vu00EDkingr usually meant u201Cpirateu201D or u201Craider.u201D It was in use from the 12th to the 14th century, and it was likely derived from an earlier Old Scandinavian word contemporary to the Vikings themselves.” } } , { “@type” : “Question”, “name” : “Who were the Vikings?”, “acceptedAnswer” : { “@type” : “Answer”, “text” : “The Vikings were raiders, pirates, traders, explorers, and colonizers during the 9th to 11th century. They often traveled by sea from Scandinavia and took control of areas of Europe and beyond.” } } , { “@type” : “Question”, “name” : “What was the Vikingsu2019 religion?”, “acceptedAnswer” : { “@type” : “Answer”, “text” : “The Vikings’ original religion was the pagan and polytheistic Old Norse religion, which can be traced back to about 500 BCE in what is now Denmark. As Christianity took hold in Scandinavia, beginning in the 8th century CE, its followers dwindled in numbers. However, this older tradition continued Viking culture.” } } , { “@type” : “Question”, “name” : “Why did Viking raids stop?”, “acceptedAnswer” : { “@type” : “Answer”, “text” : “The defeat of the king of Norway, Harald III Sigurdsson, at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066 is considered the end of the age of Viking raids. A number of broader factors contributed to the Vikingsu2019 decline: more and more communities previously attacked by Vikings became better able to defend themselves, with armies and fortifications; Christianityu2019s spread in Europe; and less egalitarianism in Viking society.” } } , { “@type” : “Question”, “name” : “Why do Viking helmets have horns?”, “acceptedAnswer” : { “@type” : “Answer”, “text” : “The stereotype of Viking helmets having horns goes back to costuming in 19th-century opera. In reality, horned helmets would have been impractical during combat. They may have been worn only for ceremonial purposes in pre-Viking times. The main style of actual helmets was the spangenhelm, consisting of several pieces of iron riveted together.” } } , { “@type” : “Question”, “name” : “How did Viking warriors dress?”, “acceptedAnswer” : { “@type” : “Answer”, “text” : “Viking men would normally wear a woolen overtunic, linen undertunic, either tight or baggy trousers without pockets, woolen leg wrappings, and waterproof leather shoes. Vikingsu2019 typical wartime apparel included the spangenhelm helmet and lamellar or leather armour or chain mail. ” } } , { “@type” : “Question”, “name” : “How was Viking society organized?”, “acceptedAnswer” : { “@type” : “Answer”, “text” : “Viking society was organized into three classes: karls, who were freemen and landowners; jarls, who were wealthy nobles tasked with maintaining the well being of their subjects; and thralls, who were either slaves or bondsmen, the latter having to work for other men until they could pay their debts.” } } , { “@type” : “Question”, “name” : “Did Viking women fight?”, “acceptedAnswer” : { “@type” : “Answer”, “text” : “Viking women were able to own property and divorce their husbands, and they often ran their family’s finances and farms in their husbands’ absence. There are also a few records of women dressed like men learning to use swords and fightingu2014so-called u201Cshieldmaidens,u201D the most famous of whom was Lagertha, the wife of Ragnar Lothbrok.” } } , { “@type” : “Question”, “name” : “Where did the Vikings live?”, “acceptedAnswer” : { “@type” : “Answer”, “text” : “The Vikings originated from the area that became modern-day Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. They settled in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Iceland, Greenland, North America, and parts of the European mainland, among other places.” } } , { “@type” : “Question”, “name” : “How did Viking raids affect Europe?”, “acceptedAnswer” : { “@type” : “Answer”, “text” : “The impact of Viking raids on Europe included a greater Scandinavian influence on language in conquered areas. For example, in English the weekdays Thursday and Friday are named after the Nordic deities Thor and Frigg, also called Freyja. The Viking raids also left a literary legacy of sagas as well as an imprint on the DNA of local populations. ” } } ] } ]]>
Prime Questions
What’s the origin of the phrase Viking?
The etymology of the phrase Viking is unsure. There are lots of theories about its origins. The Outdated Norse phrase víkingr normally meant “pirate” or “raider.” It was in use from the twelfth to the 14th century, and it was doubtless derived from an earlier Outdated Scandinavian phrase modern to the Vikings themselves.
