Vikings

The Vikings were a group of people that originated from Scandinavia, what is now Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It is under popular belief that the Vikings weren’t a race, but they were people linked by a common ancestry, as well as patriotism. Unlike many European countries Vikings were “uncivilized,” which meant they were not Christian. Many Vikings were Scandinavians who had left their homes in search for fortunes elsewhere. For the Vikings their civilization was founded around 800 A.D., while they died out around 1066 A.D.

When people first think of Vikings, many associate them with raids and making settlements in countries like Iceland. Vikings have founded parts of many modern-day countries like Iceland, Greenland, Russia, and Newfoundland. Vikings have left their mark in many parts of the world as pirates, raiders, traders, and settlers, as they conquered parts of Britain and the European continent. Vikings have also been well known for raiding and conquering many cities for their goods, as well as their riches. Of the places they raided the most were many cities in Ireland, like Dublin, Waterford, and Limerick.

Even though the Vikings were mostly raiders and traders they were able to greatly accelerated the development of feudal structures and transition away from the Roman model of citizenship. Also since many people and cities had been attacked in Europe, there were more guards and protection to keep the people safe not just from the Vikings, but other raiders a well. In Nordic countries, they were able to keep their trade routes open, making very prosperous. For example Norway would sent herring and salt to Sweden, while the Faroe Islands would send sheep to Denmark. Although the Vikings had some bad aspects to their culture they were able to make trade prosperous throughout Europe.