2. Vikings - The Beginning
• The word Viking means one who lurks in a “Vik” or bay,
in effect, a pirate.
• They originally lived in Norway, Sweden and Denmark.
• They were a great seafaring people, warriors, traders
and colonists.
• Between about the mid 700 to 1150CEThe Vikings, or
Norse, were a phenomenal race of Scandinavian
warriors who raided Northern Europe, Eastern Asia, and
Eastern North America. The exploits of the Norwegian
Vikings lead them west to settle into Iceland in 860 and
later to colonize Greenland about a hundred years later.
The Swedish Vikings set out across the Baltic Sea into
Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Russia. By the end of the
first millennium the Vikings reached North America five
hundred years before Columbus. They settled in
England, Scotland and Iceland.They continued to
explore and trade with the peoples of Europe
3. Vikings - Exploration
The Vikings travelled to many countries in Europe and Asia
They explored and traded with the peoples of these countries
They settled in England, Scotland and Ireland
4. How do we know about the
Vikings?
• Vikings left many traces of their settlements that are still visible
today. Archaeology provides physical evidence of their conquests,
settlements, and daily life.
• Not a lot of evidence survives, and much of what we have is either
uninformative or unreliable. Many popular ideas of Vikings are 19th
century inventions, such as horns on helmets. Few historical
records and contemporary written sources exist anymore.
• Surviving accounts of Viking activity was almost exclusively written
by churchmen. These included monastic chronicles such as the
Anglo Saxon chronicle, Frankish, and Irish Annals. The chronicles
reflect the fact that Vikings attacked these monasteries for their
wealth and the accounts had a hostile tone to give a popular image
of Viking atrocities. The Vikings were considered heathens for their
invasions in monasteries and as a result were portrayed in the worst
possible way.
5. One of the earliest Icelandic Manuscripts in Old
Norse, the Viking language.
7. The Sagas
• “Saga” is a Norse word meaning tales. These writings provide
almost all of the knowledge we have of the Vikings.
• There are about forty sagas that include descriptions of historical
events in Iceland and voyages across the North Atlantic from
Norway, Greenland and Vinland (Newfoundland). The sagas also
have records of family history such as Erik the Red who founded
Greenland, and his son Leif Erickson who discovered North
America.
• The Sagas were compiled in the 13th and 14th century, and later
based on stories that originated as early as 400 and 500 years
before that.
• Archaeology is providing that a lot of these stories have a good
basis of fact; in fact the Icelandic sagas were used to help find what
might be the site of Vinland.
8. The Eddas
• There are also Norse oral religious
traditions written as poems that are
collectively named as Eddas.
• They are folktales.
• Eddas and Sagas weren’t written on
paper. Instead on vellum-sheepskin or calf
skin. Vellum is more resistant to rot and
preserves much better than paper does.
9. What were their goals?
• Raids and loot were not the whole
story of the Vikings. Land to farm was
also a commodity. There were limited
sources of food.
• They received influences from Europe
that they saw as technologically and
politically superior to their culture.
Unlike many other invaders in history,
the Vikings weren’t trying to spread
their religion that was paganism, rather
gain new resources and new
connections. They wanted political and
economical advantage.
• They had to find food, live off the land,
and set up shop. They drove people
out and took their money and other
valuables they had. Vikings targeted
the church and monasteries, which
were the major sources of wealth at
the time.
11. Ships and Navigation
• We know what their ships looked like because
many Vikings were buried with their goods that
sometimes included their boats.
• They had swift wooden long ships, equipped
with sails and oars.
• Shallow drought of these ships meant they were
able to reach far inland by river or stream to
strike and move before local forces could
assemble.
• Ships had overlapping planks, and measured
between 17.5m and 36m in length. They were
steered by a single oar mounted on the
starboard side.
• Reached an average speed of 10 to 11 knots
• Crews of 25 to 60 men would be common, but
larger ships could carry over a hundred people.
• Sea battles were rare. They fought close to
shore. Ships were roped together in lines to face
an enemy fleet.
12. The long ships or warships often had a dragon’s head carved on
the prow to scare the enemy.
Each boat could hold 50-60 warriors and were so fast and quiet in
the water, their enemies were often taken by surprise
13. Battles and Tactics
• Vikings had no professional standing army and tactics and discipline
seemed at little development. They didn’t fight in regular formations
• Weapons training began at youth in hunting, sports, and raiding.
