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Meet the Vikings primary resource
Learn all about the legendary warriors and their way of life.
This primary resource introduces children to Viking life and culture. Who exactly were these legendary warriors? When did the Vikings invade British shores? What were they known for?
Pupils will learn about aspects of Viking life, such as social hierarchy, battle techniques and diet, in our National Geographic Kids’ Vikings primary resource sheet.
The teaching resource can be used in study group tasks for exploring Viking clothing and social roles, as a printed handout for each pupil to review and annotate, or for display on the interactive whiteboard using the illustrations and short snippets of information included in the resource for class discussion.
Activity: Ask children to choose one of the Viking characters included in the resource and role play them in a short scene. They could use the Viking primary resource sheet as a guide for drawing and labelling traditional Viking dress, or write a newspaper report about the activities of Viking warriors.
N.B. The following information for mapping the resource documents to the school curriculum is specifically tailored to the English National Curriculum and Scottish Curriculum for Excellence . We are currently working to bring specifically tailored curriculum resource links for our other territories; including South Africa , Australia and New Zealand . If you have any queries about our upcoming curriculum resource links, please email: [email protected]
This History primary resource assists with teaching the following History objectives from the National Curriculum :
- Know and understand the history of these islands as a coherent, chronological narrative, from the earliest times to the present day: how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world
- Know and understand the history of these islands as a coherent, chronological narrative, from the earliest times to the present day: how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world.
- Gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts, understanding the connections between local, regional, national and international history; between cultural, economic, military, political, religious and social history; and between short- and long-term timescales.
National Curriculum Key Stage 1 History objective:
- Pupils should be taught significant historical events, people and places in their own locality
National Curriculum Key Stage 2 History objective:
- Pupils should be taught about: the Viking and Anglo-Saxon struggle for the Kingdom of England to the time of Edward the Confessor
This History primary resource assists with teaching the following Social Studies Second level objective from the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence :
- I can discuss why people and events from a particular time in the past were important, placing them within a historical sequence
- I can compare and contrast a society in the past with my own and contribute to a discussion of the similarities and differences
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The Vikings
Who were the Vikings?
The Vikings came from all around Scandinavia (where Norway, Sweden and Denmark are today). They sent armies to Britain about the year 700 AD to take over some of the land, and they lived here until around 1050.
Even though the Vikings didn’t stay in Britain, they left a strong mark on society – we’ve even kept some of the same names of towns. They had a large settlement around York and the Midlands, and you can see some of the artefacts from Viking settlements today.
Top 10 facts
- The Vikings are also called Norsemen, and came from Scandinavia.
- They spoke Norse , which had an alphabet made up of characters called runes.
- They travelled over the sea in longships, which are long, narrow wooden boats that could be sailed in both deep and shallow water.
- The Vikings left their homeland because they were looking for better places to farm than the kind of terrain that Scandinavia had.
- The Vikings first attacked Britain in 787 AD, but didn’t start to invade and settle in the British Isles until 793 .
- In 878, King Alfred the Great defeated the Vikings in battle and had them sign a treaty saying they had to keep to their own land in England – this section of land was called Danelaw.
- Jorvik was a large Viking kingdom around York ; the last king of Jorvik was Eric Bloodaxe in 954.
- Viking warriors believed that when they died in battle, they went to Valhalla – this is where the king of the gods lived, named Odin.
- England once had a Viking king: King Canute ruled from 1016-1035, and his descendants ruled until 1042.
- A few weeks before the Anglo-Saxons were defeated in the Battle of Hastings in 1066 , they defeated Viking warriors near York, led by Harald Hardrada at the Battle of Stamford Bridge.
- 793 The Vikings attacked a monastery at Lindisfarne in Northumbria and started to settle in England
- 866 The Vikings raided and conquered York, and established the Viking Kingdom of Jorvik
- 878 Alfred the Great defeated the Vikings at the Battle of Ethandun
- 886 The boundary between Anglo-Saxon and Viking territories was established, called Danelaw
- 950 Viking armies raided Wales
- 954 The Viking Kingdom of Jorvik became part of England again
- 994 Viking armies from Denmark and Norway attempted to raid London, but were defeated
- 25 September 1066 The Battle of Stamford Bridge took place near York, between the Anglo-Saxons and Viking invaders led by Harald Hardrada
- 14 October 1066 William from Normandy, "William the Conqueror", won the Battle of Hastings and the Normans began to rule England
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Did you know?
