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The Viking Age

The raid on the Christian monastery of Lindisfarne in 793 began a new era in the history of Europe. The attack was a big shock for the rulers of Brittany and the rumors about the fearless Nordic men quickly spread over Europe. No matter what was the course but the North people started moving outside Scandinavia in the end of the 8th century and had a great influence on the history of Europe. Historians call this period "The Viking Age" and often regard it as a dynamic historical drama. One of the main its characteristics is dynamism. The North people were striving for prey by any means. They were seeking for new lands, for gold, for power and influence. Fearless and always ready to give the life in fight, these people didn't appreciate the lives of others and didn't see any abstractions for making their aggressive plans true.

The raids of the North - aspects that give much food to our imagination and thing that the North and often even the Vikings are mostly known for. The European historians called the raiders the most impudent people. But the raiders themselves didn't find anything terrible in their way they earned their living. The most notable thing for the raid is their success and extent. There are several reasons that explain so vivid success of the raiders. Good strategy of the flash fights, fearlessness and good war counting were the parts of theirs success. There were also technical circumstances which determined the victories. The Viking raiders depended on legendary superiority in shipbuilding technology and their supreme navigation skills in a great deal. Their ships could land almost any place thanks to their shallow drafts. And also a successful combination of the sail and ores made the ships speedy and maneuver that let them to escape the chase easily and to move quickly in the parts of the seas unreachable for the contemporary ships. The North were definitely good and unbending fighters and almost always reached their goal and very seldom by peaceful means. But still the bloody and cruel picture of those raids was often exaggerated by contemporary and modern historians and scientists. With the flow of time the raids became cluttered with new picturesque details of their cruelty and unscrupulousness sometimes imaginary that it's not easy sometimes to detach the truth from the falsehood.

The raids consisted only one aspect of the Norse expansion. In their expansion the North were looking for three things - for victims to raid, for new lands to settle down and for new trading partners. And we often exclude two later aspects stressing out only their raids. Weather as traders of raiders but the Vikings reached almost every part of Europe. From the Nordic kingdom they reached the west European coast, through the Strait of Gibraltar they reached the Mediterranean Sea and from there Italy, Spain, Morocco and the Holy land. They penetrated the continent and traveled the Russian rivers using the Baltic Sea. In the West, trading was carried on throughout France, Scotland, England, Ireland. They traveled to Asia to meet Chinese caravans. High navigate technologies gave a great power to the expansion of the Vikings. Thanks to their ships they could move faster and further and the contemporaries which gave them one of the vivid advantages.

Skillful warriors, the Vikings were also the people of trade. The trading routs were built throughout Europe from Sweden and Norway. The main towns of the Viking Era such as Dublin, York and Birka grew and became contemporary trade centers and most of the trading routs flowed there. The Gotland Island very luckily strategically positioned became a common ground for trade uniting both the East and the West Baltic areas. Among the main items of their export furs, walrus ivory, and slaves can be named. A lot of rarities which posses a great historical and cultural value were brought to Europe by the Viking traders. Their influence on the life of the world was much more constructive than it's commonly considered. For a long period the Vikings dominated an essential part of Northern Europe. They founded and developed new towns, trading system of Europe and not only Europe in general. They brought new forms of forms of administration and justice which have affected even our modern life. Some forms of art were brought to Britain by the Vikings. And not only the trade and raid were the sources of income for the Scandinavians. The remains of craft industry were found by scientists. The blacksmith, woodworker, bead-maker, specialist jeweler, leather-worker and stone carver carried out their businesses in workshops spread throughout the town. The shipbuilding industry was highly developed producing so necessary for the Vikings ships. Over nine hundred of the most common English words come from the Vikings and are commonly used at our times. The raiding and piracy were an occasional source of income and they also were attended by the great risks. It was only trade that could provide the regular and stable income and the achievements of the Scandinavian traders proved to be the most vigorous and profitable.

In fact the West was greater influenced by the peaceful Scandinavian traders of the Viking age than by the severe Northern raiders. Talented and ambitious merchants, the Viking traders have brought a new life to the economy of Europe and have established new trading links and economical connections. The word "Viking" was used in the meaning of "raider" or "pirate"; and this is the image which has fastened itself to the Northern folk. But the Vikings who eared their living by raiding and piracy constitute only a part of the Norsemen most of which lived peacefully.

The Vikings, mostly known as violent and merciless raiders were in fact more successful in trading, farming and settling down. A lot of towns were established for the trade purposes in the carved by the Vikings lands of Scotland, England, Ireland, Wales, France, Italy. The great achievement of the Vikings was a finding and colonizing Iceland and Greenland. It's also proved now that six centuries before Columbus, the Vikings landed in North America continent.

The modern archeologists dare to declare that not only the raid was flash and bone of the Viking Empire. The whole picture includes trade, craft, art, farming in addition to commonly known piracy and raiding. Their activity left traces for entirety and there are good and bad things to remember them for. If we emphasize more on the trading, on the great mythology and poetry, more on the technological achievements than on the raiding, pillage and piracy we will be able to understand more these strong people from the northlands of Denmark, Norway and Sweden and to see the positive impact they've brought to the history along with the stories of cruel fights and unscrupulous raids.

Aaron is a professional freelance writer at custom essays writing service: Research papers & custom essays Now he is a technical writer, advertising copywriter, & website copywriter for Custom Essay Network.
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