• Aspiring warriors wanted armed service so they clanged to famous fighters
in order to be rewarded with weapons and fame of their own. A leader
needed to wage war frequently in order to keep his followers and maintain
power against rivals.
• In preparation for battle younger warriors would draw up a line with their
shields to create a shield wall for better protection.
• Chiefs were well protected by a body guard.
• They would either capture and kill their enemies Many capturers would
become slaves.
• The famous Berserker warriors fought in groups, and believed that Odin,
their god of war, gave them both protection and superhuman powers so they
had no need for armor. Berserker battles were intense and it’s said they bit
on their shields and could ignore the pain of wounds.
14. Many experienced Vikings formed a wedge of 20 to 30 men and would then
charge at the enemy. They fought mainly on foot. The largest armies may have
been 4,000 to 7,000 men. After war Vikings would return to lives as farmers,
merchants, craftsmen, or join other war-bands.
15. Offensive Weapons
• The main offensive weapons were the
spear, sword, and battle-axe.
• They carried weapons not just for
battle but also as a symbol of their
owners’ class and wealth. Weapons
were decorated with inlays, twisted
wire and other accessories in silver,
copper, and bronze.
• The spear was the common weapon
with an iron blade 2m to 3m in length.
• Swords were a sign of high status
because they were costly to make.
The blades were usually double edged
and up to 90cm. Many swords were
given names.
16. Defensive Weapons
• There were circular shields up to one
meter across that were carried. The
shield may have been leather covered.
Around 1000, the kite shaped shield
was introduced to the Vikings to
provide more protection for the legs.
• It was essential to wear thick padding
underneath to absorb the force of
blows or arrow strikes. Reindeer hide
was used as armor.
• They used long tunics of mail armor
reaching below the waist. They were
not very protective. It took many hours
to produce a shirt, making it very
expensive. It’s likely they were worn
more by leaders.
• Helmets were probably worn by
leaders as well. Horned helmets also
took great skill to produce.
17. Conquests
• The first Viking raids were hit- and -run affairs.
There was no coordination and long term plan
behind them. The Vikings would later have
more powerful forays and would have base
camps where they would spend the winter.
• Vikings raided the British Isles and the
Western portions of the Carolingian Empire in
France. They conquered much of Northern
England in the 9th century, and they
established a kingdom in Ireland.
• In return for cash Vikings negotiated peaceful
coexistence and conversion to whomever they
attacked. Some leaders paid ransom to Viking
armies.
• In 911 AD Charles III of France gave
Normandy (“French for territory of Norsemen”)
to the Viking leader Rollos who became a
Christian. Vikings helped adopt the French
language and organized a strong state in
Normandy.
• During the same century a Norman adventurer
Robert Guiscard created the Norman kingdom
of Sicily.
Maximum extent of the Islamic
conquests, 7th - 11th centuries
(Green). Areas ruled by the Vikings or
Normans, 9th - 12th centuries (Brown).
Carolingian Empire at the death of
Charlemagne in 814 (Grey)
18. Other Acquired Territory
• The Vikings reached Iceland and it had become
a settlement for Norwegians and Danes.
• 982 Erik the Red founded Greenland.
• Leif Erikson later landed on North America.
• The Vikings who went to the British Isles and
continental Europe, were mostly from Denmark
and Norway.
• The Swedes went beyond the Baltic away from
Christian Europe into Russia, Constantinople,
an Baghdad. The Swedish Vikings influenced
the growth of the early Russian state around
Kiev. The Slavic people called them “Rus”. They
were ruled by Vikings for a long time that the
land was named Russia.
• In Constantinople they helped form and were
recruited as Varangian guards of the Byzantine
emperors. Swedes were similar to all the other
Vikings as they were soldiers, settlers, traders,
and voyagers.
19. Timeline
789 -Vikings begin their attacks on England.800
800 -The Oseberg Viking longship is buried about this time
840 -Viking settlers found the city of Dublin in Ireland.
844 -A Viking raid on Seville is repulsed.
860 -Rus Vikings attack Constantinople (Istanbul).
862 -Novgorod in Russia is founded by the Rus Viking, Ulrich.
866 -Danish Vikings establish a kingdom in York, England.
871 -Alfred the Great becomes king of Wessex; the Danish advance is halted in England.
872 -Harald I gains control of Norway.
879 -Rurik establishes Kiev as the center of the Kievan Rus' domains.
886 -Alfred divides England with the Danes under the Danelaw pact.
900 -The Vikings raid along the Mediterranean coast.
911 -The Viking chief Rollo is granted land by the Franks and founds Normandy in France.
