The Vikings

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The Vikings
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Changes are Coming

• In 793, the Europeans saw their first Viking
  shipa large sailing vessel with a square red and
  white striped sail, sweeping curves, and a dragon
  
• The warriors had swords and heavy wooden shields
• The monks they attacked were unarmed

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• Some were killed as they prayed at the alter
• Some were dragged to the shore and drowned
• The Vikings showed no mercy as they took
  everything of value from the monastery and then
  disappeared into the horizon

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• From 800 until 1000, the Vikings raided from
  Ireland to Russia and the Europeans prayed for
  deliverance

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Who Were the Vikings

• The Vikings were Norsemen who had explored all of
  the Atlantic, North America, and then Europe
• They discovered and colonized Greenland, Iceland,
  and Canada
• They were brutal and savage pagans who decided
  that Europe would be their new playground

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• The Vikings were from Scandinavia
• They had Germanic languages and customs but they
  had almost NO contact with ancient Rome
• They were pagans with verycolorful descriptive
  namesEric Bloodaxe, Thorfinn Skullsplitter

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• The Vikings carried out their raids with extreme
  swiftnessby the time the local authorities
  arrived, the Vikings were long gone
• They pillaged towns, especially those along the
  shore and ESPECIALLY monasteries

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Why Monasteries?

• The Vikings had a particular brutality reserved
  for monasteries
• They had heard that the Europeans were eating
  the body and drinking the blood during religious
  ceremonies
• They decided that they had to eliminate the
  threat before they were the next meal

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Skilled Seafarers

• The Viking ships were the technological marvel of
  the age
• They were long, lean, and light and the largest
  could hold 300 warriors who took turns rowing its
  72 oars
• Most ships held 30-50 warriors

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• The prow of each ship swept upward and often
  ended with the head of a monster or dragon
• Though these might weigh 20 tons, they could sail
  in just 3 feet of water
• Vikings could thus strike inland villages by
  rowing up shallow rivers and creeks

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Settlements

• The Vikings were not just ferocious warriors
• They were also traders and farmers
• They were unsurpassed explorersthey explored
  Russia, Europe, Asia, and the Atlantic

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• In 982, after establishing a colony in Iceland,
  Eric the Red discovered Greenland (a misnomer)
• The Vikings lived there for a few years before
  abandoning the settlement due to low productivity

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• Around 1000, Eric the Reds son, Leif Ericson,
  sailed to the modern-day island of Newfoundland
  (Canada) which the Vikings called Vinland
• Whoever told you that Columbus discovered America
  LIED

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• The Vikings also settled in Europe
• They established kingdoms in Ireland and nearly
  conquered all of England though they were halted
  by Alfred the Great in 886
• They settled the territory of Normandy in
  Northern France

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• In all these regions, Viking warriors were the
  precursor to Scandinavian settlers
• The warriors were followed by traders, families,
  and artisans whose influence spread widely across
  Europe

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The End of An Age

• Around 1000 the Viking terror ended in Europe
• There are three reasons for this
• The Europeans finally figured out how to respond
  quickly to small raids and invasions

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• The Vikings accepted Christianity and were less
  inclined to raid monasteries
• King Guthrum of the Danes accepted Christianity
  as part of a peace treaty with King Alfred of
  England

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• After 1000, Europes climate went through a
  warming trend and as Scandinavia's climate
  improved, the Vikings were less inclined to leave

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Peace at Last

• The Vikings were the last great European invaders
• While the Byzantine Empire was devastated by the
  Ottoman Turks, Europe was free from invasions