PART 1: Answer the following prompt in 300 words. Based on the textbook and the sources below what do you think was the most significant legacy of the Vikings?

Abbo of Fleury: The Martyrdom of St. Edmund, King of East Anglia, 870 (Links to an external site.)

Three Sources on the Ravages of the Northmen in Frankland, c. 843 – 912 (Links to an external site.)

The Discovery of North America by Leif Ericsson, c. 1000 from The Saga of Eric the Red, 1387

PART 2: Respond to TWO CLASSMATES

Classmate 1 (Jeremy)

The Vikings were a peoples from northern Europe in a region which is known as Scandinavia. These people gained wealth and their living off of raids and plundering European cities. They invaded much of Europe, plundering towns, gaining influence over towns, and even settling in a few instances. They were mostly infamous for laying siege upon costal cities, where their small boats would make shore and large numbers of raiders would advance upon the city. They even went inland and laid siege upon villages inside of continental Europe and Britain, traveling by rivers on their boats. They did so to gain riches and return home with all the splendors.

In the source: The Martyrdom of St. Edmund, King of East Anglia the author recalls a story in which St. Edward, the King of East Anglia would not submit to the heathen Danes unless they would first submit to his Sovereign Lord, Christ Jesus. Barbarian King Ivar upon hearing this, confronted St Edward and beat him personally with a rod and tied him to a tree. St. Edward was later executed by the Vikings.

They were a seafaring people, most famous for their tightly packed ships, brimful of warriors eager to weak havoc. An account from when Paris was invaded by the Vikings in 885, “The Northmen came to Paris with 700 sailing ships, not counting those of smaller size which are commonly called barques. At one stretch the Seine was lined with the vessels for more than two leagues, so that one might ask in astonishment in what cavern the river had been swallowed up, since it was not to be seen.” The Vikings used the advantage of numbers by having many people on many ships in order to over run those defending the city. This method was widely successful.

In conclusion, Vikings, are known for their brutal methods of living, making a life off of raiding and plundering using extreme methods of violence to do so. Their expertise knowledge of seafaring also gave them an edge over those they fought.

Classmate 2 (Coco)

For good reason, Vikings are remembered as some of history’s greatest shipbuilders. Vikings were skilled carpenters who built ships that were faster, slimmer, and lighter than their contemporaries.

The Vikings traded and raided their way across Europe and even as far as North America, leaving their imprint on nearly every land they conquered. So much so that many aspects of their heritage and culture can still be found today. Here are a few things we can thank the Vikings for: language, shipbuilding, skiing, and providing the foundation for the City of Dublin

The Viking long ship was perhaps their most famous invention. The Vikings were among the greatest shipbuilders of all time, and their longships were technologically advanced for their time. The cutting-edge ships, which are faster, lighter, and more streamlined, could travel further than any other ship in the world. Because of the invention of the keel, they were also more flexible and manoeuvrable, as well as far more seaworthy than any previous vessel. The Viking keel provided stability to the longship and allowed a mast to be secured to the ship. The unrivaled invention enabled the Vikings to cross oceans while carrying weeks of supplies on board. Because of the shallow design of the longship hull, the Vikings could also travel up rivers, giving them the opportunity to attack unsuspecting people.

Along with their engineering and carpentry abilities, the Vikings were excellent navigators and are widely regarded as the first people in the Western world to invent a practical magnetic compass. Despite the fact that the Chinese had invented it much earlier, trade had yet to bring a working magnetic compass from the East to the West. As a result, the Vikings held a monopoly on navigational prowess in the West for centuries.

Although they did not have an empire, the Vikings had a significant geopolitical, cultural, and religious impact on our world. Their impact can still be felt over a thousand years later