The Vikings: The History Of Vikings

What was the history behind these men called vikings? Around A.D. 800 to the 11th century, a large amount Scandinavians left their homes in search of riches. These men eventually gained the name Vikings or Norsemen which come from North Man, a homage to their homeland. Viking raids started small, pillaging structures around the coast, particularly undefended monasteries, in the British Isles. Over the next three hundred years, they would be known far and wide as pirates, raiders, traders and settlers. Contrary to popular belief, Vikings were not a race, linked by ties of common ancestry or patriotism, and could not be defined by any single definition. Most of the Vikings, whose accomplishments are best known to come from Denmark, Norway and

One such battle tactic was a shield wall in which men with large shields would stand in the front lines while other Vikings using spears would fill in the gaps between the shields with the spears, killing anyone who dare get to

Another tactic was the svinfylking or boar formation. It is a tactic in which a group of heavily armed warriors would interlock their shields and form a triangle pointing at the enemy. The advantage to the triangular shape was that when the warriors would get in this formation and charge forward they would put themselves in the enemy’s line and break it through sheer force alone. Just like a boar’s charge. Although the Vikings used group tactics they were brutal in one on one combat. There were very few rules when it came to fighting, this is evidenced by the barbaric tactics that would be used in one on one combat such as cutting an opponent in the back of the knee and then decapitating them when they dropped to one knee. However, even though they were barbaric they were also very clever. In a battle with someone wielding a spear it was common practice to dodge the spear and grab it by the handle in order to pull the wielder close and stab them through the torso. Alternatively when throwing a spear most Vikings would take the pin that was keeping the spearhead on the shaft , preventing the weapon from being thrown