The Viking Age: Briefly about the main

The medieval age of the Vikings dates back to the 8th-11th centuries, when the European seas were plowed by bold robbers from Scandinavia. Their raids caused horror in the civilized inhabitants of the Old World. Vikings were not only robbers, but also traders, as well as pioneers. They were pagans by faith.

The appearance of the Vikings

In the VIII century, the inhabitants of the territory of modern Norway, Sweden and Denmark began to build the most high-speed ships for those times and to go on them to distant voyages. On these adventures they were pushed by the harsh nature of their native lands. Agriculture in Scandinavia was poorly developed because of the cold climate. A modest harvest did not allow local residents to feed their families enough. Thanks to the robberies, the Vikings were considerably wealthy, which enabled them not only to buy food, but also to trade with their neighbors

The first attack of navigators on neighboring countries occurred in 789. Then the robbers attacked Dorset in the south-west of England, killed the ten and plundered the city. Thus began the era of the Vikings. Another important reason for the emergence of mass piracy was the disintegration of the old system based on the community and the clan. The nobility, which strengthened its influence, began to create the first prototypes of states on the territory of Denmark. For such yards robberies have become a source of wealth and influence among compatriots.

Skilled navigators

The key reason for the conquests and geographical discoveries of the Vikings was their vessels, which were much better than any other European ones. The battle ships of the Scandinavians were called Drakkars. Seafarers often used them as their own home. Such vessels were mobile. They could be moved to the shore relatively easily. At first the ships were fun, later they got sails.

The Drakkars were distinguished by an elegant form, speed, reliability and ease. They were designed especially for shallow rivers. Entering them, the Vikings could go deep into the ruined country. Such voyages became a complete surprise for Europeans. As a rule, the Drakkars were built from ash wood. They are an important symbol that the early medieval history left behind. The Viking Age is not only a period of conquest, but also a period of development of trade. For this purpose the Scandinavians used special merchant ships - knorrs. They were wider and deeper than the Drakkars. Many more goods could be loaded on such vessels.

The era of the Vikings in Northern Europe was marked by the development of navigation. The Scandinavians did not have any special instruments (for example, a compass), but they perfectly managed with the clues of nature. These navigators thoroughly knew the habits of birds and took them with them to sail to determine if there was a nearby land (if it was not, the birds returned to the ship). Also, the researchers focused on the sun, the stars and the moon.

Forays into Britain

The first raids of the Scandinavians in England were fleeting. They plundered defenseless monasteries and quickly returned to the sea. However, gradually the Vikings began to claim the land of the Anglo-Saxons. In Britain, then, there was no single kingdom. The island was divided among several rulers. In 865, the legendary King of Denmark Ragnar Lodbrok went to Northumbria, but his ships ran aground and crashed. Uninvited guests were surrounded and taken prisoner. King Northumbria Ella II executed Ragnar, ordering him to throw him into a pit full of poisonous snakes.

Lodbroke's death did not go unpunished. Two years later the Great Pagan army landed on the coast of England. This army was led by the numerous sons of Ragnar. The Vikings conquered East Anglia, Northumbria and Mercia. The rulers of these kingdoms were executed. The last stronghold of the Anglo-Saxons was South Wessex. His King Alfred the Great, realizing that his strength was not enough to fight the interventionists, concluded a peace treaty with them, and then, in 886, did recognize their possessions in Britain at all.

Conquest of England

Alfred and his son, Edward the Elder, took four decades to purge the homeland from foreigners. Mercia and East England were liberated by 924. In the remote northern Northumbria, the Viking kingdom continued for another thirty years.

After some calm, the Scandinavians once again began to often appear on the British coast. The next wave of raids began in 980, and in 1013 Sven Viloborodny completely captured the country and became its king. His son Knud the Great for three decades reigned at once three monarchies: England, Denmark and Norway. After his death, the former dynasty from Wessex regained power, and the foreigners left Britain.

In the 11th century the Scandinavians made several more attempts to conquer the island, but they all failed. The Viking Age, briefly, left a notable imprint on the culture and state structure of Anglo-Saxon Britain. On the territory that the Danes owned for a while, Danelag was established - a system of law adopted by the Scandinavians. This region was isolated from other English provinces throughout the Middle Ages.

Normans and Franks

In Western Europe, the Viking Age is called the period of the Norman attacks. Under this name, the Scandinavians were remembered by Catholic contemporaries. If the west the Vikings swam mainly in order to plunder England, then in the south the goal of their campaigns was the Frankish Empire. It was created in 800 by Charlemagne. While with him and with his son Ludovic Pious, a single strong state was preserved, the country was reliably protected from the Gentiles.

However, when the empire broke up into three kingdoms, and those, in turn, began to suffer from the costs of the feudal system, the Viking opened up a dizzying opportunity. Some Scandinavians plundered the coast every year, while others were hired to serve Catholic rulers, in order to protect Christians for their generous salary. During one of their raids, the Vikings even captured Paris.

In 911, the King of the Franks, Karl Rustic, gave the Vikings to the north of France. This region became known as Normandy. Her rulers were baptized. This tactic proved to be effective. More and more Vikings gradually switched to a sedentary lifestyle. But some daredevils continued their campaigns. So, in 1130 the Normans conquered the south of Italy and created the Sicilian kingdom.