Who have been the Vikings?
The Vikings have been raiders, pirates, merchants, explorers, and colonizers in the course of the ninth to eleventh century. They usually traveled by sea from Scandinavia and took management of areas of Europe and past.
What was the Vikings’ faith?
The Vikings’ authentic faith was the pagan and polytheistic Outdated Norse faith, which could be traced again to about 500 BCE in what’s now Denmark. As Christianity took maintain in Scandinavia, starting within the eighth century CE, its followers dwindled in numbers. Nonetheless, this older custom continued Viking tradition.
Why did Viking raids cease?
The defeat of the king of Norway, Harald III Sigurdsson, on the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066 is taken into account the tip of the age of Viking raids. Plenty of broader components contributed to the Vikings’ decline: increasingly more communities beforehand attacked by Vikings grew to become higher capable of defend themselves, with armies and fortifications; Christianity’s unfold in Europe; and fewer egalitarianism in Viking society.
Why do Viking helmets have horns?
The stereotype of Viking helmets having horns goes again to costuming in Nineteenth-century opera. In actuality, horned helmets would have been impractical throughout fight. They might have been worn just for ceremonial functions in pre-Viking occasions. The principle type of precise helmets was the spangenhelm, consisting of a number of items of iron riveted collectively.
How did Viking warriors costume?
Viking males would usually put on a woolen overtunic, linen undertunic, both tight or dishevelled trousers with out pockets, woolen leg wrappings, and waterproof leather-based footwear. Vikings’ typical wartime attire included the spangenhelm helmet and lamellar or leather-based armour or chain mail.
How was Viking society organized?
Viking society was organized into three lessons: karls, who have been freemen and landowners; jarls, who have been rich nobles tasked with sustaining the effectively being of their topics; and thralls, who have been both slaves or bondsmen, the latter having to work for different males till they may pay their money owed.
Did Viking girls struggle?
Viking girls have been capable of personal property and divorce their husbands, they usually usually ran their household’s funds and farms of their husbands’ absence. There are additionally a couple of information of girls dressed like males studying to make use of swords and preventing—so-called “shieldmaidens,” probably the most well-known of whom was Lagertha, the spouse of Ragnar Lothbrok.
The place did the Vikings reside?
The Vikings originated from the realm that grew to become modern-day Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. They settled in England, Eire, Scotland, Wales, Iceland, Greenland, North America, and elements of the European mainland, amongst different locations.
How did Viking raids have an effect on Europe?
The influence of Viking raids on Europe included a higher Scandinavian affect on language in conquered areas. For instance, in English the weekdays Thursday and Friday are named after the Nordic deities Thor and Frigg, additionally known as Freyja. The Viking raids additionally left a literary legacy of sagas in addition to an imprint on the DNA of native populations.
Viking, additionally known as Norseman or Northman, member of the Scandinavian seafaring warriors who raided and colonized extensive areas of Europe from the ninth to the eleventh century and whose disruptive affect profoundly affected European historical past. These pagan Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish warriors have been in all probability prompted to undertake their raids by a mixture of things starting from overpopulation at dwelling to the relative helplessness of victims overseas.
The Vikings have been made up of landowning chieftains and clan heads, their retainers, freemen, and any energetic younger clan members who sought journey and booty abroad. At dwelling these Scandinavians have been impartial farmers, however at sea they have been raiders and pillagers. Through the Viking interval the Scandinavian nations appear to have possessed a virtually inexhaustible surplus of manpower, and leaders of capacity, who might manage teams of warriors into conquering bands and armies, have been seldom missing. These bands would negotiate the seas of their longships and mount hit-and-run raids at cities and cities alongside the coasts of Europe. Their burning, plundering, and killing earned them the identify víkingr, that means “pirate” within the early Scandinavian languages.
The precise ethnic composition of the Viking armies is unknown specifically circumstances, however the Vikings’ enlargement within the Baltic lands and in Russia can fairly be attributed to the Swedes. Elsewhere, the nonmilitary colonization of the Orkney Islands, the Faroe Islands, and Iceland was clearly completed by the Norwegians.