941 -Rus Vikings attack Constantinople (Istanbul).
981 -Viking leader Erik the Red discovers Greenland.
986 -Viking ships sail in Newfoundland waters.
991 -Æthelred II pays the first Danegeld ransom to stop Danish attacks on England.
995 -Olav I conquers Norway and proclaims it a Christian kingdom.
1000 -Christianity reaches Greenland and Iceland.
1000 -Leif Eriksson, son of Erik the Red, explores the coast of North America.
1000 -Olav I dies; Norway is ruled by the Danes
1002 -Brian Boru defeats the Norse and becomes the king of Ireland.
1010 -Viking explorer Thorfinn Karlsefni attempts to found a settlement in North America.
1013 -The Danes conquer England; Æthelred flees to Normandy.
1015 -Vikings abandon the Vinland settlement on the coast of North America.
1016 -Olav II regains Norway from the Danes.
1016 -The Danes under Knut (Canute) rule England.
1028 -Knut (Canute), king of England and Denmark, conquers Norway.
1042- Edward the Confessor rules England with the support of the Danes.
1050 -The city of Oslo is founded in Norway.
1066 -Harold Godwinson king of England defeats Harald Hardrada king of Norway at the Battle of Stamford Bridge
1066 -William duke of Normandy defeats the Saxon king Harold at the Battle of Hastings.
21. Viking Men
• Boys were allowed to
go into battle with
their fathers when
they were 16 years
old.
• Men had to protect
hisking or local
chieftain in order for
him to 'deserve' his
lands.
22. Viking Women• THE VIKING WOMAN
The duty of the wife was to run the house in such a way
that the family had enough food during the long and dark
winter. She made butter, cheese, dried fish and meat and
smoked fish and meat as well. She would also have
knowledge about herbs in order to make medicine for ill or
wounded family members. She was also the leader when
the family held private religious rites inside the house.
She had the duty to run the farm when her husband was
out on trading tours, raids or went out to fish or hunt. If she
was of a rich family she had slaves and servants to help
her . As a visible sign of her power, she received the keys
to the house’s supply chests during her wedding. She
carried the keys in a belt around her waist.
The division between a woman’s and man's domain was
established at the door step. The outside work belonged to
the man and the inside work belonged to the woman.
However, especially fit women could take on the cloth of
armaments and be a warrior in the same way as the
(Viking) men. These women were called «skjoldmø»,
which means "shieldgirl" - female warrior.
23. THE VIKING GIRLS
Viking girls were married away when they where 12 to 15 years old. It was then expected that she would be able
to run the housekeeping and do the work belonging to women at/on the farm. The arrangement of the wedding (to
find who their son or daughter should marry) was the duty of the family chief. The Vikings looked at the marriage
as an assurance of common help and protection between them. Normally the girl had no right to choose her
husband according to her own desire.
MARRIAGE DOWRY
The girl brought with her bedclothes made of wool and linen, a loom and a bed as her contribution to the marriage
agreement. Women from richer families could also bring with them jewelry of silver and gold, domestic animals
and sometimes even a farm or a part of a farm. All the goods the woman brought with her into the marriage
continued to be her personal belongings. The woman’s marriage dowry later became her children’s inheritance
after her death.
DIVORCE
The Vikings considered the married woman as belonging to her childhood family. In this way she never became a
complete member of her husband’s family. If her husband treated her or the children badly or was too lazy to run
the farm well, she could divorce from her husband. To get a divorce she would have to call a couple of witnesses
and proclaim to them that she was divorced from her husband. First outside the threshold of the home and later
beside the couple’s bed. After this the divorce was a fact.
If the woman left her husband without good reason, the husband kept her property and her belongings. However,
with the right to property, inheritance and divorce, the Viking woman had more rights than most women in the
remainder of Europe during this period.
THE CHILDREN
Babies and small children automatically became the custody of the mother following a divorce. Older children
were usually divided between their parents’ families - all according to the status of the respective families and how
rich they were. The children were looked upon as legal members of the family and were protected by the law. In
this way they had rights to their part of the inheritance after a divorce.
THE POOR PEOPLE
On small farms there was less of a division between a man’s and a woman’s work. Without the ability to pay
workers, buy slaves or pay servants, all the members of the family had to contribute as needed. This approach
was necessary in order for the family to survive in the harsh Scandinavian climate.
