3.4 The Vikings - P -

• History
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 1

AGE 3: The Time of monks and knights

3.4 The Vikings

Word Duty

raid: a short sudden attack, usually by a small group of people

objective: not influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or prejudice; based on facts; unbiased

KEY WORDS

What you can explain /  do after this lesson

• Explain who the Vikings were and where they came from
• How the Vikings attacked Dorestad
• What Viking religion was like and how they clashed with Christianity
• How the Vikings explored the Atlantic Ocean
• How the Vikings settled in different parts of Europe

In 793 a Viking raid on the English monastery of Lindisfarne scared many people throughout the Christian West. The year 793 is often called the beginning of the age of Viking raids. 

Raiding and looting

• Many young men left due to overpopulation and shortages in Scandinavia
• They colonized Iceland in 874 and Greenland in 985 to start a new life as farmers.
• In parts of Europe, Vikings turned to looting to gain riches.
• Monasteries and trading towns were their main targets, because they were often the least protected and very rich

In 834, the town of Dorestad in the Netherlands was attacked.

• Dorestad was important because it lay at a trade crossroads and had valuable goods.
• The Vikings used fast ships to arrive unexpectedly.
• Their attacks were violent: they robbed, raped, burned buildings, and took people as slaves.

Vikings and Franks

Charlemagne regularly came into conflict with the Vikings. He waged wars against the Saxons, a Germanic people and allies of the Normans. Moreover, the Vikings had preyed on the riches in the Frankish empire. Finally, Charlemagne saw it as his task as a Christian to convert the Vikings to the Christian faith.

Before the Vikings were converted to Christianity they had their own polytheistic religion. Norse mythology  has greatly influenced our modern culture, from the days of the week, to the Lord of the Rings and the Marvel universe.  Check it out here.

Viking explorers

The Vikings were not just pirates; they were also traders, settlers, and rulers.

• They traded goods like animal skins and walrus ivory, even reaching Asia.
• They settled in Iceland, Greenland, and even reached Newfoundland around the year 1002.

Vikings also ruled areas outside Scandinavia.

• From 841, the Viking Rorik ruled part of what is now the Dutch coast.
• In 911, Viking leader Rollo received land from the French king — it became Normandy.

The Normans (men from the north) were originally Vikings.

Anne Stine Ingstad was a Norwegian archaeologist who, along with her husband explorer Helge Ingstad, discovered the remains of a Norse settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador in 1960.

Leiv Eiriksson discovers North America.

Painting from 1863

Adapting to western Europe

The Vikings continued plundering in western and central Europe until the 11th century.

Gradually, the attacks became less frequent.

1. One reason was that Viking families started settling permanently in the areas they had attacked.

• They founded settlements and mixed with the local populations.

2. Another reason was that the Vikings converted to Christianity.

• They had resisted Christianity at first, missionaries succeeded in converting them around the year 1000.

3. Peace treaties also helped end the raids.

• For example, in 911 King Charles the Simple gave Normandy to Viking leader Rollo in exchange for peace.

You have finished with this lesson, meaning:
- You have read the texts
- You have made the summary
- You have done the practise questions.
Are you well prepared for a quiz / test or do you need extra help?

If you still need help, if something is not clear, you can ask your question here.

congratulations