, you were extremely lucky. When the Vikings raided they would steal anything they could, including money, food, cattle and loot from churches. The Vikings would usually not leave places alone. Once they had raided them one time, they would do it again and keep stealing and killing. One famous raid that the Vikings did was in Northumbria, North-east England. Here the Vikings arrived in their longships and burned down buildings, murdered monks, stole things and frightened everyone. Apparently some of the Christian church leaders said

Ragnar Lodbrok, a legendary Viking hero and his army sailed up the Loire River and conquered Paris by defeating half of Charles the Bald’s army. The other half were on the other side of the river and watched as Ragnar hung 111 of Charles’s men as a sacrifice the