vikings - nmsu astronomyastronomy.nmsu.edu/cwc/teaching/astr308/ppt/vikings.pdf · by 800 ce,...
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TheVikingsTheLi,leToldStoryofScandanaviaintheDarkAges
TheViking(moderndayDanes,Norwegians,andSwedes)seafaringexcursionsoccurredfromabout780to1070AD.TheystartedraidingandpillaginginthenorthBalCcregionofEurope.Bythemid900s(10thcentury)theyhadestablishedsuchapermanentpresenceacrossFranceandEnglandthattheyweresimplypaidoff(“Danegeld”)tocohabitateinpeace.TheyconqueredmostofEngland,astheRomanshad,buttheydiditinonly15years!TheyformedlegalsystemsinEnglandthatformedthebasisofBri>shCommonLaw,whichatoneCmewouldlatergovernthemajorityoftheworld.Theyeventuallyadaptedthewesternmonarchyformofgovernment,convertedtoChrisCanity,andintegratedintoFrance,England,Germany,Italy,Russia,Syria,andoutintotheAtlanCc.TheyalsobroughtChrisCanitybacktotheirhomecountries,setupmonarchies,andforgedthecountriesofNorway,Denmark,Sweden,andRussia.ItwasthedirectdescendantoftheVikings(fromNormandy)wholedthecaptureofJerusalemduringtheFirstCrusade.
TheRomansdominatedEurope,Africa,theMiddleEast,andEngland.TheynevercouldconquertheGermanicpeopletothenorth.TheGermanicpeoplesackedRomethreeCmesbetween435and489CE.
ABertheFallofRome,amassmigraConofGermanicpeopleoccurredtothewest(toFranceandEngland).TheFrisianswereatthecenterofagreattraderoutebetweenthenorthernGermans(“Nordsman”)andbulkofGermanicpeoplesnowinwesternEurope.
Theshipsofthedaywerethehulkandthecog.TheseshipsweregoodforhuggingthecoastsandpenetraCngintodeepriversystems.Theyhadnokeel,northestrengthtonavigatetheopenoceans.
HighTechinthe400s-700s
Meanwhile,theRomanEmpiresurvivedonastheByzan>neEmpirewithitscapitalinConstanCnople(nowIstanbul).ThepowervacuuminAfrica,Spain,andtheMiddleEastallowedforthevastexpansionoftheIslamic/MuslimCaliphs.EvenChinabecomes50%Muslim.
By800CE,TheArabicworldhadanempirelargerthantheRomanEmpire.Theirlandsliterallyconnectedtheeasternandwesternworlds.TheyhadnoneedforoceangoingtransportaCon-thedesertwastheirsea.
By800CE,westernEuropewasorganizedintoamonarchy,TheCarolingianEmpire,whichwassubservienttotheHolyRomanChurch.EasternEuropewasasourceofslaves(the“Slavs”)tradedtotheArabstosupporttheirvastEmpire.
KingCharlemagnehadconsolidatedwesternEurope,andtheAnglo-SaxonshadpopulatedEngland,buthadnotunitedEnglandintoasingleempireyet.ItwouldtaketheVikingraidsforEnglandtoeventuallyunite.
By800CE,Englandhadfourmainrivalkingdoms.ThecityofYorkwasthecapitalofNorthumbria.NotetheaccesstoYorkviariversystems.InWessex,theonlykingdomnotconqueredbytheVikings,thecapitalwasWinchester.ThisiswhereKingAlfredtheGreatheldhisgroundandbegantheunificaConofEngland.
KingAlfredtheGreatTheFirstEnglishKingacerdefeaCngtheVikingsanduniCngallofEngland
TheDanelawRegionofEnglandKingdomofGuthrum KingAlfredTheGreathaltedthe
southernadvanceoftheDanesandthenfoughtbackunClastalematewasreachedinabout900AD.ThreegeneraConslatertheDanestookoverallofEnglandandruledakingdomacrossEnglandANDScandanavia(KingCnutTheGreat).
AcerCharlemagne’sdeathin814,histhreesonsdividedhiskingdom.ThesedivisionsbecamemoderndayFrance,Germany,andeventuallySwitzerland.
