The Vikings were very fierce warriors in the Middle Ages that came from what we now know as Scandinavia. They were a very large threat to the Frankish Empire when Charlemagne was leader. The Vikings were so ruthless, they sailed their longboats in on a January day in 793 and invaded the Christian monastery in Northumbia, burned buildings, killed monks, stole treasures, and terrified everyone close by. Viking warriors are called berserkers and were well known for their abilities to fight up close while using their infamous battle axes. The Vikings invaded many large portions of land such as Britain, Ireland, France, and Italy.
The light blue coloring indicates the Viking Empire around AD 800-1000.
Built for speed, Viking Longships were a very large contribute to the Vikings' power over trade, politics, and medieval welfare through AD 800 to AD 1000. Longships were massive, slender ships with square sails that were commonly known in Europe during their time. The longships meant Vikings, and that meant trouble. Longships were handmade by the Vikings with their axes and oak trees. The world's best preserved longship, Oseberg, was found in 1906 in Norway.
Originally born in Norway, Eric the Red moved to Iceland with his family. His father soon murdered a man and was banished from Iceland. Following in his father's footsteps, Eric killed two people and was banished from Iceland as well, so he set out for newly-found islands off the coast of Greenland and ended up on the coast of eastern Greenland, becoming the first European in Greenland.
Leif Ericson was the son of Eric the Red. Leif traveled to many places such as Iceland, Greenland, the Hebride Islands, and North America (the New World). Though it has been said Christopher Columbus was the first European to discover the New World, that is incorrect because Leif Ericson found the New World about 500 years before Columbus.
This is a map of Normandy. The Vikings were called the Normans (northmen) in France because they came from what we now know as Normandy in the north.
This is a map of Russia. The Vikings were called the Rus (redheaded people) in Eastern Europe because of their common fiery-red hair.