- The word ‘Viking’ means ‘a pirate raid’ in the Norse language, which is what the Vikings spoke.
- ‘-by’, as in Corby or Whitby, means ‘farm’ or ‘town’
- ‘-thorpe’, as in Scunthorpe, means ‘village’
- The Viking alphabet, ‘Futhark’, was made up of 24 characters called runes. Each one stood for entire words or gods, as well as sounds.
- There was a large Viking community around York called Jorvik. Archaeologists have found out a lot about the Vikings thanks to the artefacts they found there.
- The Vikings kept long benches in their homes that they’d use to sit on during the day, and then to sleep on at night. Only rich people had beds.
- In Viking times, people usually just took baths once a week! This was often on Saturdays.
- The Normans from France who defeated the Anglo-Saxons in the Battle of Hastings were actually descendants of Vikings! Vikings settled around more places than just Britain – they went to Ireland , Iceland, Greenland, France and Spain too.
Can you find the following in the gallery below?
- A map showing where the Vikings originally lived, and where they settled in Britain and Ireland
- A map showing the Danelaw
- A replica of a Viking longboat
- What a Viking warrior would have looked like
- A Viking warrior’s helmet
- What a Viking man would have worn
- What a Viking woman would have worn
- The names of clothing that the Vikings wore
- Weapons that the Vikings used
- A Viking ship reconstruction
- A Viking village reconstructed in Ukranenland, an archeological village-museum in Germany
- Viking gold bracelets
- A Viking boat sculpture in Iceland
- An illustration of a Viking boat
- A re-enactment of Viking life
The Vikings wanted new land because the places where they came from in Scandinavia – Norway, Sweden and Denmark – weren’t very easy to live in. It was hard to grow crops, which meant there wasn’t a lot of food as the population got bigger. Britain and Europe had plenty of good farmland , so the Vikings tried to claim some of that land for themselves.
Even though the Anglo-Saxons were pretty well established in England, the Vikings would turn up every now and then to raid towns and take a bit of land. Sometimes, instead of fighting the Vikings, the Anglo-Saxons decided it was better to pay them money so they’d stay away. This payment was called Danegeld.
The first Viking attack on England was in 787 on the Isle of Portland. The Vikings went home straight afterwards, but they came back to England in 793 and raided a monastery at Lindisfarne. Monastaries made easy targets because the monks who lived there didn’t have any weapons, and they did have money and food.
The Vikings believed in many different gods , and they thought making sacrifices to the gods kept them all happy. They also told stories about the gods, called Norse mythology . Some of the gods included:
- Thor , the god of thunder
- Idun , the goddess of spring
- Odin , the king of gods and the god of war
The Vikings believed that if a warrior died while fighting in battle, he’d go to Valhalla , which is where Odin was. Other heroes who had died would also be there. Odin would send his warrior maidens, called Valkyries, across the sky to ferry dead warriors to Valhalla.
Viking warriors were very good fighters. They’d wear helmets and carry shields to defend themselves, and they’d also have one of these weapons:
- spear – a leaf shape or spike at the end of a wooden shaft
- sword – these were expensive to make and usually double-edged, and warriors would decorate the hilts
- battle axe – an axe with a long handle, and cheaper to make than a sword
Boats that the Vikings built are called longships – they are long, narrow boats that can be used in both deep and shallow water, making them perfect for travelling over the ocean and carrying lots of warriors onto the shore. Longships were symmetrical, meaning they looked the same at the front as they did at the back. They’d often have dragon heads carved at either end.
VIkings sailed all the way across the Atlantic Ocean to Newfoundland in North America in their longships!