24. Clothing
• Wool and linen
• Like most people in Europe at the time, the Vikings used wool more than anything else for
making clothes. The Vikings brought sheep with them to the islands they settled in the North
Atlantic for wool and meat. "The Faeroe Islands" even means "the Sheep islands". Clothes were
spun and woven by the women. They also dyed the cloth with mineral and vegetable dyes of red,
green, brown, yellow or blue.
• Linen was also used for clothes.
How they dressed
Viking Men
• Viking men first put on a long woolen shirt and long cloth trousers which were held up by a sash
or a drawstring. On top of this was worn a sleeved jerkin or a three-quarter coat with a belt. On
his feet he would wear socks and soft leather shoes or long leather boots. In battle he would
wear an iron helmet and a mail-chain to protect himself.
Viking Women
• Viking women wore a long linen dress. It could be either plain or pleated. Over the dress they
wore a long woolen tunic, a little like an apron. It was held up by a pair of brooches, sometimes
joined by a chain or string of beads. Over the tunic she might wear a shawl. Her legs and feet
were covered with thick woolly socks and soft leather shoes.
• Both men and women wore fur or woolen hats and cloaks in cold weather. The cloaks were
fastened at the shoulder with a brooch or a pin.
27. Viking Houses
• Only a few Vikings lived in towns. Most Vikings were farmers and lived in hall-like houses in small
countryside villages near fjords or in valleys further inland. The Viking farm was very often placed
on a hilltop with a very good view of the surrounding area. In this way they were able to quickly
see friends or enemies who had arrived.
The hall-like houses could be 10 to 100 feet long. (3 to 30 meters). The largest were sometimes
up to 250 feet long. (83 meters). Often, the Viking house had only one room, but it could also be
divided into a living quarters and a stable for the animals. In Norway, the Viking houses often
were built of wood. When they used stave-construction technology, the walls would consist of
upright planks, timber or staves standing side by side, with their ends sunk into the ground.
However, in areas where little wood was available they also would use stone, earth and turf as
buildings materials.
Along the walls inside the house there were sitting and sleeping benches covered with fur or
cloth. Beds were only used in rich families. A fireplace located in the middle of the room was the
main source of light and heat. The smoke was vented through a hole in the roof. If they needed
extra light they might use a lamp such as that shown to the right. These types of lamps were
fueled with wax or blubber.
Some Viking houses also had running water in them. They directed water from a river or a pond
into a small channel which ran underneath the house. Inside the house the channel was covered
by slabs of rock. When they needed water they just lifted up one of the rocks.
Most Viking farms had a separate bath house which they used every Saturday - the Viking’s bath
day. If they lived near the sea they also had a ship-house, called "naust" in Norwegian, for their
ships and small boats.
29. Viking Food
• The Vikings were able to have a varied diet, but they would
periodically have problems meeting their needs. (There is good
reason for the Vikings referring to February as the hunger month.)
Their diet might consist of bread, porridge, fish, shellfish, seals and
whales. Also, they might have meat from cows, sheep, goats,
horses, chickens, pigs and wild animals in the area. Further, they
would have access to milk, cheese, butter, apples, mushrooms,
onions , berries, nuts, leek, seaweed and other sea herbs. The diet
also included wild herbs .
• The Viking brewed beer and mead, and some of the rich Vikings
could also have access to wine, which they procured while on
trading tours or raids in Europe. The Vikings also used mushrooms,
as intoxicants.
30. Viking Society
• Both men and women
belonged to a social
group that they were
either married into or
born into.
• Jarls were the chiefs
and military leaders.
• Karls were the
ordinary people.
• Thralls were the
slaves.
32. Viking Society
• Viking Society - A Self-Regulated Society
Viking society was self-regulated. Law and order was based upon the Thing system, which had
already been established via common-meetings dating to least 600 AD. The Thing had legislative
and judiciary powers. Every free man had a duty to meet at the Thing’s common-meetings,
except men who farmed alone and were unable to leave their farm unattended. Also, women and
handicapped people could attend the Thing. Among other items, the Vikings elected their King at
the Thing. These common-meetings might last several days, therefore the Thing was also an
occasion for a large marketplace and festival.
The Vikings had no written laws. However, a man referred to as a "lovsigemann" - in English this
means "law reader man" - opened the Thing by reading the laws, which he had memorized by
heart. This was done to ensure that no one changed the laws. Every free man had to respect the
law , including chieftains and the king. The Thing was a democratic constitution. Compared with
the democracy of ancient Athens, which included only 10% of the inhabitants as citizens, the
Viking system was more democratic. It included everybody as citizens, except the slaves and
those exiled from society - the outlaws.
