The Vikings - Who Were They?

The Vikings were from Scandinavia (Norway, Denamrk and Sweeden). The Viking Age is the period from

The Vikings

793 to 1066 in European history. It is the period of history when they explored Europe by its seas and rivers for trade, raids and conquest and also settled in Norse Greenland and Newfoundland, and present-day Faroe Islands, Iceland, Normandy,Scotland, Ireland, Russia and Anatolia.

In the final decade of the 8th century, Norse raiders attacked a series of monasteries located in Britain starting in 793 with an attack on the monastery at Lindisfarne in the Kingdom of Norththumberland, and the following year they sacked the nearby Monkwearmouth-Jarrow Abbey. In 795 they once again attacked, this time raiding Iona Abbey on Scotland's west coast.

The Norseman attacked and murdered the monks at the monasteries they attacked and  burnt precious books and stole religious treasures. Local people were terrified and news spread of these fierce invaders from across the sea. Following this, there were many other violent aids all over the east coast of Britain.

In 865 AD, the Danish Vikings formed a Great Army to invaded England ). There were many fierce battles over several years. King Alfred of Wessex fought the Vikings in a great battle but could not defeat them.

Finally, the Vikings conquered and took over all of the northern and eastern parts of England seizing much of the land for their own families and started their own farms. The area ruled by the Vikings was called The Danelaw.

During the same time that Danish Vikings attacked northern England, while Norwegian Vikings sailed to north western Scotland, and conquered land for their farms both around the coast and islands. They also sailed and settled as far as in the Isle of Man and some parts of Wales. Soon they joined together to invade countries such as Germany, France and Spain.

Eventually, some Vikings decided to stay in the area they had conquered and over time, the settled Vikings began to trade, marry and became part of the population of that country.

The early Norse settlers in Anglo-Saxon England were very different in appearance; wearing Scandinavian styles of jewelry, and wearing their own peculiar styles of clothing. There Norse men had a hair style that was shaved at the back and left shaggy on the front, whilst in contrast to this the latter typically wore their hair long.

Family was Important to the Vikings

They settled in a few places in England, the most important settlement being York. Dublin in Ireland is also a Viking city.

The communities in which they lived were tight, there was family in the sense of blood but also family in the sense of community. They stuck together and looked out for each other or else they wouldn't survive.

Like the Celts before them they worshiped many gods believing that their Gods lived in a place called Asgard or Vahalla. The Vikings believed that when men died in battle they went to Valhalla, where there they would sit and feast with the gods.

They believed each god was responsible for, or had the power over, a different thing such as battles, travel or love. The most important gods were Odin (the Allfather of the gods, Thor (God of Thunder) and Freya (goddess of love, sexuality, beauty, fertility, gold, seiðr/sorcery, war, and death).


Later, after settling in England, the Vikings changed their religion to Christianity.