Viking homes were long too – they were called longhouses ! They were rectangular, made from wood and were usually just one big room without any inside walls. There would be one big fire pit in the centre for cooking and keeping the house warm. The roof was covered in thatch, and there was a hole in the middle for smoke from the fire to go through. Benches around the house would be used both to sit on and to sleep on.
Most clothes that the Vikings had were made from wool, but they also had some clothes made from linen. They used dyes made from plants and minerals to make red, green, brown, yellow and blue, so their clothes were very colourful.
Viking men wore a long shirt, trousers with a drawstring tie and a coat with a belt around the waist. Viking women wore long dresses with a tunic over the top that was held up by two brooches pinned at the shoulders. Both men and women wore woollen socks and leather shoes.
Alfred the Great defeated the Vikings at the Battle of Ethandun (in modern day Wiltshire). After this, he and the Vikings agreed to set boundaries for their kingdoms. The area that the Vikings lived in was called Danelaw, and it meant that the land south of the diagonal line between London and Chester belonged to King Alfred (Wessex). Danelaw eventually became smaller and smaller as the Anglo-Saxons took more and more control.
Jorvik was a large Viking kingdom around York. The last king of Jorvik was Eric Bloodaxe, who was driven out in 954. The Vikings in England then agreed to be ruled by the king of England rather than having their own king.
But, that doesn’t mean that the king of England couldn’t be a Viking! The first Viking king of England was King Canute in 1016. He ruled until 1035, and then his sons were kings after that – but only for a total of seven years. Harold Harefoot was king until 1040, then Hardicanute was king until 1042.
Names to know:
King Canute (ruled as king of England from 1016-1035) – Canute was the first Viking king of England. He won a battle against Edmund II that divided their kingdoms, but when Edmund died Canute ruled both kingdoms. His sons, Harold Harefoot and then Hardicanute, ruled until 1042.
Harald Hardrada (c.1015-1066) – Harald Hardrada was the king of Norway. He led Viking armies into England, but was defeated at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in York by King Harold II.
Leif Erikson (c.970-1020) – Leif Erikson was a famous Viking explorer who sailed all the way to North America.
Eric Bloodaxe (died in 954) – Eric Bloodaxe was king of the Viking kingdom of Jorvik between 947-948 and 952-954. He was the last king of Jorvik before it became part of England.
Related Videos
Just for fun...
- Type your name into the box and see how it looks written in Viking runes!
- Have Mum or Dad help you make some porridge in the way that the Vikings would have had it
- Watch Horrible Histories songs about the Vikings, the Vikings & Garkunkel Song and The Vikings - Literally
- Print some Viking colouring sheets and a Viking Age boat to colour in
- Make your own Viking tortoise brooches and try Viking cord winding
- You'll find amazing artefacts from the Viking Age on the Jorvik Discover from Home webpage, as well as Viking colouring, puzzles, crafts, stories and videos
- Quiz yourself on the Vikings
- Make your own Viking name
- Bake your own Viking flatbread
- The Cbeebies television show Gudrun the Viking Princess offers a glimpse of what life might have been like for the Vikings a thousand years ago
- Listen to a collection of Viking sagas told by Loki, Viking god of fire, on BBC Schools Radio
- Read a National Geographic kids comic set on a Viking longboat
- Make your own Viking shield , Viking longboat and Viking helmet with step-by-step instructions and videos from Hobbycraft
- Try some Viking puzzles from the Yorvik Centre
- Step back to 876AD and make your own Viking longship, Viking longship figurehead and Viking helmet
Children's books about the Vikings
See for yourself
- Visit Jorvik Viking Centre in York to go back in time and see what it was like to live as a Viking
- See a Viking coin made in England for a Viking ruler
- Step into a Viking Longhouse reconstruction at the Ancient Technology Outdoor Education Centre
- At the National Museum of Scotland, see the Galloway Hoard , the richest collection of rare and unique Viking-age objects ever found in the British Isles
Find out more:
- Watch BBC Bitesize animations about the Vikings
- A children's introduction to the Vikings from DKfindout!
