Viking Age 793 A.D - 1066 A.D

[Blackleaf]

The Vikings fought the Anglo-Saxons when they came over here and burnt and pillaged our villages.

The Anglo-Saxons came a few hundreds years previously from the areas that are now Northern Germany and Southern Denmark. When they landed on Britain's east coast, they fought the Celts, who were the natives of the island, and pushed them into the far extremes of the island - far west and far north. The Celts then stayed in those places far west and far north, and they became Wales and Scotland. The Germanic Anglo-Saxons inhabited the rest of the island, which later became England, which is why the English are described as a Germanic race who speak a Germanic language, whereas the Welsh and Scots are described as Celtic races, who speak they own Celtic languages. Really, the only native inhabitants of the island are the Welsh and Scots. They are the equivalent of the American Indians, I suppose.

 

[Jersay]

The Vikings fought the Anglo-Saxons when they came over here and burnt and pillaged our villages.

The Anglo-Saxons came a few hundreds years previously from the areas that are now Northern Germany and Southern Denmark. When they landed on Britain's east coast, they fought the Celts, who were the natives of the island, and pushed them into the far extremes of the island - far west and far north. The Celts then stayed in those places far west and far north, and they became Wales and Scotland. The Germanic Anglo-Saxons inhabited the rest of the island, which later became England, which is why the English are described as a Germanic race who speak a Germanic language, whereas the Welsh and Scots are described as Celtic races, who speak they own Celtic languages. Really, the only native inhabitants of the island are the Welsh and Scots. They are the equivalent of the American Indians, I suppose.

The Vikings came from the same area. The Vikings are based on Northern German, northern Scandanavia peoples.

So maybe that's why Old Enlgish and Old Norse are so similar.

 

[Martin Le Acadien]

The Vikings actually had a good play of Northern Europe and settled not only Iceland but Greenland as well! The Last Viking evacuated Greenland in favor of Iceland 1n the 1500's, thus ending the Colonization of Greenland! Several factors account for this failure in Greenland but the Little Ice Age, 1100-1850 probably brought on the diminuation of Agriculture on Greenland and thus the Hanseatic League of the Baltic concentrated it effort on Iceland which had slipped into a feudal barony of Denmark by 1500.

 

[Jersay]

The Vikings actually had a good play of Northern Europe and settled not only Iceland but Greenland as well! The Last Viking evacuated Greenland in favor of Iceland 1n the 1500's, thus ending the Colonization of Greenland! Several factors account for this failure in Greenland but the Little Ice Age, 1100-1850 probably brought on the diminuation of Agriculture on Greenland and thus the Hanseatic League of the Baltic concentrated it effort on Iceland which had slipped into a feudal barony of Denmark by 1500.

Interesting, post.

 

[Martin Le Acadien]

But anyhow, the Norse were an a great culture and though like many culturers many focus on wars and raids, the Viking/norse, were amazing traders and settlers second to none that I can think of.

The Vikings were great travelers and traders also, they conducted war but also had trade contacts in Italy, Spain and the Eastern Roman Empire at Constantinople! Their settlement of Iceland and Greenland was the stuff legends were made of and lets not forget that the Vikings reached Newfoundland at Anse aux Meadows about 1000 AD where Snorri was born, the first European in the New World as documented. The reason for the Vikings not staying in Newfoundland (North America) are varied but the Norse Ballads tell of Skrealings (which were the Beothuk Indians, as I understand, Beothuks were pretty warlike, so the Vikings might have met their match)

A big reason to why the "viking age" or the dark ages have been forwarded in a negitive light was in the collasp of the Western Roman Empire and the lose of the writen latin and education, really. True there was still some but in the west including the norse area's Western Romaization halted and went backwards. But the Norse were there own civilization with there own ways of doing things and I'd say they were strong traders, seafarers, explorers and settlers and the Romans were nt half as good as the "vikings" in those area's.

The Roman empire that we think of was the Western Roman Empire at Rome, Italy which petered out in 476AD with the defeat of Valentinen III by Alaric of the Huns which proclaimed himself King of Italy and took it upon himself to give an Oath of Loyalty to the "Eastern Roman Emperor" which was at Constantinople. We call the Eastern Empire, "The Byzantine Empire" which had a more of a Greek Flavor but was quite a world power in the 500's to 1000 AD when it was beset with problems from the Rise of Islam and the loss of Territory around North Africa, Spain, Middle East and present day Turkey! Until the 700's, Lords of France and Britannia took Oaths to the Emperor at Constantinople and because the Lords and Nobility arose out of Chieftains appointed by "Roman" authority, we can see how medievel Europe arose when the "Roman" influence was simply dissolved!

The Norse were Mercenaries of the Eastern Roman Emperor and his hosehold guard was made up of Norse fighting men! In the Haggia Sophia in Istanbul in Turkey, you can see Runic Writing carved by a "Viking" which is preserved to this day!

 

[Jersay]

Some Norse were Roman mercenaries, as others went on to colonize Iceland and Greenland and other places.