InwhatisnowNorway,Denmark,andSweden,thenorthGermanicpeople(Nordsman),weregroupedintosmallautonomouslocalizedkingdoms.ThecompeCConandpopulaConpressureforferClelandwasfierce.Viathetraderoutes,wordofferClelandsandundefendedrichmonasteriesreachedthem.Also,aspartoftheirreligiousbeliefs,conquering,bravery,andgloryinbaeleraisedthemtothehigher“GreatHalls”oftheiracerlife.TheysetoutforthelandsofEuropeandEngland.
Allmalesweretrainedinwarriorskillsfromchildhood.Theywerealldisciplinedandhardenedfromtheharshcoldclimate,andweremadestrongandfitbytheirrowinginarmiesledby“seakings”.ThemiliCaoftheEnglishontheotherhandwereasmallprofessionalelite-Englisharmieswerepredominantlysimpleuntrainedfarmersandblacksmiths.Theygottheirarmorhandedtothemwithease.Thustheoriginoftrainedstandingarmies-thanksVikings.)
Vikingshadlightarmor,andwereexpertswiththeaxeandspear.
Theycreatedshieldwallstosuckintheenemyandthenwouldmopthemup.
Vikingsdevelopedashipcalledtheknarr.Ithadamast,akeel,andores.Ithadaveryshallowdracthatcouldgetupriverseasilyanditcouldnavigatetheopenseas.
VikingscouldenteratownquietlyandquicklyandcommandtotalsurprisefollowedbyfiercefighCng.Vikingscouldnavigatethecountryatthree>mesthespeedofmarchingtroops.
HighTechnologyStepsIn..
RaidsandSeelementsoftheNorwegians,Danes,andSwedish(800-1000).PoliCcalMapis900CE.NotemodernFrance,Germany,Switzerland,andSpaindivisionsareinplace,whereSpainisArabic.Note“white”RussiansareSwedish.
SimplifiedversionofpredominantVikingpathwaysviatheseas…notetheinfiltraConofRussiaandConstanCnople.VikingsdominatedthetraderoutesthroughallofEurope.
TheNorthernTradeRoutedominatedbytheVikings.
Bythe1200s,the”Vikings”tookthepoliCcsofmonarchieshomeandestablishedthreekingdoms,Norway,Sweden,andDenmark.Thedevelopmentoftheseseparatekingdomsisanamazingstoryinitself.TheyalladoptedChrisCanity.
Toinfinityandbeyond…
BreakingNewFronCersHadthisnotcometoanend,CanadaandNorthAmericawouldprobablybespeakingsomeformoflanguagebetweenScandinavianandGerman,likeisdoneinIceland.
In986,BjarniHerjolfssontriedtofindhisfather,whohadmigratedfromIcelandtoGreenland.BjarniovershotGreenland,and,realizinghehadarrivedatanunchartedland,turnedaroundtogobacktoGreenlandwithouteverhavingsteppedfootonthenewland.
In1001,LeifEricssonpurchasedBjarni’sship,collected35men,andsetouttofindthelandBjarnihaddiscovered.Ericsson’screwwinteredthereandreturnedtoGreenlandbysummer’end.
Shortlythereacer,Leif’sbrotherThorvaldtookacrewof30toVinlandandseeledLeif’sencampment.Thefirstsummertheyexploredthecoast,butduringtheirsecondsummerencounteredhosClenaCveswhodrovethembacktoGreenland.
AfirstaeemptatcolonizingVinlandwasthenledbyThorfinKarlsefni,oneofLeif’sin-laws,whogatheredover250menonthreeships.TheytradedwiththenaCves(Skraelings),buteventuallyweredrivenoutandbacktoGreenland.
Leif’s(crazy)sister,Freydis,whohadpreviouslyslappedherbreastswithaswordtostoptheSkraelingaeacks,organizedafinalexpediCon,butfoundLeif’shouseoccupied;shehadalloccupyingmenandwomenofthatpartykilled.Thenextspring,uponthereturntoGreenlandhercrimeswererevealedandLeifputacurseonallofheroffspring.
Epilogue:By1020therewerenomoreVikingseelementsinVinland.
By1200traderoutesincludedtheeast-westroutecalledtheSilkRoad.NotetheMuslimscontrolledallroutesthroughPersia,Arabia,andEgypt.NoEuropeancouldtradedirectlywiththeEast,unCl…
Thedevelopedtraderoutessenngthestageforthecomingages…