Viking History and Culture

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

Viking raids were not gigantic wars, they were small, lightning-quick hit and run smash and grab raids. They did not attack in the center of kingdoms, they instead attacked the outer rim of kingdoms, usually small villages or monasteries. They did this because it was simply easier. These attacks, however while looking like they only benefitted the Vikings, actually changed medieval life for hundreds of years to come. That change is feudalism. The kingdoms were very large, with the king somewhere in the middle of it. When Vikings would make these, to a king’s perspective, small attacks, it would take more than a week to

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.

Vikings throughout history have created a false sense of identity over time. Usually in medias and stories the Vikings are depicted as savage barbarians bent on destruction, but never as structured civilized people who had a well formed and organized military. The Vikings were a collective clan of people, that stemmed from northern europe during the middle ages. They engaged in many activities that were propounded in other countries, those being trade, exploration, and colonization. They founded many cities on three different continents, several of which are still occupied.

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.

We all think of Vikings as pirates who sail around slaughtering people, but there is more to it than just smashing and killing. The Vikings actually caused the Charlemagne Empire to break-up faster, they caused Europeans to have a society based off of Feudalism, and they changed the English language.

In popular media today, the Vikings are remembered as a race of barbarians. They are depicted as warriors, wearing horned helmets and carrying swords, ransacking and burning villages to the ground. Admittedly, there is some historical precedent for their aggressive reputation. Between 793 AD and 1066 AD, the Vikings expanded their territory from Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, into neighboring regions, including Eastern and Western Europe, the British Isles, and Greenland. The Vikings were indeed a hard people. However, this was not due to their culture or character, but rather the difficult environment they lived in. Although Vikings are remembered as aggressive expansionists, the factors that led to their voyaging to new lands were competition

The Viking Age was from 800 to 1050 AD ("Where Did They Come From?”). During that time the Vikings attacked, plundered, and created their own culture in Scandinavia and other islands. The very first Vikings were from Scandinavia and most of them left their homeland to seek freedoms and fortunes elsewhere (History.com Staff.). There are many famous viking leaders, explorers, and gods. Many people think of Vikings as uncivilized and bloodthirsty, but many of the things that people think about the Vikings are not true.

It is widely believed that the Vikings were little more than barbaric and brutish warriors that had little to no lasting influence on European societies. This belief, however, is wrong. The viking age lasted approximately from 800 CE - 1100 CE and created a lasting influence on things such as art, technology, cultures, trade and currency. There is still currently a firm hold of the concept of Vikings in Danish societies and there are traces of Scandinavian dialect in places like Scotland and North England. The Vikings, while they did have an excellent military system, were more than a violent society of people and they have made many last influences on modern society and were a prominent and important empire in early Europe.

Vikings were people from the 8th to 11th century. They were known as traders, explorers, and warriors. Vikings were not large and heavy as they are depicted out to be. This is because of limited food sources. Living conditions in Scandinavian regions were very harsh and hardened the Vikings. However, a lot of them still suffered from the lack of resources.

The Vikings are known for being some of history’s most ruthless invaders. Norseman who pillaged every town they came upon and destroyed any military resistance to their extensive raids. Starting in the Scandinavian countries of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark the seafarers began extending the scope of their raids and influence, eventually wintering overseas. Two modern day countries England and France, once empires and kingdoms, were particularly targeted throughout the Vikings long history. Viking raids happened fast and were effective, often leaving villages in ruins, having been pillaged by the fearless warriors.

Vikings came from three countries of scandinavia; Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. The term Vikings literally means ‘a pirate raid’, they get their name from a scandinavian language called “Old Norse”(BBC-primary history). People who go off raiding in ships were called vikings. Because of the raids and constant battles in many places they were often also called savages, traders, and explorers. In scandinavia they were also called Norsemen. During the time A.D. 700 to 1100(BBC-primary history),

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

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