The Vikings were Norse seafarers who dominated Europe from the 8th to the 11th century, with an empire that reached North America, Africa, and Asia. They were more than just warriors, with a complex culture that included art, language, storytelling, and religion. They were also skilled shipbuilders, explorers, and craftsmen. The Vikings established communities and contributed to the cultures they interacted with, but were eventually pushed back and destabilized by the spread of Christianity. They were not a cohesive group, but rather diverse smaller groups with their own unique traditions.
The Vikings were a group of Norsemen who rose to fame as seafarers, using innovative longships to travel distances that would have been unfathomable to their contemporaries. From the 8th to the 11th century they dominated the coasts of Europe, developing an empire that touched parts of North America, Africa and even Asia. Viking culture has also had a huge influence on the cultures of many regions, especially in Scandinavia.
Many people remember the Vikings as warriors, thanks to the extremely well-developed weaponry and sometimes brutal methods they used to acquire territory. However, they were much more than that, with a complex, lush and very unique culture. The group produced numerous works of art, had a written language, told stories, composed songs and practiced various pagan religions.
Besides being good at conquering new coastal territory, the Vikings were also superb shipbuilders, intrepid explorers, and talented craftsmen and architects. Today, many remains of their settlements can be seen, a testament to the durability and strength of their work, and the discovery of dozens of Viking artifacts has radically changed public opinion of these people. Far from being brutal barbarians, they contributed greatly to the cultures they interacted with, though they did commit their fair share of piracy and brutality.
During what is known as the Viking Age, Vikings established communities along many coastal regions of Europe, contributing Norse words and mythology to the regions where they settled. They also managed to establish successful colonies in rugged regions such as Greenland, discovering lands that would remain undiscovered by other Europeans for hundreds of years. Eventually, they were pushed back by organized groups of people from the regions where they settled.
The introduction of Christianity is also believed to have played a role in the decline of Viking society. Some converted voluntarily, while others were forced to convert by Christian fanatics, with the choice of conversion or torture and final death. The spread of Christianity in the regions that these people had colonized destabilized their culture, forcing them to flee further and further north, but they left an indelible mark in the form of genetic, cultural and linguistic inheritance in many regions.
Some people are under the impression that Vikings were universally large, blond, hairy, and blue-eyed. Indeed, they have demonstrated considerable genetic diversity, and far from being a cohesive group, these people can be broken up into numerous smaller groups, each with their own unique cultural traditions. The Danish, Swedish and Norwegian Vikings were all distinctly different, leaving their own marks on the places they visited.
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