Viking society was permeated by their religion, although the Vikings had no word for "religion".
Instead they used the word "siðr", which means custom or practice. However, the moral code in
Viking society was not directly tied to having a belief in the gods. Social behavior was based upon
an unwritten system of honor or code of ethics. Right and wrong, gender roles, sexual morality,
daily life, the timing of festivals; in all these circumstances the free man was evaluated by
standards of honor.
A man of honor was a principled man. He was given to moderation, was hospitable and generous
and offered a helping hand to friends in need. (Including aligning himself against his friend’s
enemies). A man of honor also never forgot to be the foe of his enemy. This he did with all his
heart.
The opposite of honor was disgrace, and because every man lived his life as a member of an
extended family-circle, he could easily bring disgrace to his entire family - including his
forefathers. Therefore, it was intolerable for a free man to live in such a fallen state. If he was
disgraced, he could only restore balance in his social system by confronting the source of his fall
from an honorable status. Thus, revenge was an key component of this social system, a system
which placed great importance upon maintaining personal honor.
33. • The typical view of revenge was present in the old adage: "A slave takes revenge at
once, a fool never takes revenge" . A good man, however, simply waited. He left his
victim un accosted for a long time, up to several years. Then, just as retaliation
seemed to be forgotten, one day he would suddenly attack his enemy with a
masterful stroke - hard and inexorable.
Through the ordeal of waiting the good man showed his strong character. This long
waiting and the coolness of the fulfillment of the revenge may appear to us as cruel
and heartless, but we have to remember that the threat of blood vengeance was the
Viking society's only effective punishment. It was only through the good man's
composed way of enforcing the revenge, that revenge became an genuine judicial
authority, and not merely a primitive and vindictive act. There was, in other words, an
ethical societal code in the private claim of a delayed and resolute revenge.
The explanation for the frequent in-fighting within Viking society lies not with a lack of
respect for the law among its members. Rather, the basis was provided by the
tension of living in a society which placed a premium upon maintaining personal
honor. Men therefore took the requisite action to maintain honor or ward off dishonor.
Revenge was a mechanism employed by individuals or families to maintain a positive
balance in their own lives. This is the background for the many bloody fights written
about in the family-sagas and history books.
By virtue of the conservative power of the family-circles who regulated the Thing
system, its moral and ethics, Viking society was a self regulated society which was
independent of the authority of a state. For example, in 800 AD approximately 30
chieftains (small kingdoms) resided within the boundaries of what is modern day
Norway.
34. Trial by Ordeal
This was when a person had
committed a crime and had to
perform a task to prove their
innocence.
In this scene the person would
be required to hold the iron
heated in the five for one minute.
Three days the later the hand
would be examined. If the hand
was blistered the person was
considered guilty and then it
became death by hanging.
35. • CLASS DISTINCTIONS IN THE VIKING PERIOD
Materials found in tombs have shown us that there were class distinctions in the Viking period. The class your
family-circle belonged to dictated the class you belonged to for your entire life. It was very rare that a person could
transcend class distinctions. A person’s individual life mattered little, as it was the class of the ancient lineage of
his family which gave him his position and his rights and duties in society. It was the family who gave him this
status. The family-circle was the center of his life.
In the Viking society it was very important to ones self-esteem to be a free man. However, this was dependent
upon the class you belonged to.
In § 185 in the Gulating law (which addresses violence) , we find seven classes of free men: Løysing, son of
løysing, farmer, hauld, lendmann, earl and king. In Rigstula, a poem in Edda, we can read about how Rig (the god
Heimdal ) visits families belonging to three classes during the Viking period. Rig stayed with each of the families
for three days, sleeping with all three wives, and in this way became the father to all the classes of man.
• Rigstula is a poem that can inform us about the Vikings.
•
The slave - or "trell", as the Vikings called him, is not mentioned in the law because they were not protected by
the law. The slave was owned by his owner in the same way the owner owned his domestic animals. Slaves were
looked upon as the owner’s property. The owner could buy and sell a slave, and he could treat his slave as he
liked. If the owner killed one of his slaves, it was not considered as murder. If a free man killed another man’s
slave, the murderer only had to pay for a new slave. The price was nearly the same as that of a domestic animal.
