Vikings

Sailors who in the 8th – 11 Century published in the “Viking” – marauding expeditions to many European countries. For consolidating European states then represented threatening danger. By ethnic origin accounted for the northern branch of the Germans. The word “Viking” in contemporary sources occurs very rarely. If you meet him, and only in the form of a-viking, which means “those who have left home and prefer pirate way of life from farming. It is possible that word-Viking is derived from the place where banditry, pirates, take the trip. Another option is to base the words northern Víg (fight, battle) and Vik (cove, bay, fjord). Another explanation might be related to local name Vik (region on both sides of the Oslofjord), then he was a Viking who came from the lid.But in one of the Frankish chronicles the people of the lid and called Víkverjar Vestfaldingi, so this option does not seem too likely. If the word “Viking” was of Scandinavian origin, there are possibly related to an old English word WIC (camp), Latin Vicus. Then, the Vikings were people living in camps. Another possibility is again the Latin Vicus, but now with the meaning “city”. From the urban businessmen who realized their business through both money and weapons, is not very far to move the meaning of the word “pirate”. There are also views that the word “Viking” comes from vikja (avoiding) or wikan (seal). There was a Viking would actually seal hunter. According to another hypothesis meant exclusively masculine Viking Norsemen, but in general “warrior – seaman, podnikajícího distant voyage from his native country.”In contrast, the Viking feminine meant “pirate naval expedition to the distant shore “

 Viking period gave rise to three European countries – Denmark, Sweden and Norway. This was the result of internal colonization process that began even before the Viking period. As the main causes of Scandinavian expansion and colonization processes are considered domestic political problems, forced exile and leaders neprvorozených children deprived of their property. But the main cause lies in the threat of famine and lack of open land in the country. In Scandinavia, there was a relative overpopulation and the consequent lack of food sources and livelihoods. The Vikings were thus forced to abandon their land and seek a livelihood elsewhere. Viking is also the time period of economic growth and increasing wealth in just a result of robbery shootout, but also trade.There is the creation and development of cities serve as centers of craft and leave.

Time Viking ends at 11 century, when the transition of all the Nordic countries to Christianity.

Image via Wikipedia