The viking history

When

The period in time which is generally considered the viking age is from 800 - 1050 AD. One particular event is considered the beginning of the viking age: The viking attack on Lindisfarne, the Holy Island, on the East coast of England, close to the English-Scottish border, on June 8, 793. Viking ships landed and vikings stormed up the coast to the convent and plundered the church and convent buildings and set them on fire. The vikings killed all monks they came across and took several women and children with them when they left, who became slaves and property of their captors.

Where

Viking country was Denmark, Sweden, Norway and part of Northern Germany, specifically the town of Hedeby. At the end of the viking period, Norwegian vikings settled on Iceland and on Southwestern Greenland, in the Narsarsuaq area. Eric The Red and his son Leif The Happy are known for setting up the Brattahlid settlement across the bay from present day Narsarsuaq.

Vikings conquest

Danish vikings

The Danish vikings went on raids and trading expeditions down the European coast and to England and Ireland and around the Baltic Sea - the capital of today's Estonia is called Tallinn, which means "Town of the Danes". They sailed down the French coast, around Portugal and Spain and through the Gibraltar Straight into the Mediterranean Sea, and along the Northern coast as far East as Miklagaard (Big City in viking language) or Constantinople, today's Istanbul, the capital of the East Roman empire at the time.

Denmark had the Viking invasion and expansion. Today Vikings are now several sites in Denmark, here are the largest and best known:

-    Vikingeskibsmuseet, Roskilde

The Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde displays 5 viking ships which were brought up from the bottom of the Roskilde Fjord in the 1960'ies. In the harbor at the Museum Island are replicas of the viking ships on display in the museum as well as similar ships from the Faroe Islands and Iceland.

-    Trelleborg Viking Fortress, Slagelse

The Trelleborg Viking Fortress was built in 980-981 AD and was one of the largest viking settlements of the time with some 500 vikings living and working there. Trelleborg is located just West of Slagelse on Western Zealand, at the confluence of two small rivers that were the main roads of the area at the time, a few kilometers inland from The Great Belt in order to hide its presence from enemies.

Trelleborg Viking Fortress

-    Ladbyskibet, Kerteminde

The Ladbyskib is a viking chieftain burial site at the village of Ladby, West of Kerteminde on Funen, complete with viking ship and all the equipment and livestock every viking needs when going to Valhalla.

Ladbyskibet

-    Ribe - the viking town

Denmark's first town, Ribe , was also Denmark's first and largest viking town during the viking age, located in Southwestern Jutland.

Ribe, viking town

Culture

The culture that arose in viking country was influenced by the difficult living conditions dictated by nature, the governmental system where chieftains were the rulers under the king, and the competition among the viking chieftains and their people. Add to that great trading skills - vikings were highly skilled traders with trade connections around most of their known World. 

Vikings were often invited to settle where they came to let the local community benefit from their trade skills. But the factor that made vikings stand out the most from the rest of Europe was their strong sense of honor and competitiveness.

Death was not important to the individual, his reputation and the reputation of his family was all-important and everything. Happiness was to have other vikings remember the viking's and his family's name forever after his death because of his deeds.

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