History UsefulNotes / TheVikingAge

! List of works depicting the Viking Age

The era made a sizable impact in song, memory, language, and culture, but is notorious among historians, both academic and popular, for leaving precious little information in hard historical facts. The warriors came from Scandinavia -- mostly from modern day UsefulNotes/{{Denmark}} and UsefulNotes/{{Norway}}, but also from UsefulNotes/{{Sweden}} -- and charted a course that took them to areas further and beyond their land or origin. They were raiders, explorers, and merchants whose famous [[IconicItem iconic longships]] allowed them to serve simultaneously as a merchant, marine and riverrine power, navigating both deep and shallow waters. They made inroads into [[UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom Britain]], UsefulNotes/{{France}}, UsefulNotes/{{Spain}}, UsefulNotes/{{Sicily}}, the UsefulNotes/ByzantineEmpire and the area of land known as UsefulNotes/KievanRus. They settled in UsefulNotes/{{Greenland}} and also sent an expedition into North America that failed to become a permanent settlement, known today as "L'Anse aux Meadows" in Newfoundland in UsefulNotes/{{Canada}}. Their [[IHaveManyNames many names]] illustrates how wide they spread their net. Initially they were simply called Danes or heathens; the Irish distinguished between 'white' and 'black' foreigners (Finngall and Dubgall respectively). In Eastern Europe, the Slavs called the Scandinavian invaders Rus, a Finnish word for the Svear Swedish settlers, which means "rowers" or "oarsmen", and which was perhaps a source for the name of UsefulNotes/{{Russia}}. The Eastern Romans called them Varangians and the Frankish called them Normanni (Northmen), and the region of France where one of the Vikings settled and gained a Dukedom is known as Normandy. The English were the first to call them Vikings, which was a Scandinavian word for raider, which referred to only one aspect of their society but in PopCultureOsmosis, is the name for an entire people, civilization and an era.

The era made a sizable impact in song, memory, language, and culture, but is notorious among historians, both academic and popular, for leaving precious little information in hard historical facts. The warriors came from Scandinavia -- mostly from modern day UsefulNotes/{{Denmark}} and UsefulNotes/{{Norway}}, but also from UsefulNotes/{{Sweden}} -- and charted a course that took them to areas further and beyond their land or origin. They were raiders, explorers, and tradesmen whose famous [[IconicItem iconic longships]] allowed them to serve simultaneously as a merchant, marine and riverrine power, navigating both deep and shallow waters. They made inroads into [[UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom Britain]], UsefulNotes/{{France}}, UsefulNotes/{{Spain}}, UsefulNotes/{{Sicily}}, the UsefulNotes/ByzantineEmpire and the area of land known as UsefulNotes/KievanRus. They settled in UsefulNotes/{{Greenland}} and also sent an expedition into North America that failed to become a permanent settlement, known today as "L'Anse aux Meadows" in Newfoundland in UsefulNotes/{{Canada}}. Their [[IHaveManyNames many names]] illustrates how wide they spread their net. Initially they were simply called Danes or heathens; the Irish distinguished between 'white' and 'black' foreigners (Finngall and Dubgall respectively). In Eastern Europe, the Slavs called the Scandinavian invaders Rus, a Finnish word for the Svear Swedish settlers, which means "rowers" or "oarsmen", and which was perhaps a source for the name of UsefulNotes/{{Russia}}. The Eastern Romans called them Varangians and the Frankish called them Normanni (Northmen), and the region of France where one of the Vikings settled and gained a Dukedom is known as Normandy. The English were the first to call them Vikings, which was a Scandinavian word for raider, which referred to only one aspect of their society but in PopCultureOsmosis, is the name for an entire people, civilization and an era.

[[caption-width-right:350:Only known surviving Viking Helmet]]

TropeNamer for HornyVikings, VikingFuneral and BlackVikings.

* ''[[WebAnimation/ExtraCredits Extra History]]''’s “Lindisfarne” episode deals with the attack on the Monastery and the start of the age of the Vikings.

* ''[[WebAnimation/ExtraCredits Extra History]]''’s ''Lindisfarne'' Episode deals with the attack on the Monastery and the start of the age of the Vikings.

* ''WebVideo/ExtraCredits'' : ''Lindisfarne'' which deals with the attack on the Monastery and the start of the age of the Vikings.

