The Viking Age Essay, Research Paper

The Vikings were one of the most successful groups of people, that we know of and adequate about, of all time to hold existed on this planet. The Vikings were really alone and their achievements as a collective are amazing. The Viking enlargement that began at the terminal of the eighth Century, gained chiefly through their advanced naval engineering combined with beastly force, was so great that it rivals the achievements of the Roman Empire and in some cases the achievements of the Vikings belittle those of the Romans. This essay will research, in deepness, the Vikings & # 8217 ; expansionist conquerings, their explorative journeys and the ships that made their achievements possible. The essay will besides touch upon the subjects of Viking civilization and their manner of life, their beginnings and fatherlands, their arms, their faith and their bequest. & # 8220 ; They were the Vikings, the Norsemen, the work forces who poured out of the northlands, and so formidable was their impact that they gave their name to an epoch. To this twenty-four hours, the period from the Eighth midway through the eleventh Century is referred to by historiographers as & # 8216 ; the Viking Age & # 8217 ; . & # 8221 ; The Vikings came from Scandinavia to bring mayhem on, virtually, the full continent of Europe. Scandinavia is a term used to depict a geographical country in northern Europe which includes the states of Norway, Sweden, Denmark and, in some broader readings, it is said to include Finland and Iceland besides. All of these states are known for their rough climes and landscapes. The Vikings, characteristically, reflected their fatherland environment: they were & # 8220 ; a tough, virile and really lustful people & # 8221 ; . Most Vikings came from either Norway ( the Norwegians ) , Sweden ( the Swedes ) or Denmark ( the Danes ) . Initially, nevertheless, it is believed that the Norsemen migrated north from the shores of the Black Sea. Written grounds exists, within the Sagas and the Eddas ( Viking literature ) , that confirms this migratory way. There is besides archeological grounds that has been uncovered, from the Black Sea country, that collaborates these claims and farther suggests that this is where the Viking people originated from. However, it was from the states of Norway, Sweden and Denmark that the Vikings began their piratical foraies on the remainder of Europe. The manner of life exhibited within these states was one that had a self-sufficient subject that included agricultural activities such as agriculture and cowss engendering. These people were besides huntsmans and fishermen who had the cognition and ability to pull out Fe and prey certain signifiers of stone in order to manner whetstones, cooking utensils, armor, arms, tools, etc. The Viking people were dependent on the trading of and for certain goods. Their main export merchandises were Fe, whetstones and soaprock cookery pots. Salt was their major import. Archaeological diggings have shown grounds of homesteads, farms and market places ; the archeological grounds found there suggests a common mundane life. As the Viking period progressed, society changed ; taking Chieftan households accumulated sufficient land and power to organize the footing for lands, and the first towns were founded. These market topographic points and towns were based on craftmanship and trade. The Viking people demonstrated great workmanship and had fantastic artistic outlooks. This is apparent when analyzing their arms, ships, vesture and other art signifiers. Sing their vesture, they had great accomplishment in weaving and without acquiring in deepness ; their garb did non include endangering helmets with horns stick outing from them. The great artistic abilities of the Vikings is showcased in & # 8220 ; a most fantastic aggregation of antiquities which stand unrivalled in Central and Northern Europe for their wealth of arms and dearly-won objects of gold and Ag & # 8220 ; . & # 8220 ; We find among their remains.repousse work of gold or Ag, bronze, Ag and wood work covered with the thinnest sheets of gold ; the filigree work shows great accomplishment, and some of it could non be surpassed now & # 8221 ; ! Their wood carvings and rock engravings were astonishing ; this is blatently seeable when you examine exposures of these objects. & # 8220 ; In some instances, about 20 centuries have non been able to stain or kill the luster of the aureate gems of the Northmen. & # 8221 ; The arms, every bit good as other articles, demonstrate the Viking peoples & # 8217 ; first-class abilities in the country of working and organizing Fe. Besides, & # 8220 ; Many of the tools of the Vikings were particularly similar to those of our ain twenty-four hours. This is particularly true of blacksmiths & # 8217 ; tools and certain others & # 8221 ; . The Vikings were dominant in conflicts and portion of the ground for this was their ability to fabricate many different arms. & # 8220 ; We