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THE VIKINGS
The Vikings raided and settled the British Isles from 700 AD to
1100 AD They came from Norway, Sweden and Denmark. These three countries
are known as Scandinavia and from here they travelled across half
the world. To the west they sailed to Iceland, Greenland and then
on as far as North America. To the east they went to Russia and
on as far as Baghdad in modern day Iraq.
As we will see in the short cartoon below, they mostly travelled
by longship. These boats were very fast and it was said that if
your village or monastery was going to be raided, by the time you
saw the sails it was already to late to escape.
The Vikings raided Britain, Ireland and northern France. They first
attacked Ireland in 795 ransacking Rathlin Island monastery.
The Vikings sailed or rowed the ships right up onto the beach and
then they all piled out to attack. Everyone jumping out at once
is one reason why Viking helmets didn’t have horns. If they
did, there would be a good chance that they would spear each other
with them as they jumped onto the shore. When raiding they killed
people without mercy, captured others to be sold as slaves, stole
everything valuable and often burnt the village or monastery to
the ground. Then they sailed away, back to their homeland in Scandinavia
with their stolen treasures and new slaves.
However, most Vikings were not raiders, but farmers living and
working at home. As the population in Scandinavia grew there was
less and less good land for people to farm and eventually there
were too many people to feed. This is when Vikings began to settle
and live in the countries they raided, to start a new life in new
lands.
Other Vikings were craftsmen, fishermen and traders.
Many towns and cities were originally Viking towns where the new
settlers lived. Dublin, Waterford and Cork in Ireland were all Viking
towns, as was York in England. Some places also have Viking names
to this day, for example Strangford Lough in County Down.
It is important to remember that the Vikings were not just violent
pirates raiding overseas, but were also explorers, adventurers,
farmers, great sailors, fine craftsmen, traders and settlers.
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