Viking Raids
The Vikings, also called Norsemen, lived primarily the Scandinavian lands of northern
Europe. From the coasts of Scandinavia they ailed to the lands that are now Britain and
France, later establishing colonies as far away as Russia and islands in the North Atlantic.
At home in Scandinavia they lived in small villages in homes made of logs or boards,
with figures of dragons carved onto the building for symbolic decoration. Scandinavia’s
coastlines and harbors were conducive to trade and were prosperous centers for fishing.
However, most of the rest of the country consisted of land that was unsuitable for
farming. Consequently, many Vikings took to life on the sea. In their language a Viking
was a pirate, and a to go a-viking, meant to go on an adventure overseas. Viking s raided
manors and monasteries in England and the Frankish kingdom to obtain money and
goods. Their success as sea-raiders stemmed from their skill as sailors and the excellence
of their sailing vessels. The Vikings sailed on massive ships, long and narrow with the
bow at the front carved in the shape of a dragon. They slept in leather sleeping bags, and
used copper pots to cook meals along the shores where they stopped.
Vikings were traders and explorers as well as raiders. The men were adventurous,
opening up new water and trade routes as they traveled. The Viking Eric the Red pushed
farther west than anyone known before him. In 986, the Vikings reached Greenland.
Later sagas, or stories, tell of Eric’s son, Leif Ericson, who crossed the Atlantic ocean on
a Viking ship and reached the northeast coast of North America. The Vikings named the
area where they landed Vinland. Today the land is called Newfoundland. But Vinland
was cold in the winter and far away from the vikings’ home, so they left Vinland without
establishing a colony there.
During the time following Charelemagne’s rule, Europe lacked a strong central
government. The weak and divided empire was easy for the Vikings to attck. Using battle
axes, swords, and spears, the Vikings raided many parts of Europe. Metal helmets
decorated with pictures of animals, and shirts made from iron rings covered by a large
piece of cloth, protected the Vikings from the people they raided. Probably the Vikings’
greatest weapon was their power of intimidation. The massive longships, which took the
form of dragons, terrified the people of Europe. The Vikings named their ships “Snake of
the Sea,” “Lion of the Waves” and other frightening names. While the Vikings prayed to
their pagan gods for success, Europeans prayed to the Christian God, “From the fury of
the Norsemen, Good Lord, deliver us!” Often the Europeans under attack would offer the
Vikings land or gold rather than attempting to fight against or flee from the Vikings.
The Vikings’ own society also had no strong central government. The Vikings were
separtated into smaller tribal units ruled by a jarl or military leader. Often Vikings
households included 20 to 30 relatives all living together. The familyformed a strong
unit. If one family insulted another, both families would engage in fights that often ended
in someone’s death. Later, payments of money replaced physical duels in such conflicts.
Viking culture centered around war. Education was not considered important; most
people were illiterate. When it was time to go to battle, men communicated by using
fires. A Viking man who saw the fire, lit another to call on others, and then hurried to
battle. Boys were taught to value physical strength and learned the stories of great
warriors. Girls learned how to sew and care for the home so that their husbands could go
off to battle both men and women grew their hair long. Men purchased a woman to
marry; and men could accordingly sell their bride if they changed their minds. Once
married, however, women were given substantial respect. They were in charge of the
household, had the right to own property and seek a divorce, and were allowed to attend
public meetings and talk with men. Women were also looked to as healers; they grew
herbs to use as medicine for the sick and wounded.
Vikings worshiped pagan gods whose identities were adapted to fit the Viking lifestyle.
Th gods were perceived as extra-powerful humans, subject to jealousies, passions, and
trickery. The Vikings used sacrifices of crops and animals to persuade the gods to act in
their favor.
Medieval Castles
The early castles of the Middle Ages were built primarily for practical protection and
bore little resemblance to the romantic images of magnificent castles with beautiful
princesses looking out the window of the towers that are reconstructed in fairy tales. The
first castles arose out of a need generated by the absence of a strong central government,
a fact that encouraged frequent invaders and provided little stability or security.
Consequently, each lord, and the people under his care who served him, needed to take
care of themselves and provide for their own protection. The castles that developed from
this need served as both protective fortresses and general residences.
The early castles are usually referred to as motte and bailey castles. The actual castle
waas built on top of a motte, a mound of dirt and rock constructed in order to raise the
level of the castle and thus provide additional protection against invaders. The keep
referred to the stronghold of the castle built on top of the motte. A wider area of land next
to the motte contained additional buildings such as a kitchen, animal stables, craftsmen
and carperters’ workshops, barns, perhaps a chapel, and residences for peasants and
workers. The enclosure was called the bailey. A wooden drawbridge – which could be
drawn back or raised to prevent the moat from being crossed in case of a attack – usually
connected the motte and the bailey.
A deep ditch or a moat, a man-made body of water, surrounded the otte and bailey and
made it difficult for enemies to reach the castle and surrounding buildings. These motte
and bailey castles – walls included – were built of earth and wood. Around the bailey and
on top of the motte was built a stockade, a wall of wooden stakes. Inside the stockade, a
strong wooden tower, or keep was built in order to provide a safe place for the lord of the
castle to go in case of attack.
These early castles were generally uncomfortable, crowded places to live. Winters were
cold, and there was o hot water or plumbing. Fresh water was often difficult to find.
Servants threw herbs on the floor in an attempt to mask the bad smell.
As time went on, building techniques improved and castles became more sophisticated in
the early stone castles of the 12- and 13-centuries, stone walls replaced the earlier walls
made of earth and wood. The stone was stronger, lasted longer, and kept the castle
warmer during winter. The ditch was also replaced by a stone wall. Rather than window,
castle walls had ventilation slits, spaces just large enough to allow some fresh air into the
castle, while allowing a man defending the castle to shoot a arrow out of the window and
still be protected. Despite the size of the windows, draughts still blew about the castle
rooms. The only sanitation in the castles was usually a shaft in the castle walls, which
often led to an underground sewer near the well, which usually served as the castle’s
main water supply.