In England desultory raiding occurred within the late eighth century (notably the raid on the monastery of Lindisfarne [Holy Island] in 793) however started extra earnestly in 865, when a pressure led by the sons of Ragnar Lothbrok—Halfdan, Inwaer (Ivar the Boneless), and maybe Hubba (Ubbe)—conquered the traditional kingdoms of East Anglia and Northumbria and lowered Mercia to a fraction of its former measurement. But it was unable to subdue the Wessex of Alfred the Nice, with whom in 878 a truce was made, which grew to become the idea of a treaty in or quickly after 886. This acknowledged that a lot of England was in Danish arms. Though laborious pressed by recent armies of Vikings from 892 to 899, Alfred was lastly victorious over them, and the spirit of Wessex was so little damaged that his son Edward the Elder was capable of begin the reconquest of Danish England. Earlier than his loss of life in 924 the small Danish states on outdated Mercian and East Anglian territory had fallen earlier than him. The extra distant Northumbria resisted longer, largely below Viking leaders from Eire, however the Scandinavian energy there was lastly liquidated by Eadred in 954. Viking raids on England started once more in 980, and the nation finally grew to become a part of the empire of Canute. Nonetheless, the native home was peacefully restored in 1042, and the Viking risk ended with the ineffective passes made by Canute II within the reign of William I. The Scandinavian conquests in England left deep marks on the areas affected—in social construction, dialect, place-names, and private names (see Danelaw).
Britannica Quiz
European Historical past
The western seas, Vinland, and Eire
Within the western seas, Scandinavian enlargement touched virtually each attainable level. Settlers poured into Iceland from not less than about 900, and, from Iceland, colonies have been based in Greenland and tried in North America. The identical interval noticed settlements come up within the Orkney, Faroe, and Shetland islands, the Hebrides, and the Isle of Man.
Two Norse sagas—Grænlendinga saga (“Saga of the Greenlanders”) and Eiríks saga rauða (“Erik the Purple’s Saga”)—provide considerably completely different accounts of the primary Viking visits to North America, which they known as Vinland (land of untamed grapes). Based on the Grænlendinga saga, the primary European to sight mainland North America was Bjarni Herjólfsson, whose Greenland-bound ship was blown westward off target about 985 and apparently skirted the shoreline of japanese Canada earlier than returning to Greenland. This custom contends that about 1000 a crew of 35 males led by Leif Eriksson, son of Erik the Purple, went in the hunt for the land sighted by Bjarni and located their solution to japanese Canada. Subsequent voyages have been mentioned to have been undertaken by Leif’s brothers, and one other voyage led by Icelandic dealer Thorfinn Karlsefni reportedly remained in Vinland for some three years.
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Eiríks saga rauða presents Leif as Vinland’s unintentional discoverer. Thorfinn and his spouse, Gudrid, are credited with all subsequent exploration. Archaeological discoveries at L’Anse aux Meadows, on the northern tip of Newfoundland island (Newfoundland and Labrador), proved that the Vikings did journey not less than as far south as areas the place grapes grew wild, resulting in the conclusion that the Vikings first encountered North America in japanese New Brunswick (the closest space to L’Anse aux Meadows the place grapes would have been discovered).
Scandinavian invasions of Eire are recorded from 795, when Rechru, an island not recognized, was ravaged. Thenceforth preventing was incessant, and, though the natives usually greater than held their very own, Scandinavian kingdoms arose at Dublin, Limerick, and Waterford. The kings of Dublin for a time felt robust sufficient for overseas journey, and within the early tenth century a number of of them dominated in each Dublin and Northumberland. The probability that Eire can be unified below Scandinavian management handed with the Battle of Clontarf in 1014, when the Irish Scandinavians, supported by the earl of Orkney and a few native Irish, suffered disastrous defeat. But within the twelfth century the English invaders of Eire discovered the Scandinavians nonetheless dominant (although Christianized) at Dublin, Waterford, Limerick, Wexford, and Cork.