The Vikings were talented sailors. Why was this fact important to the history of Europe?

Answer 1

When the Roman Empire was destroyed, the people from Scandinavia became the pirates in power. These were the Vikings which means "pirate men". Vikings were very talented. They were called poets, storytellers, ruthless conquerors, explorers, plunderers and barbarians. Vikings lived in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. They sailed the seas between the eighth to the eleventh centuries and most countries were afraid of them. Some people called them Northmen or Norsemen. The Viking ships were called a longship and was a long thin ship. This longship moved through the water either by sail and wind, or by slaves who rowed the boat quickly through the water when they were chasing another ship.

Answer 2

The rugged Vikings were excellent , hard core sailors and they continue to this day. Norway still has the best Sea bearing Vessels in the world. The old Vikings of the Cold sea's were hardy and built the best ships in the world. They would travel from shore to shore and countries all over the world. They loaded silk, wood, metal, jewels, grain, food, animals onto the mighty vessels and carried trade all over. Some were pirates, and were great fighters. Afraid of no man. But they were good to their women and children. Great fishermen of the Sea. Loaded ships up with catches of fish and sailed to other trading shores. The Vikings sailed to Europe and did trade and fought at Normandy. It is also believed that the Vikings were the first to step foot on the Eastern shore line of what would become America. They sailed where the winds took them. Were experts on the winds, weather and currents of the ocean. The Norwegian sailors carry on with the Historical traditions of the Sea. Alt pa Norge !!

Answer 3

They sailed to raid in England and France in the 800's. Later, the Danes settled in England. They colonized the East of England in a place called the Danelaw, so-called because the Danish (Norse, Viking) customary law prevailed there. Vikings intermarried with the Anglo-Saxons. Eventually it was inevitable that one King of Denmark, Canute, should succeed peacefully to King of England in 1021.

Meanwhile, Vikings were raiding up the Seine River in the 900's under their chief Rollo. They settled in what is now called Normandy. (Norman, Norsemen, get it?) The king of France of that time recognized their leader as Duke of Normandy and granted him the lands as a vassal.

Again, a Viking named Rurik sailed to the north of Russia and settled there. He became a Duke of Muscovy. Other Vikings sailed south through Russia to Constantinople, where they enrolled in the Varangian Guards of the Byzantine Emperors.

After that, the Normans were not really Vikings anymore. Maybe it does not count that the Normans invaded and conquered England in 1066. Nor that they invaded and conquered from the Byzantine Empire the Norman kingdom of Sicily in 1081.

Answer 4

they would sail in an ransack everywhere....this kept many european civilizations from fully developing....pushing europe into the dark ages even more than it already was...