Vikings

__ The Vikings

By: Adam Bercz __ The question is often overlooked in today's time. Were the Vikings just grueling invaders who invaded far off lands? No. The Vikings were responsible for a lot more than just terrifying Europe in Medieval times. The truth is that these violent attackers of Europe date back to a simple place, at a simple time. In reality, the Vikings were just plain simple farmers and craft makers back in Scandinavia... Until their population seemingly increased. Their increase in population around the 970 in population led to raided lands to gain property and possession. Why were the Vikings such successful you might ask? Well a large reason for it was where they were originally located. Scandinavia included modern day Denmark, Norway and Sweden. These areas gave strong water transportation to the Vikings due to their surroundings, including the Baltic Sea, Norwegian Sea and the North Sea. Scandinavian Area Some general facts about these Vikings are that they wore very protective gear, including helmets, shields, chainmail and swords. This caused much difficulty to enemies to attack them. Viking boats, generally were 15 meters long and they had a mast and textile sails. These incredible boats caused widespread fear for the Europeans. This is where the terms "Piracy" comes in. The basic definition of Vikings is piracy. Plus, the Vikings sailed unknown passages, therefore, attacks were seemingly unpredictable. Not to add, that the Vikings also had strong navigation. If without compasses, the Vikings let out fleas, because fleas interestingly enough always bounce in one direction... North. So the Vikings always knew their directions.

This is an example of a Viking ship.

Their are many significant events in Viking history. Like the attack Sweyn Forkbeard lead against England in 1013, bringing England back under Danish rule and becoming the king of England shortly before his death. Which affected Medieval times because he became the first Danish to take the throne, which later affected modern day British rule. But as mentioned earlier, the Vikings were responsible for much more than just attacking several countries in Europe. In fact, these Vikings were the first Europeans to ever step onto North American mainland soil. The person who made this great achievement was Leif Erricson. Although the exact date is not known for sure, the approximate year of the first Viking stepping on North American mainland soil is about 1000 c.e. Leif Erricson was credited for discovering both areas of Greenland* as well as Vinland along with Viking explorer and father Eric the Red. Obviously, this affected people in Medieval times because once this was heard, many other explorers were curious to discover the new world. Leif Erricson The Vikings affected the Middle Ages in many ways and without them, the world as it stands today would not be the same. Many of the North American settlements like Newfoundland would have different features overall, architecture and agriculture. The Vikings may have seemed like monsters back in the Middle Ages, but in reality, they played a very key role in our society today.


 * Their have been claims that Bjarni Herjolfsson had discovered Greenland 10-13 years earlier, but Leif Erricson was the first to claim it for the Vikings and start a civilization.

Sources Cited- The Vikings, BBC, April 16, 2009 []. Leif Ericson Biography, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (ODIN), April 21, 2009 []