know that the weaponries of the warriors consisted of blade, spear, axe, shield and a clump of pointers ( the latter presupposing the usage of a bow besides ) . Other sorts of weaponries, such as helmet and mail coat, are practically ne’er found. & # 8221 ; The axe was the most of import of all of these arms, for the Viking, beacause it was both a annihilating arm and an highly utile tool. The usage of the axe as a arm must hold been gruesomely effectual, but its primary intent was as a tool. The axe was used by the Vikings to chop down and organize the lumber that was used to build their celebrated ships every bit good as their places and garrisons ( both impermanent and longterm homes ) . Some of the grounds or causes that are attributed to the Viking motion are: 1. Population pressure- particularly in Norway because of its landscape. Archaeological grounds shows that new farms were cleared in sparsely populated countries at the clip of the Viking enlargement. This indicates, and further proves the point, that the enlargement of the Vikings was likely triggered by a population growing that outstepped the capacities of their domestic resources. , 2. Economic motives- the Vikings were the earliest and best & # 8220 ; large sea bargainers & # 8221 ; , 3. Political reasons- particularly in the instance of the Danes as they were doing an effort at political consolidation from the old ages 800-830 & # 8217 ; s, and 4. Technology- the Vikings had, virtually, perfected the art of boatbuilding as a consequence of about 3000 old ages of advancement in that country ; their navigational instruments and cognition of maritime personal businesss were far superior than anyone else & # 8217 ; s at that clip ; and their invasion tactics and techniques were, virtually, unstoppable as they used the elements of stealing and blitz ( surprise ) to perfection- the Vikings would look all of a sudden and perforate deep into a state by utilizing its rivers etc. as their ships merely required 3 to 3 + pess of H2O to sail. Once on land, they rapidly became a little mounted ground forces. Besides, the timing of their foraies was of import as they tended to assail states, who had perfectly no naval defences and limited military options, in late summer/early autumn when people were reaping their harvests. This enabled the Vikings to populate off of other peoples nutrient and it besides assisted in their take-overs as the dwellers of the states that they invaded would endure from hungriness and in some cases they would go afflicted with the pestilence. Equally early as the twelvemonth 516, the Vikings have been implicated as the orchestrators of an onslaught on Friesland in which & # 8220 ; The Geatish male monarch Hygelac was slain & # 8221 ; . & # 8220 ; In the same part a Danish onslaught was beaten off c. 565, harmonizing to Venantius Fortunatus. Here excessively we should detect a notice in an Irish history, saying that the monastery on the island of Eigg was burned by pagan sea-rovers in 617, and in the same twelvemonth Donegal was wholly devastated by a fleet from abroad ; some bookmans believe that this must hold been an early foray from Norway & # 8221 ; . & # 8220 ; At the terminal of the Eighth Century A.D. the Vikings fell upon the adjacent Lowlandss, and in the class of the following 200 old ages and more the dreaded long ships plowed the waterways of the universe until the Norsemen had faught their manner into districts about as big and diverse as those that had constituted the Roman Empire & # 8221 ; . The & # 8220 ; First raid on the British Isles recorded by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle come in 787 from western Norway. & # 8221 ; The first onslaught to the full attributed to the Vikings, within the contents of all my beginnings, occurred on June 8, 793 at the Island of Lindisfarne, & # 8220 ; where they spread devastation by robbery and slaying & # 8221 ; . A twelvemonth subsequently, the well known & # 8220 ; scholar Bede & # 8217 ; s old monastery at Jarrow in the nor’-east of England was attacked & # 8221 ; and plundered by the Vikings. In the twelvemonth 795, they raided Lambay which is in close propinquity to Dublin in Ireland. The Vikings besides preyed on the seashores of Wales during the same expedition. In 798, they sacked Saint Patrick & # 8217 ; s Isle and in 799 & # 8220 ; there was a likewise sudden descent on Aquitaine & # 8221 ; . In the old ages 802 and 806, the Norsemen raided the beautiful island monastery of Iona located in the Hebride islands. Then, they revisited Ireland and raided a topographic point called Inismurray. All of these missions consisted of comparatively little Numberss of ships and work forces, but now the Vikings were get downing & # 8220 ; to fall in together in larger fleets and form themselves, so that they were able to widen their operations inland. This phase was intoduced by the Danish male monarch Godfred & # 8217 ; s expedition to Friesland with two 100 ships in 810. In the decennary 