** Famous raiders in this era include the legendary figure Ragnar Lodbrok and his sons, of whom Ivar the Boneless has strong historical basis. Other raiders include Rollo, Erik the Red, Erik Bloodaxe and Leif Erickson. The latter is celebrated in Icelandic sagas for sailing into North America and establishing Vinland, whose only remnant is L'Anse aux Meadowes.

** On account of the Viking Invasions and assimilation, the English [[HitSoHardTheCalendarFeltIt Days of the Week]] are based on Myth/NorseMythology rather than the Roman and Greek mythology in the Continent: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday are named after Moni, Tyr, Woden/Oden, Thor and Freya respectively.

The era made a sizable impact in song, memory, language, and culture, but is notorious among historians, both academic and popular, for leaving precious little information in hard historical facts. The warriors came from Scandinavia -- mostly from modern day UsefulNotes/{{Denmark}} and UsefulNotes/{{Norway}}, but also from UsefulNotes/{{Sweden}} -- and charted a course that took them to areas further and beyond their land or origin. They were raiders and explorers, whose famous [[IconicItem iconic longships]] allowed them to serve simultaneously as a merchant, marine and riverrine power, navigating both deep and shallow waters. They made inroads into [[UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom Britain]], UsefulNotes/{{France}}, UsefulNotes/{{Spain}}, UsefulNotes/{{Sicily}}, the UsefulNotes/ByzantineEmpire and the area of land known as UsefulNotes/KievanRus. They settled in UsefulNotes/{{Greenland}} and also sent an expedition into North America that failed to become a permanent settlement, known today as "L'Anse aux Meadows" in Newfoundland in UsefulNotes/{{Canada}}. Their [[IHaveManyNames many names]] illustrates how wide they spread their net. Initially they were simply called Danes or heathens; the Irish distinguished between 'white' and 'black' foreigners (Finngall and Dubgall respectively). In Eastern Europe, the Slavs called the Scandinavian invaders Rus, a Finnish word for the Svear Swedish settlers, which means "rowers" or "oarsmen", and which was perhaps a source for the name of UsefulNotes/{{Russia}}. The Eastern Romans called them Varangians and the Frankish called them Normanni (Northmen), and the region of France where one of the Vikings settled and gained a Dukedom is known as Normandy. The English were the first to call them Vikings, which was a Scandinavian word for raider, which referred to only one aspect of their society but in PopCultureOsmosis, is the name for an entire people, civilization and an era.

* ''Series/AmericanGods'' which adapts Creator/NeilGaiman's novel of the same name begins with the prologue showing the Viking landing at Newfoundland. The rest of the show is unconnected to it, but the prologue is necessary because the Viking arrival at the New World is still not as widely known as say, later arrivals to the Americas.

The Viking Age [[DawnOfAnEra begins with]] the 793 CE raid on the Lindisfarne Monastery. This attack captured in much PurpleProse in the medieval chronicles cemented the legend of the Northmen, as pagans and heathens whose lust for riches and plunder did not waver before any act of blasphemy and impiety. A major frustration for historians until very recently, is the fact the primary sources of the Viking Era come from the perspective of their enemies. The earlier known written materials from the views of the Northern peoples is from the medieval era after they had assimilated and converted to Christianity and become part of their native and/or settler kingdoms. Modern historians use numismatic studies of coins, relics (such as the Runestones across Sweden and England, graves and other markers across Russia and Ukraine), and other materials (such as the few surviving longships and the famous helmet) to reconstruct aspects of their culture.

Their travels and territorial reach spread far and wide, becoming the first civilization to explore four continents (North America, Europe, Northwest Asia, North Africa). They also revived and built trade routes between Western and Eastern Europe; playing a key role in the Christianization of the Slavic Tribes and the founding of UsefulNotes/{{Russia}}. For a long time, historians and chronicles, basing themselves on their medieval reputation and inspired by nationalist accounts of defending the homeland against invaders have deprecated the Vikings and their culture. This changed in the age of UsefulNotes/TheEnlightenment and UsefulNotes/{{Romanticism}}, first in the Scandinavian nations and then in Victorian England. Modern views tend to be more balanced about the role played by the Vikings. The historian Fernand Braudel noted that "Economic historians" are indulgent towards the Vikings because "by putting back into circulation the treasures that they pillaged, especially from the Church, they reactivated capital" and trade which had been dormant since the end of the UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire.