- See an animated film about the life of a ten-year-old Viking boy
- Learn about everyday life in the Viking age
- Find out about the Vikings in Scotland with BBC Bitesize animations
- Watch a virtual tour of the British Museum's Vikings Live exhibition
- Discover the secrets of Viking ships
- "Walk" through a real Viking village
- Read stories and sagas from the Viking world – we've collected the best kids' books about the Vikings
- Find out about the Viking words we use in English place names . Did you know that words like berserk, ugly, muck, knife, die and cake come from Old Norse, the Viking language ?
- Information about Viking gods and mythology
- Did Vikings have horned helmets? Find out!
- See some images of Viking clothes and Viking jewellery and find out about Viking pets
- The Vikings were warriors of the sea. Find out more about Viking voyages and sea-faring life
- Download a Viking information booklet, packed with pictures
- Watch a video about the Vikings Eric the Red and his son Leif Ericson, who explored areas of Greenland and North America
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Vikings for kids
Vikings for kids learning in KS2 at Primary School. Homework help on the history of Vikings, who they were and where they came from.
Who were the Vikings and where did they come from?
The word Vikings probably means ‘pirate’. They were fierce fighters that came from Sweden, Norway and Denmark. They were often farmers and when the Vikings did not have enough land to farm they started to attack other countries for new land.
For 300 years the Vikings arrived in other European counties in boats called longships. They would rob towns and villages and invaded large areas of Britain, Ireland, France & Italy.
Viking Facts
Places to see Viking history
Vicious Vikings
What happened to the Vikings?
Eventually, the Vikings became less violent as they settled in the new countries.
Vikings that settled in Northern France were known as Normans (Northmen). This part of France is now known as Normandy.
The Vikings that settled in eastern Europe were known as Rus (redheaded people). This is now known as Russia.
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(1440–1505). Russian leader Ivan III was a grand prince of the powerful state of Moscow (Muscovy) from 1462 to 1505. Nicknamed Ivan the Great, he subdued most of the Great Russian lands by conquest and recaptured parts of Ukraine from Poland-Lithuania. Ivan also ended Moscow’s long subjugation to the Tatars (a mixture of Turks and Mongols), who had overrun Russia in the 13th century and exacted tribute from the Russian people.
Ivan Vasilyevich (his family name was Rurik) was born on January 22, 1440, in Moscow. He was born at the height of the civil war that raged between supporters of his father, Grand Prince Vasily II of Moscow, and those of his rebellious uncles. In 1446 Ivan’s father was arrested and was blinded by his cousin. Ivan was first hidden in a monastery and then smuggled to safety before being handed over to his father’s captors. Before the end of the year, however, both Ivan and his father were released. In 1452 Ivan was married (purely for political reasons) to the daughter of the grand prince of the state of Tver. During the last years of his father’s reign, Ivan gained experience in the arts of war and government. At the age of 18 he led a successful campaign against the Tatars in the south. Vasily II died on March 27, 1462, and was succeeded by Ivan as grand prince of Moscow.
Little is known of Ivan’s activities during the early part of his reign. In 1467 his childhood bride died (perhaps poisoned), leaving him with only one son. Since the state of medicine at the time was primitive, it was possible that Ivan’s son would die before he did. So, although Ivan’s brothers would have liked to see Ivan’s royal line end, another wife was sought for Ivan in order to produce more heirs. In 1469 Cardinal Bessarion wrote from Rome (Italy) offering Ivan the hand of his ward and pupil, Zoë Palaeologus, niece of the last emperor of Byzantium ( see Byzantine Empire ). In 1472 Zoë, who changed her name to Sofia when she arrived in Moscow, was married to Ivan in the Kremlin .
When Ivan became grand prince, many Great Russian lands were not yet under Moscow’s control, so he set out to annex or subdue these independent territories. In 1467–69 Ivan undertook a series of campaigns and conquered territories to the east. He then attempted to subdue the state of Novgorod and its huge northern empire. After repeated invasions, Novgorod formally accepted Ivan’s sovereignty in 1478, and by 1489 Ivan had complete control over the territory. Of the remaining Russian lands still technically independent in 1462, Yaroslavl and Rostov were annexed by treaty in 1463 and 1474, respectively. The state of Tver offered little resistance and meekly yielded to Moscow in 1485. Ryazan and Pskov alone retained their independence but were subservient to Moscow.