Scandinavian discovery of America

Moving farther west, the Vikings discovered Ireland. They often raided this island and left a significant imprint on the local Celtic culture. For more than two centuries the Scandinavians owned Dublin. Around 860, the Vikings discovered Iceland ("Ice Country"). They were the first inhabitants of this desert island. Iceland was a popular place of colonization. There aspired residents of Norway, who fled the country because of frequent civil wars.

In the year 900, a Viking ship, accidentally lost its way, came across Greenland. The first colonies appeared there in the late 10th century. This discovery inspired other Vikings to continue their quest for a way to the west. They rightly hoped that far beyond the sea there are new lands. Seafarer Leif Eriksson reached the coast of North America about 1000 years and landed on the Labrador Peninsula. This edge he called Vinland. Thus, the era of the Vikings was marked by the discovery of America five centuries before the expedition of Christopher Columbus.

Rumors about this country were sketchy and did not leave Scandinavia. In Europe, they did not learn about the western mainland. Viking settlements in Vinland lasted several decades. Three attempts were made to colonize this land, but they all failed. The Indians attacked the strangers. Keep in touch with the colonies was extremely difficult because of the huge distances. In the end, the Scandinavians left America. Much later, archaeologists found traces of their settlement in Canadian Newfoundland.

Vikings and Rus

In the second half of the VIII century, Viking units began to attack the lands inhabited by numerous Finno-Ugric peoples. This is evidenced by the findings of archeologists found in the Russian Old Ladoga. If in Europe the Vikings were called Normans, then the Slavs called them Varangians. The Scandinavians controlled several trading ports on the coast of the Baltic Sea in Prussia. Here began a lucrative amber route, along which amber was transported to the Mediterranean.

How did the Viking Age affect Russia? To put it briefly, thanks to the newcomers from Scandinavia, the East Slavic statehood was born. According to the official version, the citizens of Novgorod, often in contact with the Vikings, turned to them for help during the internal strife. So the prince was invited Varangian Rurik. From him there was a dynasty, which in the near future united Russia and began to rule in Kiev.

Life of Scandinavians

At home, the Vikings lived in large peasant dwellings. Under the roof of one such building was a family that included three generations at a time. Children, parents, grandparents lived together. This custom was an echo of the tribal system. Houses were built of wood and clay. The roofs were peat. In the central large room was a common hearth, behind which not only ate, but also slept.

Even when the era of the Vikings came, their cities in Scandinavia remained very small, in size even inferior to the settlements of the Slavs. People concentrated mainly around handicraft and shopping centers. Cities built in the depths of the fjords. This was done in order to get a comfortable harbor and in the event of an attack by the enemy fleet in advance to know about its approach.

Scandinavian peasants dressed in woolen shirts and short baggy pants. The costume of the Viking Age was quite ascetic because of the scarcity of raw materials in Scandinavia. Rich representatives of the upper classes could wear colored clothes that highlighted them from the crowd, showing prosperity and position. Women's costume of the Viking Age necessarily included accessories - metal jewelry, brooch, pendants and buckles for the belt. If the girl was married, she put her hair in a bundle, unmarried women grabbed her hair with a ribbon.

Armor and weapons of the Vikings

In modern mass culture, the image of a Viking with a horned helmet on the head is common. In fact, such headgear was a rarity and was used no longer for combat, but for rituals. Clothing of the Viking Age included light armor that was mandatory for all men.

Much more diverse weapons. Northerners often used a spear about 1.5 meters in length, which could be cut and stabbed by the enemy. But the most common was the sword. This weapon was very light compared to other species that appeared in the subsequent Middle Ages. The sword of the Viking Age was not necessarily done in Scandinavia itself. Warriors often acquired Frankish weapons, because it was distinguished by the best quality. The Vikings also had long knives - Saxons.

Luke Scandinavians made from ash or yew. We often used braided hair as strings. Common melee weapons were axes. Vikings preferred a wide, symmetrically divergent blade.

The Last Normans

In the first half of the 11th century, the Viking era came to an end. It was due to several factors. First, in Scandinavia, the former clan system finally disintegrated. It was replaced by classical medieval feudalism with suzeraines and vassals. In the past, there was also a nomadic way of life. The inhabitants of Scandinavia settled in their homeland.

The end of the Viking Age was also due to the spread of Christianity among the northerners. The new faith, unlike the pagan, opposed bloody campaigns to foreign lands. Gradually, many rituals of sacrifices were forgotten, etc. The first was baptized to know, which with the help of a new faith was legitimized in the eyes of the rest of the civilized European community. Following the rulers and the aristocracy, ordinary citizens did the same.

Under the changed conditions, the Vikings, who wanted to link their lives to military affairs, went into mercenaries and served with foreign sovereigns. For example, the Byzantine emperors had their own Varangian guard. Residents of the north were valued for their physical strength, unpretentiousness in everyday life and a lot of fighting skills. The last viking in power in the classical sense of the word was King of Norway Harald III Surovy. He went to England and tried to conquer her, but died at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066. Then came the end of the Viking Age. Wilhelm the Conqueror of Normandy (himself a descendant of Scandinavian navigators) conquered England in the same year.