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The Vikings. Who?. Scandinavian raiders & farmers Raided but also planted settlements and eventually blended in with the populations. When and why?. Circa 800 CE – 1100 CE
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Who? • Scandinavian raiders & farmers • Raided but also planted settlements and eventually blended in with the populations
When and why? • Circa 800 CE – 1100 CE • Push factors: overpopulation at home, booty to be won abroad, warming global temperatures made northern sea travel easier.
'Lo, it is nearly 350 years that we and our fathers have inhabited this most lovely land, and never before has such terror appeared in Britain as we have now suffered from a pagan race, nor was it thought that such an inroad from the sea could be made. Behold the church of St Cuthbert spattered with the blood of the priests of God, despoiled of all its ornaments; a place more venerable than all in Britain is given as a prey to pagan peoples...'. - Letter from Alcuin to Ethelred, king of Northumbria
Where? • Mainly coastal areas • Britain • France (Normandy) • North Africa • Russia and Byzantium • North America, Greenland, Iceland
Results? • Caused chaos and fear short-term • Slowly converted to Christianity • Settled down and integrated
Political Structure • Ruled by a series of princes – the city of Kiev’s prince was the leader and strongest • Rural with many peasants
Economic Structure • Kiev and other cities made money off of trade • Amber and furs were traded down the main rivers toward the Black and Caspian seas
Cultural Attributes • Converted to Orthodox Christianity in the 900s • Hierarchal church structure with leadership from the much admired Byzantine Empire and Patriarch in Constantinople