By 1480 Ivan was strong enough to refuse to pay the customary tribute to Khan Ahmed of the Tatars. Since Ahmed retained a friendship with Poland-Lithuania, Ivan strengthened his own position by forming an alliance with the Khan of Crimea . After a victorious campaign by Ivan, Ahmed withdrew his forces from Ivan’s dominions, and Ivan no longer considered himself a vassal of the Khan. Ivan was then able to begin his reconquest of Ukraine from Poland and Lithuania. By means of cunning diplomacy and shrewdly calculated aggression, Ivan had established Moscow as a great power.
In 1490 Ivan’s eldest son by his first wife died, and Ivan was left to decide who would be his heir—his eldest son’s son Dmitry (born 1483) or his eldest son by Sofia, Vasily (born 1479). For seven years Ivan wavered back and forth. Then, in 1497, he nominated Dmitry as heir. Sofia, anxious to see her son assured of the throne, planned rebellion against her husband, but the plot was uncovered. Ivan disgraced Sofia and Vasily and had Dmitry crowned grand prince in 1498. Two years later, however, Vasily rebelled and defected to the Lithuanians. Ivan was forced to compromise because he was at war with Lithuania and could not risk the total alienation of his son and wife. And so, in 1502, Ivan gave the title to Vasily and imprisoned Dmitry and his mother. Ivan died on October 27, 1505, in Moscow.
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The Viking history of Russia: A primer
Traders from Viking societies exploited the river systems between the Baltic and Black Seas.
These Scandinavian colonists would lay not only the foundations of the modern Russian state but also help bridge cross-cultural exchanges between Europe and Asia.
Eastbound and down
During the late 8th century, at the same time that Vikings sailed across the North Sea to begin their raids on the British Isles, some peoples from what would become Viking societies went in the opposite direction: eastward.
Colonists and traders from the Scandinavian Peninsula crossed the Baltic Sea and soon began to exploit the various river systems of Eastern Europe and into Russia. During the 9th century CE, some historians have credited these colonists and traders with establishing the Rus' Khaganate – a polity containing several small city-states in Eastern Europe and Russia, inhabited by local Slavic, Finnic, Baltic and Norse peoples.
Despite some archaeological evidence showing that these Viking traders had exploited the river Volga for trade during the 8th century, by the 9th century CE, there was an established settlement at what they called Aldeighuborg (near the modern Lake Ladoga, Russia).
These settlers would soon mix with the local Slavic, Turkic, Baltic and Finnic populations to form a new ethnic group.
From the 8th to 11th centuries CE, a new ethnic group emerged on the borders between modern-day Eastern Europe and European Russia: the Rus. These were originally Norse peoples, many from modern-day Sweden, who first settled and then ruled many of the river routes between the Black, Baltic, and Caspian Seas. Further south, they established the Kievan Rus (the predecessor to both modern-day Russia and Ukraine ).
The Norse elite would soon mix and assimilate with East Slavic, Baltic, and Finnic tribes and peoples to form a new cultural identity. Though Old East Slavic would emerge as their new language, this would only occur by the end of the 11th century CE. Before then, both Old Norse and local languages were spoken widely.
The intermarriage of elites – between peoples from Viking societies and local populations would further cement links between these peripheral cultures of Europe. However, it was the Rus stranglehold of two strategic trade routes that would help them forge new principalities. They would center around places like Novgorod, Smolensk, and Kiev.
Among other things, the Rus likely traded furs, pelts, and swords in exchange for gold. Photo: Joanna Kosinska / Unsplash
Trade routes
The Rus – and their Viking brethren – would soon exploit the vast river systems that intersect much of Eastern Europe and European Russia. Perhaps the two most important, however, were the Volga Trade Route and the Dnieper Trade Route.
The Volga Trade Route connected North-western Europe (the Scandinavian homeland and Russia) to the Caspian Sea via the river Volga. At the bottom terminus of this river, the Rus could trade and do commerce with the Sasanian Empire and other Muslim polities.
