The Decline of the Vikings
The 300-year period of the Viking Age from 793 to 1066 A.D. was a colorful
saga in the European history.
The Vikings were Scandinavian warriors who colonized, raided and pillaged the
lands and coasts of Europe. Also known as Norsemen, the Vikings did not just
go about raiding the islands. With their excellent voyaging skills, they settled
across the different lands and helped improve the economy with their good trading
skills. The Norsemen demonstrated their trading skills in the ports of Hedeby
and other lands.
The Viking raids across Europe are the most interesting part in the Viking
saga. The very first raid occurred in 793 A.D., when the Scandinavian warriors
raided the Lindisfarne monastery. The Vikings often attacked religious places
during that time because these monasteries were money-laden. From then on, a
series of onslaughts along the British islands followed. Among these were in
Ireland, England, Wales, Scotland, Greenland and Iceland. They also settled
across the smaller parts of Southern and Western Europe, as well as some parts
of Asia, America and Africa.
The long and well-made Viking ships were instrumental in the success of the
Viking Age. The Norsemen possessed exceptional navigating skills. From the signature
dragon-shaped hull of a typical Viking ship, they designed and built other ships
that they used to settle, conquer and raid far-flung islands.
Europe during that time was made up of smaller kingdoms. The Europeans were
struggling to be united, but due to lack of proper communication channels, it
became easy for the Viking raiders to take over their land.
However, the Scandinavian warriors were not always successful in taking over
an entire town of people. In England, the Viking leaders were killed, forcing
the raiders to escape because the resistance of the people surprised them. This
started when they attacked a monastery in Jarrow of River Tyne, England.
The warriors escaped only to have their crewmen killed by the locale people.
From this reception, they moved on to Ireland, Scotland and the rest of Europe
where the raids and explorations continued.
During the three-century reign of the Vikings during the Viking Age, the warriors
did not just raid the people. On the positive side, they contributed a lot to
the development and foundation of the great British Islands which are known
today.
Take a look at some of the contributions of the Norsemen warriors:
1. The Vikings founded cities in Dublin, Ireland, Kiev in Russia and York in
northern England.
2. The English language was populated with words of Scandinavian origin.
You cannot occupy an entire continent of people without having some influence
over the language. The Norsemen left a legacy in the British language, with
thousands or words and name places with a Scandinavian origin that are being
used until now.
3. The Vikings greatly influenced the economy, the people and the politics
of the lands that they conquered.
With their excellent skills as tradesmen and seafarers, they created ships,
invented navigating methods and traded their products all across Europe.
With the killing of the King Haraldr of Norway, the slew of Viking raids started
to end. Although there was no particular incident pointing to how the Viking
saga has ended, the resistance among the European people eventually led to the
death of the attacks.
Christianity was later on introduced in Scandinavia, which made the Vikings
have a less savage attitude towards the people. By the time that the kingdoms
of Sweden, Denmark and other European countries settled for a more peaceful
environment, the onslaught of the Viking raids eventually ceased, signaling
the end of the long and colorful Viking saga.
Original Authors:
Jennifer Tumanda
Edit Update Authors: None
Updated On: 05/12/2006
