About this course
Kings or Konnungars sat on the top of the ruling hierarchy in Vikings era. They had absolute power and authority over the lands/territories they ruled.
At the beginning of the Viking era, these earls and kings were mostly local or regional rulers rather than national authorities. However, with the passage of time, these regional kings joined forces over the Scandinavian lands. Getting the kingship was either due to inheritance, or anyone who had support from military leaders or common people could become earl or a king.
The king was supposed to be the figurehead, and people expected food, clothes, drinks, weapons, and gifts from the kings. A king was supposed to protect and defend the honour of his fellowmen against the outsiders. Most importantly, a king in the Viking era must be daring, a skilful warrior, crafty, mentally hard, and he was supposed to lead the charge in any battlefield.
The Viking history is fascinating and this course gives you a brief and easy to understand insight into the Viking era.
The Age of Vikings is a period between 793 AD-1066 AD when the Norsemen (notoriously known as Vikings) did raiding, trading, conquest, and colonizing at a massive scale in most parts of Europe and even in North America. The Vikings' age followed the Germanic Iron Age and Migration Age. The Age of Vikings covers all territories where Scandinavians raided or colonized. Although the Scandinavians of that age are termed as Norsemen or Vikings, there were only a few Vikings in the true sense.
They had total power over the lands they owned as rulers, being situated in the top of the hierarchic pyramid.
They ruled over petty kingdoms that were subsequently unified into larger kingdoms, being chief amongst people from a certain region. They were second after the kings.
They comprised the vast majority of the Norsemen who lived in freedom (i.e. not in slavery), being farmers, fishermen, blacksmiths, carpenters, ship-builders, etc.
They had no freedom over property, actions, or their own destinies.
There was a portion of the population that did not fall into any of the three classes of society.
The Viking society was a clan or chieftain-based society. A typical chieftain society is different from a state since it lacks a central government. It is, however, dominated and controlled by many lords or chieftains, and everyone has his area of authority.
Erik the Red is one of such memorable characters in the history who made his own mark in barbaric and Icelandic tales for his contribution in finding the first consistent settlement in the Greenland.
In the western and the northern parts of Scandinavia, the faerings were a common sight. It was an open boat which had oars attached to it in pairs.
A Knarr is a merchant ship used by most of the Vikings. The Knarr, the old Norse says it as knǫrr, and its plural form is knerrir, it was made by the same clinker-built methodology as faerings, longships, and the karves.
These ships were mostly used in the seas for raiding on enemies, explorations and trade. These ships are specifically associated with the Vikings, but records show that they were also used by ancient people in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.
These were a narrow type of longships with a huge hull, just like the cargo ships used at that time.
Though we lack enough evidence, it is clear that the roles of women and men in the Viking times were socially oriented and quite different. It was a patriarchal society. Both the genders had specific roles in society, and these roles were not to be exchanged.
By the age of 16, all the boys were considered adults by law in the Viking Age. But before becoming an adult, they spent their entire childhood getting expert at some skill. Most of the children lived with their mothers.
Only a small percentage of the Vikings used to live in the towns because Vikings were mostly farmers who used to live in small villages, and every village used to have 6 or 7 farms. Agriculture, domestic animals, and farms were an integral part of their daily routines. They used to wake up very early in the morning.
The Vikings involved in invasions on eastern and western Europe were mostly pagans from the same regions that are currently known as Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. They also established settlements in Iceland, Ireland, Faroe Islands, Canada, Greenland, and Peripheral Scotland.
Merchants went on lengthy expeditions via the Russian land and reached as far as Constantinople in current Turkey. Some traders even went to the city of Baghdad in Iraq.
Oral culture prevailed in the Norse Viking Age along with written rune text. Despite having no written legislature, the Vikings had government and law in their societies. Except for the slaves, all other men gathered in their communal meetings called the Thing to make or amend the laws. Every society had its own separate Thing.
There was no concept of public education in the Vikings age, so there were no public schools. The education was given to the students at homes; the parents were their teachers or the nurse performed as the visiting teachers.
Old Norse religion was polytheistic, entailing a belief in various gods and goddesses.
In Scandinavia, the Viking Age is considered to have ended with the establishment of royal authority in the Scandinavian countries and the establishment of Christianity as the dominant
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