A 9th century CE Persian diplomat, Ibn Khordadbeh, wrote that the Rus transported furs, pelts, and swords in exchange for gold. A horde of coins found near Saint Petersburg attests to these transactions showing golden coins minted in the Sasanian Empire containing Arabic, Greek, and Old Norse runic scripts.
The Dnieper Trade Route is perhaps more well-known and documented by contemporary sources. This trade route, using the river Dnipier, connected Scandinavia to the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium). It crossed through the modern countries of Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine, down to the Black Sea to end in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul).
From the contact of the Rus with the Byzantines, they received a new name: the Varangians. Though this originally meant just the Rus traders, Byzantine sources soon applied this to all the peoples from Viking societies dotted throughout Northern Europe. Wine, jewelry, expensive textiles, and icons flowed northward from Byzantium in exchange for timber, furs, and honey.
The Varangians would go on to play an important part in Byzantine culture as they would form the nucleus of the personal bodyguards of the Byzantine Emperor up until the 14th century. Perhaps the most famous of this Varangian guard was Harald Hardrada . Before he was King of Norway, Hardrada served in the guard for more than a decade. His death, at the Battle of Stamford Bridge, in 1066 CE, traditionally marks the end of the "Viking Age."
Rurik and the start of a Russian dynasty
In 862 CE, a Rus chieftain named Rurik was sent an invitation to reign over some of the Rus and peoples in western Russia. Though his first residence was at Ladoga, Rurik moved his seat of power to the heavily fortified Novgorod. Reigning for over 17 years, he bequeathed his throne to a regent, Oleg, to rule for his young son, Igor.
Oleg then decided to move the capital to the far away town of Kiev and would found the state of the Kievan Rus. Following Oleg's death, Igor and his descendants would rule over the Kievan Rus until its destruction during the Mongol invasions of the mid-13th century.
The Rurikid dynasty (as it became known) would not only rule over the Kievan Rus but various other small principalities, of which the most important became the Grand Duchy of Moscow in 1263 CE. This established the basis of the modern Russian state, and it was Rurik's ancestor, Ivan IV, who would declare himself "Tsar of all the Rus." The dynasty would rule until 1598 CE, when it was succeeded by the Romanov Dynasty following 15 years of political chaos and civil war.
The modern nation-states of Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, and many other Baltic and Eastern European countries can thus trace their historical lineage back to these Viking settlers, traders, and raiders.
For an in-depth look at the Viking origins of Russia, visit the History.com website here .
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Jonathan Williamson
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When Viking Kings and Queens Ruled Medieval Russia
By: Becky Little
Updated: July 17, 2024 | Original: December 4, 2019
The historical people known as Vikings , who hailed from Scandinavia in Northern Europe, are well-known today for their exploits in the West. But the merchant warriors also made their way into Eastern Europe, where they helped found a medieval federation in the territory now known as Belarus, Ukraine and part of Russia. Their loose federation of principalities called Kievan Rus survived for nearly 400 years, finally collapsing during the 13th-century Mongol invasion.
Early Scandinavian settlements in the East
Vikings founded Kievan Rus in the mid-9th century, but Scandanavian settlements in Eastern Europe actually date back to at least A.D. 750. This is when pre-Viking-Age Scandanavians likely settled the northwestern Russian town of Staraya Ladoga (or “Old Ladoga”), across Lake Ladoga from what is now Finland. One of the artifacts archaeologists have unearthed from the city is a talisman with the face of Odin, the Norse god of war.
“The early Scandinavians were particularly attracted to Ladoga by the appearance of Islamic silver coins or dirhams there,” writes scholar Thomas S. Noonan . “The regular flow of Islamic dirhams from Russia to Scandinavia via Ladoga began in the early ninth century and is further evidence of a Viking presence in Ladoga long before 840.”
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Evidence suggests slavery may have been more central to the Viking story than previously thought.