The Viking Age [[DawnOfAnEra begins with]] the 793 CE raid on the Lindisfarne Monastery. This attack captured in much PurpleProse in the medieval chronicles cemented the legend of the Northmen, as pagans and heathens whose lust for riches and plunder did not waver before any act of blasphemy and impiety. A major frustration for historians until very recently, is the fact the primary sources of the Viking Era come from the perspective of their enemies. The earlier known written materials from the views of the Northern peoples is from the medieval era after they had assimilated and converted to Christianity and become part of their native and/or settler kingdoms. Modern historians use numismatic studies of coins, relics (such as the Runestones across Sweden and England), and other materials (such as the few surviving longships and the famous helmet) to reconstruct aspects of their culture.

Their travels and territorial reach spread wider and further than UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire and UsefulNotes/AlexanderTheGreat, becoming the first civilization to travel, explore and settle in four continents and likewise, reviving and building trade routes between Western and Eastern Europe; playing a key role in the Christianization of the Slavic Tribes and the founding of UsefulNotes/{{Russia}}. For a long time, historians and chronicles, basing themselves on their medieval reputation and inspired by nationalist accounts of defending the homeland against invaders have deprecated the Vikings and their culture. This changed in the age of UsefulNotes/TheEnlightenment and UsefulNotes/{{Romanticism}}, first in the Scandinavian nations and then in Victorian England. Modern views tend to be more balanced about the role played by the Vikings. The historian Fernand Braudel noted that "Economic historians" are indulgent towards the Vikings because "by putting back into circulation the treasures that they pillaged, especially from the Church, they reactivated capital" and trade which had been dormant since the end of the UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire.

* Western Expansion (793-1066)

!! Expansion

The era made a sizable impact in song, memory, language, and culture, but is notorious among historians, both academic and popular, for leaving precious little information in hard historical facts. The warriors came from Scandinavia -- mostly from modern day UsefulNotes/{{Denmark}} and UsefulNotes/{{Norway}}, but also from UsefulNotes/{{Sweden}} -- and charted a course that took them to areas further and beyond their land or origin. They were raiders and explorers, whose famous [[IconicItem iconic longships]] allowed them to serve simultaneously as a merchant, marine and riverrine power, navigating both deep and shallow waters. They made inroads into [[UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom Britain]], UsefulNotes/{{France}}, UsefulNotes/{{Spain}}, UsefulNotes/{{Sicily}}, the UsefulNotes/ByzantineEmpire and the area of land known as UsefulNotes/KievanRus. They settled in UsefulNotes/{{Greenland}} and also sent an expedition into North America that failed to become a permanent settlement, known today as "L'Anse aux Meadows" in Newfoundland in UsefulNotes/{{Canada}}. Their [[IHaveManyNames many names]] illustrates how wide they spread their net. Initially they were simply called Danes or heathens; the Irish distinguished between 'white' and 'black' foreigners (Finngall and Dubgall respectively). In Eastern Europe, the Slavs called the Scandinavian invaders Rus, a Finnish word for the Svear Swedish settlers, which means "rowers" or "oarsmen", and which was perhaps a source for the name of UsefulNotes/{{Russia}}. The Frankish called them Normanni (Northmen), and the region of France where one of the Vikings settled and gained a Dukedom is known as Normandy. The English were the first to call them Vikings, which was a Scandinavian word for raider, which referred to only one aspect of their society but in PopCultureOsmosis, is the name for an entire people, civilization and an era.

The Viking Age [[DawnOfAnEra begins with]] the 793 CE raid on the Lindisfarne Monastery. This attack captured in much PurpleProse in the medieval chronicles cemented the legend of the Northmen, as pagans and heathens whose lust for riches and plunder did not waver before any act of blasphemy and impiety. A major frustration for historians until very recently, is the fact the primary sources of the Viking Era come from the perspective of their enemies. The earlier known written materials from the views of the Northern peoples is from the medieval era after they had assimilated and converted to Christianity and become part of their native and/or settler kingdoms. Modern historians use numismatic studies of coins, relics (such as the Runestones across Sweden and England), and other materials (such as the surviving longships and the famous helmet) to reconstruct aspects of their culture.