820-30 Ireland was plundered by big fleets, in the 830-840 decennary it was Friesland which became the chief scene of action, in 840-850 it was France and in portion Germany, and 850-60 the serious onslaughts on England began & # 8221 ; . & # 8220 ; But the absorbing narrative of Viking enlargement had another side to it, one that was to hold an extraordinary impact on the historical and racial background of the English-speaking peoples & # 8221 ; . When the Frankish imperium was weakened, by Charlemanges decease, the Vikings seized the chances presented to them and attacked the most of import port of the Frisians and the Franks. That port was the rich trading metropolis of Dorestad and the Vikings, coming from Denmark, plundered it for five old ages in sequence. They besides attacked Rouen and Quentovic, the two other major trading metropoliss in that country, and so they struck Nantes in 843. The Vikings stayed the winter in Nantes and this signaled & # 8220 ; the beginning of the wintering hosts that came to loot and remained to cultivate & # 8221 ; . Now, the Vikings began to gain money in a different manner. They were being paid, with the promise non to assail, by the disorganised Danes and in the period from 845-926, the Vikings were alotted 13 Danegelds ( the name given for these wage offs ) . & # 8220 ; During this period a new type of Dane had begun to get, work forces seeking land instead than hard currency. Their leader & # 8217 ; s name was Rollo, and within two decennaries this land-hungry Norseman held all northern France under the name of Normandy. Here, on these north-facing Channel shores, was born the power that was to suppress England for the last clip in its history & # 8221 ; . The Swedish rule of the Vikings had besides achieved some astonishing efforts during this clip. They sailed across the Baltic Sea and into the old Soviet Union, unleashing Viking laterality to the sou’-east and east parts of Europe. They sailed their vass up the Dvina River and down the Dnieper into the Black Sea where they were & # 8220 ; strike harding at the back door of the neglecting Eastern Roman Empire and endangering Byzantium. They established great colonies at Staraya, Ladoga and Novgorod in Russia. & # 8221 ; The most unbelievable facet of this venture was the fact that there are no connecting H2O ways in these countries. This meant that the Vikings had to traverse big land multitudes between rivers. They did this by turn overing their longboats on logs which they had chopped dow

n! “These merchandiser adventurers in fact penetrated as far into the continents of Europe and Asia as their western Viking brethren traveled across the Atlantic. The really name Russia is derived from them, for they were known as the Rhos or Rus” . In the twelvemonth 941 the Rus Vikings, who were based in Kiev, had built up their forces to a point where they were prepared to venture down the Dnieper River and “attack Constantinople with ( harmonizing to one history ) 10, 000 ships. Their leader was Igor, descendent of Rurik, traditional fornder of the dyanasty which ruled Russia until 1598. The onslaught was unsuccessful, but Igor returned three old ages subsequently to impose taxes” . “By the center of the tenth Century, the names of the Vikings leaders had already taken on a recognizably Russian spirit, and the Vikings were being influenced by the civilization of Christian Constantinople” .

The Vikings faith originally had Paganistic qualities, but during their enlargement they had been exposed to Christianity in several different countries. As a consequence, at the terminal of the Viking age, Christianity was widely accepted by the Nordic people. It replaced a pagan faith, in which Gods and goddesse each had power over certain spheres. Odin was the chief God and he had legal power over the remainder of the Gods and goddesses. Thor was the God of the warriors. The Vikings loved combat and it was assured that the Viking who died in conflict would derive entry into Valhalla, the Norse equivalent to heaven. The goddess Freyr was responsible for the birthrate of the dirt and farm animal ; Loki was a prankster and a magician and was ever distrusted by the other Gods. The Gods had unsafe antagonists, the Jotuns, who represented the darker side of life. The burial techniques of the Vikings indicates a strong belief in the hereafter, even though the dead could be buried or cremated. The articles buried with these people prove this point as they, every bit good as several other civilisations including the antediluvian Egyptians, wanted to be prepared for this hereafter. For illustration, a Viking warrior was burried with his arms ; a Viking blacksmith was burried with his tools ; the Viking fisherman was buried with his fishing equipment and, frequently times, he was buried within his boat ; and Viking adult females were buried with things like jewlery, kitchen articles, and they were besides normally buried in boats.The make bolding explorative journeys of