Vikings
At a glance:
- Series: Magill’s Guide to Military History
- Categories: Military History, Civilizations, Cultures
- Subcategories: Invasions, Raids, Conquests, Sieges, Barbarians, Nomads
- Curriculum: Medieval History/Middle Ages, Scandinavian History
- Geographical Location: Norway, Sweden, Scandinavia, Denmark
- Date: 793-1066
Article abstract: Military significance: Viking war bands drove the English and French to organize effective forces to counter Viking raids.
At the end of the eighth century, Scandinavian shipwrights combined a strong keel and mast with their flexibly built ships, which allowed raiders to plunder distant lands. Scandinavians were ruled by jarls, who were petty kings and chieftains. Each gathered a war band of warriors who had sworn to fight bravely, and in return, the jarl was to fight battles that would reward them with plunder and fame.
As...
[The entire page is 317 words long]
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