The era made a sizable impact in song, memory, language, and culture, but is notorious among historians, both academic and popular, for leaving precious little information in hard historical facts. The warriors came from Scandinavia -- mostly from modern day UsefulNotes/{{Denmark}} and UsefulNotes/{{Norway}}, but also from UsefulNotes/{{Sweden}} -- and charted a course that took them to areas further and beyond their land or origin. They were raiders and explorers who made inroads into [[UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom Britain]], UsefulNotes/{{France}}, UsefulNotes/{{Spain}}, UsefulNotes/{{Sicily}}, the UsefulNotes/ByzantineEmpire and the area of land known as UsefulNotes/KievanRus. They settled in UsefulNotes/{{Greenland}} and also sent an expedition into North America that failed to become a permanent settlement, known today as "L'Anse aux Meadows" in Newfoundland in UsefulNotes/{{Canada}}. Their [[IHaveManyNames many names]] illustrates how wide they spread their net. Initially they were simply called Danes or heathens; the Irish distinguished between 'white' and 'black' foreigners (Finngall and Dubgall respectively). In Eastern Europe, the Slavs called the Scandinavian invaders Rus, a Finnish word for the Svear Swedish settlers, which means "rowers" or "oarsmen", and which was perhaps a source for the name of UsefulNotes/{{Russia}}. The Frankish called them Normanni (Northmen), and the region of France where one of the Vikings settled and gained a Dukedom is known as Normandy. The English were the first to call them Vikings, which was a Scandinavian word for raider, which referred to only one aspect of their society but in PopCultureOsmosis, is the name for an entire people, civilization and an era.

The Viking Age [[DawnOfAnEra begins with]] the 793 CE raid on the Lindisfarne Monastery. This attack captured in much PurpleProse in the medieval chronicles cemented the legend of the Northmen, as pagans and heathens whose lust for riches and plunder did not waver before any act of blasphemy and respect.

The era made a sizable impact in song, memory, language, and culture, but is notorious among historians, both academic and popular, for leaving precious little information in hard historical facts. The warriors came from Scandinavia -- mostly from modern day UsefulNotes/{{Denmark}} and UsefulNotes/{{Norway}}, but also from UsefulNotes/{{Sweden}} -- and charted a course that took them to areas further and beyond their land or origin. They were raiders and explorers who made inroads into [[UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom Britain]], UsefulNotes/{{France}}, UsefulNotes/{{Spain}}, UsefulNotes/{{Sicily}}, the UsefulNotes/ByzantineEmpire and the area of land known as UsefulNotes/KievanRus. They settled in UsefulNotes/{{Greenland}} and also sent an expedition into North America that failed to become a permanent settlement, known today as "L'Anse aux Meadows" in Newfoundland in UsefulNotes/{{Canada}}. Their [[IHaveManyNames many names]] illustrates how wide they spread their net. Initially they were simply called Danes or heathens; the Irish distinguished between 'white' and 'black' foreigners (Finngall and Dubgall respectively). In Eastern Europe, the Slavs called the Scandinavian invaders Rus, a Finnish word for the Svear Swedish settlers, which means "rowers" or "oarsmen", and which was perhaps a source for the name of UsefulNotes/{{Russia}}. The Frankish called them Normanni (Northmen), and the region of France where one of the Vikings settled and gained a Dukedom is known as Normandy. The English were the first to call them Vikings, which was a Scandinavian word that referred to only one aspect of their society but in PopCultureOsmosis, is the name for an entire people, civilization and an era.

The era made a sizable impact in song, memory, language, and culture, but is notorious among historians, both academic and popular, for leaving precious little information in hard historical facts. The warriors came from Scandinavia -- mostly from modern day UsefulNotes/{{Denmark}} and UsefulNotes/{{Norway}}, but also from UsefulNotes/{{Sweden}} -- and charted a course that took them to areas further and beyond their land or origin. They were raiders and explorers who made inroads into [[UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom Britain]], UsefulNotes/{{France}}, UsefulNotes/{{Spain}}, UsefulNotes/{{Sicily}}, the UsefulNotes/ByzantineEmpire and the area of land known as UsefulNotes/KievanRus. They settled in UsefulNotes/{{Greenland}} and also sent an expedition into North America that failed to become a permanent settlement, known today as "L'Anse aux Meadows" in Newfoundland in UsefulNotes/{{Canada}}. Their [[IHaveManyNames many names]] illustrates how wide they spread their net. Initially they were simply called Danes or heathens; the Irish distinguished between 'white' and 'black' foreigners (Finngall and Dubgall respectively). In Eastern Europe, the Slavs called the Scandinavian invaders Rus, a Finnish word for the Svear Swedish settlers, which means "rowers" or "oarsmen", and which was perhaps a source for the name of ''UsefulNotes/{{Russia}}''. The Frankish called them Normanni (Northmen), and the region of France where one of the Vikings settled and gained a Dukedom is known as Normandy. The English were the first to call them Vikings, which was a Scandinavian word that referred to only one aspect of their society but in PopCultureOsmosis, is the name for an entire people, civilization and an era.

