The Vikings

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The Vikings
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The vikings

• On Easter Sunday in the year, 855 the Vikings
  attacked Paris
• They attacked everywhere, England, Ireland, the
  Netherlands, Italy and Spain
• They attacked in long boats and which allowed
  them to strike quickly and get away even faster
• The peace of mind that Europeans had gained under
  Charlemagnes rule was devastated

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Viking Longboat
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Viking Reputation

• They were destructive, they would slay every man,
  woman and child they found
• They were so wicked that people thought God had
  sent them to punish the world
• Ex In British Columbia, what would you do if
  your community was constantly under the risk of
  attack?
• Some communities were so terrified that they paid
  the Vikings to leave them alone
• The French paid the Vikings almost 300kg of gold
  and 15000kg of silver

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Vikings
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Vikings Everyday life

• Be aware that much of the information we have
  received about the Vikings have come from those
  that were attacked by them
• They did not attack ALL the time. Vikings also
  farmed and fished in small villages close to the
  sea
• They came from what is now Norway, Sweden and
  Denmark
• Many women worked along side men and had many
  rights

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Everyday Life of Vikings

• Vikings had slaves, called thralls, who did much
  of the heavy work on farms
• The children of thralls automatically became
  slaves
• They were highly skilled woodworkers and smiths
• The keepers of Viking history and legend were
  called skalds. They needed to have excellent
  memories and be good singers.
• They had to do this because many could not read
  of write

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The End of the Viking Age

• The Viking age ended in the eleventh century
• Once monarchs discovered how to defeat Vikings,
  they destroyed their settlements.
• Long boats were not seen again in the waters of
  Western Europe