About this course
The Vikings ship had been very useful for long, as it has cultural as well as religious association with the Scandinavia. For that matter, it was used for over a millennium serving multiple purposes. The region of Scandinavia has very dense forests, high inland mountains, and has very access to the sea through the natural ports. The sea trade routes were established as the inland routes were hazardous. The ships from the Nordic Stone Age were crafted with stones, in which the ships were shown to have borne the struggle of the sacrifices made. The sculptured history was primarily the epitome of theN ydam and the Hjortspring boats.
The kingdom of Vikings was established in the coastal forts and the neighbouring towns of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea for the sake of development and the survival. To conquer the lands, the control over the oceans was very important, and that is why there was much importance paid to the shipping industry of the Vikings era. The ships were the main point of focus for the Viking religion, as they were seen as the symbol of the power and pelf.
The chieftains were normally not buried in the first millennium, rather they were buried intact with their ships and were sent to their lives after death. Also, the Hedeby coins, which were a famous Danish currency, also have the emblems of the ships engraved in them. The ships in that age held a lot of importance, and the Viking ships, in particular, were more important as they progressed in terms of the naval vessels in the Europe of the Vikings age.
Current ProgressCurrent ProgressCurrent ProgressStep 1Step 2Step 3Current ProgressThe 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
[tqb_quiz id='94']