the Vikings were highly impressive. The Vikings are responsible for initiation, and in most instances the colonisation of, Iceland, Greenland and North America. Iceland was discovered, by Vikings, in the twelvemonth 850 and colonies were established every bit early as the 870 & # 8217 ; s. & # 8220 ; By the terminal of the Ninth Century, there were 25, 000 people permantly settled in Iceland, and big Numberss of ships were merchandising back and Forth between the island and Scandinavia. These ocean trips and settlements were likely an of import factor in the development of the Norsemen & # 8217 ; s mercantile and colinizing inherent aptitudes, which were to hold a really pronounced consequence on the history of Europe & # 8221 ; . The Sagas province that Greenland may hold been sighted every bit early as the twelvemonth 900, but Erik the Red is credited with the find of Greeland some 80 old ages subsequently when he and a crew of 30 others explored its seashores. & # 8220 ; In 986 he sailed from Iceland once more, this clip at the caput of 25 vass loaded with emigres and cowss. Fourteen ships reached the promised land, and the 300 people they contained founded the first Greenland settlement. Fifteen old ages subsequently the Greenland colony was a 1000 strong, spread over 300 stat mis of seashore, established within 500 stat mis of the American shore & # 8221 ; . No records exist from this colony, but archeological grounds is the validator here. Finally, over the class of four centuries, the colonists were isolated wholly from there Norse fatherland and were likely forced to unify with the native Eskimos as a method of endurance in the colder, harsher Greenland clime. The find of America, which is usually accredited to Christopher Columbus, was in actuallity a effort accomplished by the Vikings. Erik the Red & # 8217 ; s boy, Leif Eriksson, discovered North America by error as the boat he was sailing in was blown off class during a ocean trip from Iceland to Greenland. He returned place and so made a 2nd trip with the purpose of happening this new land which they had erroneously reached on the first journey. & # 8220 ; Leif and a crew of 35 retraced Bjarni & # 8217 ; s class and reached land, likely Baffin Island, which he called Helluland ( Stone Land ) . Steering due south in hunt of ice-free recesss, he reached what was likely Labrador. He called it Markland ( Forest Land ) & # 8221 ; . As they continued their journey, they finally reached & # 8220 ; Vinland & # 8221 ; – a topographic point that reportedly had salmon that were larger than those of Greenland, grass all winter long and grapes that grew wild. Experts believe that & # 8220 ; Vinland & # 8221 ; is an country located in the, modern twenty-four hours, New England coastal parts. Leif Eriksson & # 8217 ; s brother, Thorvald, sailed straight to & # 8220 ; Vinland & # 8221 ; and was killed at that place by Indians after a brief stay of one twelvemonth. At about the same clip a adult male named Thorfinn Karlsefni, an Icelandic bargainer, set canvas from Greenland with three ships and 160 shortly to go settlers to set up a colony on the American seashore. They took the path that passed through Baffin Island and Newfoundland to the New England country, where they stayed for three old ages merchandising goods with Indians until their resources were depleted ; afterwhich they were forced to retreat.The Viking ships that enabled them to carry through so much are in demand of scrutiny. The Vikings were a oceangoing civilization who were & # 8220 ; unchallenged Masterss of the sea for more than twelve centuries & # 8221 ; and the vass they created during those times were excellently beautiful, epicurean and amazing. In a Roman history of the Vikings and their ships, by Tacitus, he describes the ships as & # 8220 ; ..having a bow at each terminal, they are ever ready for running on to the beach & # 8221 ; and he continues on to explicate how the oars were left free, & # 8220 ; so that they can be shifted here or at that place as fortunes may necessitate & # 8221 ; . The bows were, besides, really elevated as were the after parts in order to protect against high moving ridges and storms out at sea. These ships were built wholly of oak and were really lasting. The hull design made the ships really fast, either under canvas or when oars were used ; they xould travel at about 12-13 stat mis per hr. The Viking ships were more level bottomed than the other ships of that epoch ; in order to protect against shallow Waterss. Even with a full burden, the Gokstad ship drew no more than one metre ( 3.3 pess ) of H2O, which meant it could easy hold been used for shore assaults. The ships were made to be light-weight and flexible, to work with the elements alternatively of against them. An mean size viking longship was 60 pess long, but the Dreki/dragon/war ships mean size was 100 pess long and contained 20 suites ( the infinite between deck beams where the rower Saturday ) . & # 8220 ; The old Viking