Viking Age facts for kids
The Viking Age was a time in history, mostly in Northern Europe and Scandinavia, from the 700s to the 1000s. During this period, people called Vikings (also known as Norsemen) traveled across oceans and rivers. They explored Europe by trading goods and sometimes by fighting. Vikings also reached places like Iceland, Greenland, and even North America (in a place they called Vinland). Some historians believe they settled for a short time at a site called L'Anse-aux-Meadows in Canada.
Contents
When Did the Viking Age Begin?
In England, the Viking Age started dramatically on June 8, 793. On this day, Norsemen attacked and destroyed the abbey on Lindisfarne, a holy island. Monks were killed, drowned, or taken as slaves. The church's treasures were also stolen. This attack shocked leaders across Europe. A scholar named Alcuin said, "Never before has such an atrocity been seen." For a long time, this event made people think of Vikings as only violent.
However, over time, people's ideas about Vikings changed. By the 1890s, scholars outside Scandinavia began to see Vikings differently. They started to appreciate their skills in art, technology, and sailing. Before the 1800s, Vikings were often shown as bloodthirsty. But as archaeologists found more evidence and people studied old Viking stories, new ideas emerged. We now know Vikings were not just raiders but also skilled explorers, traders, and craftspeople.
What we know about the Viking Age used to come mostly from old stories like the Icelandic Sagas. Today, historians use more sources like archaeology (studying old objects) and numismatics (studying old coins). These new ways of learning help us understand the period much better.
Why Did the Vikings Expand?
The Norsemen were not just raiders; they were also great explorers, colonizers, and traders. Vikings from Norway explored the North Atlantic. They settled in places like Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Shetland, Orkney Islands, and Greenland. They even briefly reached North America.
Vikings from Denmark often raided ports and towns along the coasts of Europe and Britain. Vikings from Sweden traveled east into areas that are now parts of Russia and Ukraine. They set up important trade routes that reached as far as the Middle East.
By the 800s, strong leaders appeared in Jutland (Denmark). The Danes began looking for more land, trade, and treasures outside their own area. Norway, with its mountains and fjords, had many small, independent communities. The sea was the easiest way for these Norwegian communities to connect with each other and the outside world.
Around the 700s, Scandinavians started building special warships called longships. These ships were amazing because they could travel on the open ocean but also had a very shallow bottom. This meant they could sail into shallow bays and far up rivers, much further than other ships of their time. The word "Viking" itself comes from the Old Norse word vīk, meaning "inlet" or "bay." A person who went on raids was said to "go viking."
Historians are not completely sure why the Vikings started their big expansion. It happened during a time called the Medieval Warm Period (800 – 1300), when the weather was warmer. This might have made it easier for them to travel by sea. Some believe that Christian traders treated the non-Christian Norsemen unfairly, which might have encouraged raids alongside regular trading trips.
Another idea is that the Scandinavian population grew too large for the land to feed everyone. This could have led them to search for more land. Also, conflicts within their own lands might have pushed some people to seek new homes. For example, those who settled Iceland created a new kind of government with a yearly meeting of elected officials called the Althing.
Key Events of the Viking Age
The first recorded Viking raid was in 787 AD. According to an old book called the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a group of men from Norway sailed to Portland, England. A local official thought they were merchants and tried to make them pay a tax. The Vikings killed him.
However, the start of the Viking Age in the British Isles is usually marked by the attack on the Lindisfarne monastery in 793. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle describes this event as "dreadful fore-warnings" and "harrowing inroads of heathen men" causing "lamentable havoc."
After Lindisfarne, Vikings also attacked Iona, another important monastery, in 794 and 802. They also raided the northern coast of Ireland in 795.
The end of the Viking Age in England is often linked to three big events in 1066. One was the failed invasion by Harald Hardrada, a Viking king, who was defeated by King Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. Soon after, Harold Godwinson was defeated by William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy. William was also a descendant of Vikings.
In Ireland, the Viking Age ended with the capture of Dublin in 1171. In Scotland, it ended with the defeat of King Haakon IV at the Battle of Largs in 1263.
Many Scandinavian historians believe the Viking Age ended when royal power became stronger in their countries and Christianity became the main religion. This usually happened in the early 1000s. For example, in Norway, the end is marked by the Battle of Stiklestad in 1030. After this, Norway became a Christian nation, and Norwegians were no longer called Vikings.
The Kingdom of the Franks (modern-day France) was also heavily raided by Vikings. They could sail easily down the Seine River. Around 911, the French King Charles the Simple made a deal with a Viking leader named Rollo. Charles gave Rollo land, which became known as Normandy. In return, Rollo promised to be loyal, became a Christian, and agreed to protect France from other Vikings. Many years later, Rollo's descendants, the Normans, conquered England in 1066, bringing their French language and culture with them.
Viking Religion
At the start of the Viking Age, Vikings followed the Norse religion. They believed in many gods and goddesses, like Freyr and Freyja. Freyr and Freyja were gods of "fertility," meaning they helped people have children and made sure crops grew well. Farmers sometimes named their fields after Freyr, hoping for a good harvest.
Vikings also believed in a heaven for warriors called Valhalla. They thought brave chieftains would please their war-gods and earn a special "burial at sea." They also had land burials, where chieftains were buried with their ships, treasures, weapons, tools, clothing, and sometimes even slaves or women. These items were meant to help them on their journey to Valhalla. Poets would tell stories (sagas) about these chieftains to keep their memories alive.
Towards the end of the Viking Age, more and more Scandinavians became Christian. This often happened because of force or political reasons. Becoming Christian didn't immediately stop Viking voyages, but it was one of the reasons the Viking Age eventually came to an end.
Important Trading Places
Vikings were skilled traders, and many towns became important trading centers during this time. Some of these places are still cities today, while others are ancient sites.
Some key trading ports included:
- Jelling (Denmark)
- Ribe (Denmark)
- Roskilde (Denmark)
- Hedeby (Denmark, now Germany)
- Aarhus (Denmark)
- Kaupang (Norway)
- Birka (Sweden)
- Bordeaux (France)
- Jorvik (England)
- Dublin (Ireland)
- Aldeigjuborg (Russia)
Vikings settled in many places beyond their homeland.
- Britain
- Eastern Europe
- Bjarmland
- Garðaríki
- Serkland
- Miklagard
- Atlantic
Vikings in Stories and Art
In the late 1800s, artists like Richard Wagner became interested in ancient Germanic culture, including Vikings. They created operas and other artworks about them. They liked Vikings because they were different from the ancient Greeks or Romans.
These artists often imagined Vikings wearing fur clothes and helmets with wings or horns, and drinking from animal horns. While some ancient Germans might have worn horned helmets, real Vikings did not. Wagner and his team purposely dressed actors in his opera Ring des Nibelungen to look like ancient Germans. This was to make the audience feel that modern Germans came from these medieval Vikings.
Related pages
Images for kids
-
Viking voyages in the North Atlantic
-
Viking-era towns of Scandinavia
-
"Irishmen oppose the landing of the Viking fleet", a painting in Dublin City Hall by James Ward (c.1914).
-
The Iru Fort in Northern Estonia
-
Stone ships at Altes Lager Menzlin
-
Statue in Catoira, Galicia, commemorating the Viking invasions
-
The last written records of the Norse Greenlanders are from a 1408 marriage in the Church of Hvalsey.
-
A typical fortified Viking town. This is a model of the town of Aros about 950. The town is now known as Aarhus
See also
In Spanish: Época vikinga para niños
