VIKING LEGACYLI – To understand the legacy of the Vikings and continue developing research skills.

Viking Influence • Norman Conquest was the last

successful foreign invasion of England

• Conquest led to many changes in government and social structures in England.

• Norman French, the language of the new ruling class, influenced the development of the English language as we know it today

• The Britain that is known today is a direct result of the long history of different people who have come to make it their home.

Viking Artefacts• Many traces of Viking settlement have been

unearthed and examined by archaeologists and specialists in early written sources

• These settlements were mostly within Europe, specifically England, Scotland, and Ireland

• Remains of their daily life, boat-building, runic inscriptions, coins, sagas and place names provide evidence of how they lived, their language and stories.

• These tell us not only about their Scandinavian traditions, but also about how they engaged with their new environment and made it their own

Viking Law and Language• Law and democracy are two ideals

which were developed in Viking society

• The Viking 'thing' was thought to be the first national assembly in Europe

• The thing set the way for a more democratic future

• The Vikings often left their homelands to trade with locals, raid coastal settlements and explore new lands for colonisation

• As a result of this contact, a number of words across Europe have Scandinavian origins

Famous Viking Leaders

ERIK THE RED

Norwegian king who founded the first Viking settlement in Greenland.

He was known for the colour of his hair and

beard which was bright red. Father to Leif.

LEIF ERICSSON

Great Viking explorer and first European to

discover North America. He established a

settlement at Vinland, and was the son of Erik

the Red.

HARALD HADRADA

Often referred to as the last great Viking king, he ruled over

Norway before unsuccessfully claiming the English throne. He

lost to William.

INGOLFR ARNARSON

First Viking settler of Iceland. He left Norway

with his wife after becoming involved in a

blood feud. He travelled to Iceland on his own

long ship.

Viking Expansion

ActivityYou are to complete a mini-research activity on one of the famous Viking leaders mentioned earlier in

this lesson. You will need to use the worksheet from the class website as a scaffold for your research.