sagas study that Canute, the Dane who became male monarch of England in the eleventh Century, had a 60-room firedrake ship, a monstrous vas with infinite for 120 oars and a entire length of 260 pess & # 8221 ; ! There are three really celebrated ship Gravess that are deserving adverting at this clip: The Oseberg, Tune and Gokstad entombments. The Oseberg ship was built around 815-820 AD ; it measured in at 72 pess long and its entombment was dated to 834 AD. The Gokstad and Tune ships were constructed in the 890 & # 8217 ; s ; they were 79 pess and 65 pess, severally, and were buried right after 900 AD. These ship entombments were merely that, entombments of of import Viking figures within ships. Inside these buried ships, the deceased was placed in a bed, dressed in all right vesture, and provided with virtually anything that he/she may necessitate in the hereafter ; including sacrificed animate beings, retainers ( in some instances ) , gems, tapestries, nutrient and drink, kitchen equipment, several beds, collapsible shelters, arms, tools, short pantss and even wine. These ships were really big and they normally held about 70 to the full equipped work forces ; each of whom had a Equus caballus! One thing is certain, without their ship edifice expertness, abilities in the unfastened sea and navigational cognition ; the Vikings would non hold accomplished about every bit much as they did.Much of the literature written about the Vikings, particularly the Frankish and English histories, are highly biased with regard to their positions on the Vikings. & # 8220 ; They could see nil good in a adult male who had non a faith identicle with their ain & # 8221 ; . The repute of the Vikings as being & # 8220 ; fiends & # 8221 ; , & # 8220 ; devils & # 8221 ; , and & # 8220 ; boies of Pluto & # 8221 ; etc. was common and it was non enhanced any during their hostile take-overs, during which they sometimes burned down churches ( or used them as stallss for their Equus caballuss ) . The Vikings are frequently described and thought of as savages who did nil but putting to death, maim, destroy and plunder their manner to success. While much of this is true, the Vikings were responsible for much more than this ; if you take a historical perpective on the affair. The Viking age saw considerable advancement in countries such as: Art, workmanship, naval engineering, war schemes, geographic expedition and the development of trade and commercialism. & # 8220 ; They were bargainers, non predators, and the colonies they built up were merchandising stations established for the sale and cargo of a myriad of goods- among them slaves, silks, spices, brocades, jewellery and pelt & # 8221 ; . The intelligence of the Vikings is, sometimes, greatly underestimated. They developped their ain linguistic communication and composing system, had incredible organisational accomplishments, and had cognition of appraising techniques every bit good as some geometry ( demonstrated by the remains of fortresses, dated back to the Viking age, found in Denmark ) . These new facts combined with the other information I have already provided, let me to do the statement that the Vikings were an advanced civilisation. Another fact that farther supports that statement is that they conquered so many different states so easy ; this alone suggests superior intelligence as history frequently reveals. Besides, the fact that the Vikings shared their cognition with others ( particularly sing their cognition of navigational and maritime personal businesss ) and contributed to the promotion of most, if non all, of the topographic points that they conquered. The bequest of the Vikings is left scattered all over the universe! The Vikings & # 8217 ; presence was felt and helped act upon the history of Russia, Germany, France, Great Britain, and, of class, the Nordic states of Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Iceland every bit good as most of the remainder of Europe ; across the Atlantic to Greenland, Canada and the United States! You would be really distressed to happen another civilisation, civilization or group of people that had so many achievements, impacts and influences on such a diverseness of peoples and geographical countries. The Vikings were one of the greatest groups of people in history! Bibliography 1. Innes, Hammond and the Editors of Life, Life World Library: Scandinavia ( New York, 1963 ) , pg. 28-36.2. Du Chaillu, Paul B. , The Viking Age: The Early History, Manners, and Customs of The English-speaking States: Vol.1 ( New York, 1889 ) , pg.1-52.3. Sjovold, Thorleif, Introduction from The Vikings Exhibition presented by The National Gallery of Canada ( Ottawa,1971 ) ? ? ? ? 4. Shetelig, Haakon ; Falk, Hjalmar ; Gordon, E.V. ; Norse Archaeology ( Oxford, 1937 ) pg. 267-289.5. Henriksen, Edvard, Scandinavia Past and Present: From the Viking Age to Absolute Monarchy ( Denmark, 1959 ) , pg.98-153.6. Toyne, S. M. , The Scandinavians In History, ( London, 1948 ) , pg. 14-39.