The era made a sizable impact in song, memory, language, and culture, but is notorious among historians, both academic and popular, for leaving precious little information in hard historical facts. The warriors came from Scandinavia -- mostly from modern day Denmark and Norway, but also from Sweden -- and charted a course that took them to areas further and beyond their land or origin. They were raiders and explorers who made inroads into England, France, Iberian Spain, Sicily, but also into Eastern Europe. They settled in Greenland and also sent an expedition into North America that failed to make a permanent settlement. The [[IHaveManyNames many names]] of these warriors illustrates how wide they spread their net. Initially they were simply called Danes or heathens; the Irish distinguished between 'white' and 'black' foreigners (Finngall and Dubgall respectively). In Eastern Europe, the Slavs called the Scandinavian invaders Rus, a Finnish word for the Svear Swedish settlers, which means "rowers" or "oarsmen", and which was perhaps a source for the name of ''UsefulNotes/{{Russia}}''. The Frankish called them Normanni (Northmen), and the region of France where one of the Vikings settled and gained a Dukedom is known as Normandy. The English were the first to call them Vikings, which was a Scandinavian word that referred to only one aspect of their society but in PopCultureOsmosis, is the name for an entire people, civilization and an era.

The Viking Age stretches from the 8th Century to the mid-11th Century. It's an era of history that belongs to the so-called DarkAges and TheMiddleAges, taking place after the fall of UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire and the formation of UsefulNotes/MoorishSpain, and ending just before UsefulNotes/TheCrusades properly began.

The era made a sizable impact in song, memory, language, and culture, but is notorious among historians, both academic and popular, for leaving precious little information in hard historical facts. The warriors came from Scandinavia -- mostly from modern day Denmark and Norway, but also from Sweden -- and charted a course that took them to areas further and beyond their land or origin. They were raiders and explorers who made inroads into England, France, Iberian Spain, Sicily, but also into Eastern Europe. They settled in Greenland and also sent an expedition into North America that failed to make a permanent settlement. The [[IHaveManyNames many names]] of these warriors illustrates how wide they spread their net. Initially they were simply called Danes or heathens; the Irish distinguished between 'white' and 'black' foreigners (Finngall and Dubgall respectively). In Eastern Europe, the Slavs called the Scandinavian invaders Rus, a Finnish word for the Svear Swedish settlers, which means "rowers" or "oarsmen", and which was perhaps a source for the name of UsefulNotes/{{Russia}}. The Frankish called them Normanni (Northmen), and the region of France where one of the Vikings settled and gained a Dukedom in, was known as Normandy. The English were the first to call them Vikings, which was a Scandinavian word that referred to only one aspect of their society but in PopCultureOsmosis, is the name for an entire people, civilization and an era.

* ''Literature/{{Heimkringsla}}'' by Creator/SnorriSturluson, written several centuries later is one of the sources for this era.

* ''WebVideo/ExtraHistory'' : ''Lindisfarne'' which deals with the attack on the Monastery and the start of the age of the Vikings.

The era made a sizable impact in song, memory, language, and culture, but is notorious among historians, both academic and popular, for leaving precious little information in hard historical facts. The warriors came from Scandinavia -- mostly from modern day Denmark and Norway, but also from Sweden -- and charted a course that took them to areas further and beyond their land or origin. They were raiders and explorers who made inroads into England, France, Iberian Spain, Sicily, but also into Eastern Europe. They settled in Greenland and also sent an expedition into North America that failed to make a permanent settlement.

The [[IHaveManyNames many names]] of these warriors illustrates how wide they spread their net. Initially they were simply called Danes or heathens; the Irish distinguished between 'white' and 'black' foreigners (Finngall and Dubgall respectively). In Eastern Europe, the Slavs called the Scandinavian invaders Rus, a Finnish word for the Svear Swedish settlers, which means "rowers" or "oarsmen", and which was perhaps a source for the name of UsefulNotes/{{Russia}}. The Frankish called them Normanni (Northmen), and the region of France where one of the Vikings settled and gained a Dukedom in, was known as Normandy. The English were the first to call them Vikings, which was a Scandinavian word that referred to only aspect of their society but in PopCultureOsmosis, is the name for an entire people, civilization and an era.