When a female slave bore a child, her child automatically became the property of her owner. If a pregnant slave
was sold, her unborn child became the new owner’s property as well. Rigstula tells us that the slaves worked all
the time. They collected wood, fertilized the fields, made fences, dug turf, bred pigs and made bast ropes. The
slave family ate unwholesome and unappetizing food. According to the law, the only thing a slave was allowed to
own was a knife.
Slaves were often captured during Viking raids upon British islands, but a free Norwegian man could also become
a slave, either by free will or by force. He might be forced into slavery if he wasn’t able to pay the mulct ordained
by the Thing or if he couldn’t feed himself and his family. Some Vikings became rich by selling slaves to other
tribes in Europe.
The løysing , or bondsman, was a slave who had been set free by his owner, but who was still dependent upon
and still owed duties to his former owner. A bondsman was allowed to purchase his freedom by hard work.
36. • The løysing’s son represented a separate class, according to the Gulating law.
The farmer was a free man with all available rights and duties in the Viking society. Rigstula tells
that the farmers made looms, spun thread, plowed the fields, built houses and made fences and
carts. Most people in the Viking society belonged to the farmer class.
• The Leiding, or tenant, was a man who rented or leased a farm. Payment for use of the farm
involved giving some of the food to the owner. The tenant could be anyone from a former farm
worker to a chieftain. However, as a free man he had all the pertinent societal rights and duties.
A hauld was a freeholder. A man could not become a freeholder until his family had owned the
farm as freemen for six generations.
The Chieftain, Rigstula tells us, lived his life in luxury and owned 18 farms. The father made
strings for the bow, while the mother adorned herself with jewels and dresses with blue
ornaments. The son used the bow and arrow, sword, spear and shield. He rode horses, swam,
trained dogs, learned the art of runes, went out in battles and conquered land. They also learned
the songs of birds, played board games, tamed horses and made arrows and shields.
The king and his men, the lendmann and earls, were classes which were added later in the
Viking period. (The other classes mentioned above existed during the entire Viking period).
Rigstula tells us that the king was a clever hunter and clever with weapons as well. But more
importantly - he had magical abilities. He could save lives, stop storms, understand the birds,
ease sorrows, give peace to the mind, stop fires, and was a rune master. The king could also ride
a horse and draw the sword, vanquish enemies and travel out in Viking raids. The Viking raids
were only organized by rich people, such as the chieftain’s family, the king’s family or a very rich
farming family. However, warriors might be recruited from the entire area.
38. • Odin was the god of wisdom and law.
He floated above the Earth and
traveled on an eight legged horse. He
only had one eye as the other was lost
in the quest to find more knowledge.
• Thor was the god of thunder and
lightening. He rode through the sky on
a chariot. People asked Thor to protect
them from evil.
• Frey was the god of harvest and
fertility.
• Vikings believed when they died they
would be reborn again and have
another life. They were always buried
with food and possessions to help
them with their next life.
• Kings and queens were buried in ships
and were then covered with dirt.
• Cremation was a popular form of
burial.
• Some Vikings preferred a grave site
marked with stones.
39. Entertainment
• Music was enjoyed by the
Vikings. Flutes, harps and
lyres were common.
• Indoor games were
played during the cold
winter months. Hnefatafl
was similar to chess.
• Fishing, skating, skiing,
wrestling and horse
fighting provided outdoor
entertainment.
• Poetry and storytelling
were important to each
Viking.
40. Leif Eriksson
Leif Eriksson was Eric the Red’s son.
He was an explorer and became known
as the first European to set foot in
North America. He landed in Vinland
that is now known as Newfoundland.
The area had many vines and berries.
41. Eric The Red
• Eric the Red was named
so after his red hair. He
was accused of murder
and banned from living in
Iceland. He decided to
explore and in doing so
he became the founder of
Greenland. He
established a Viking
community under his rule.
42. What happened to the Vikings?
• Vikings became citizens of many places in Europe.
• Many had become Christians back in their homelands.
This lead to the downfall of the Norse religion and
culture.
• Kings instituted taxes and the economy changed so that
you could get along better off as a trader than a raider.
• The Viking invasions caused European kingdoms to be
more centralized and focused.
• European kingdoms learned how to protect themselves
and gain by trading and negotiating with the Vikings
instead of battling them.
43. The Viking’s Impact
• Many styles of the Viking ships
were adopted by other European
powers.
• The jury of English common law
was a an outgrowth of Viking
ideas about community obligations
and sworn investigations.
• Signs of Viking influence are found
in languages, vocabulary, and
place-names of the areas they
settled.
• They had an impact on medieval
technology and trade, and was an
important part of Europe’s
development.