Prince Oleg expands territory, moves the capital to Kiev
It was after 840 that Scandanavian Vikings—who were known in Eastern Europe as “Varangians” or “Rus”—established Viking rule over Slavic tribes in what came to be called Kievan Rus. At first, the region was divided between three noble brothers.
“The oldest, Rurik, located himself at Novgorod; the second, Sineus, at Beloozero; and the third, Truvor, in Izborsk,” recounts the Russian Primary Chronicle , a history of the region completed in the 12th century by Kievan monks. “On account of these Varangians, the district of Novgorod became known as the land of Rus.” (“Rus,” which is where the name “Russia” comes from, purportedly derives from an old Nordic word for “men who row.”)
Rurik’s brothers died within two years, so he claimed their territory and established Novgorod as the capital of his domain. After Rurik died, his successor Prince Oleg of Novgorod (or Oleg the Prophet) captured the city of Kiev in 882 and moved the capital from Novgorod to Kiev. In addition to capturing new territories to increase the size of Kievan Rus, Oleg also increased its wealth by negotiating a favorable trade deal with Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire.
Royal pains after Oleg
Archaeological discoveries in the region support the Russian Primary Chronicle ’s historical account of Vikings in the region—at least, in part. However, historians caution readers to approach the Chronicle narrative with a grain of salt, since some of its stories have an exaggerated, mythical quality.
One such story: how Oleg allegedly died. According to the Chronicle , a prophecy during his lifetime foretold that one of his horses would cause his death. To avoid his fate, Oleg never rode that horse. But after he successfully expanded Kievan Rus territory and trade, he got a little cocky and began to wonder if he could ride the horse after all. By then the animal had died, so Oleg found its bones and mockingly stomped on its skull; but, the story goes, a serpent slithered from underneath and bit Oleg, killing him.
After Oleg came a period of royal distress. His successor was Rurik’s son, Igor of Kiev, who married a woman named Olga. Like Oleg, Igor collected tribute from the people he had conquered; but unlike Oleg, his prices were so high that they prompted a tribe to assassinate him. When he died, his wife Olga assumed power.
What reportedly happened next with Olga is one of those stories that likely lives more on the mythical end of the spectrum. Olga was (understandably) furious with the early Slavic tribe of Drevlians that had killed her husband. So when Drevlian emissaries went to see Olga to discuss whether she would marry one of their princes, she supposedly tricked them into being buried alive. The chronicle also says she invited a bunch of Drevlian wise men to visit her and then burned them alive inside a bathhouse.
End of the Kievan Rus era
Kievan Rus was largely pagan until the late 10th century, when Vladimir the Great took power and introduced Christianity. The conversion actually resulted from a deal between Vladimir and the Byzantine Emperor. Vladimir agreed to convert to Christianity and send the emperor 6,000 soldiers to defend his throne; in exchange, Vladimir would marry the emperor’s sister.
The exchange of soldiers led to the establishment of the Varangian Guard , an elite unit of imperial bodyguards. In addition, the deal led to the spread of Byzantine culture within Kievan Rus. Vladimir built churches to spread Christianity and schools to spread literacy (and also probably Christianity). The economy flourished, and Kievan Rus continued to expand. This cultural and economic growth likely peaked under the rule of Vladimir’s son Yaroslav I (or Yaroslav the Wise), who began the construction of St. Sophia Cathedral in Kiev.
After this, the Kievan Rus federation was beset by royal fights for power. The Crusades brought further instability, so that by the time the Mongols invaded in the 13th century, Kievan Rus was weak and divided, and easily fell.
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- Humanities LibreTexts - Rurik and the Foundation of Rus’
- Princeton University - The early history of Kiev
- Encyclopaedia Romana - Kievan Rus′
- Ancient origins - The Kievan Rus’ – When Vikings and Slavs Cooperated to Shape History
- Mapping Eastern Europe - Rus: A Brief Overview
- World History Encyclopedia - Kievan Rus
- GlobalSecurity.org - Kyivan Rus
- Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine - Kyivan Rus’
Kievan Rus , first East Slavic state. It reached its peak in the early to mid-11th century.
Both the origin of the Kievan state and that of the name Rus , which came to be applied to it, remain matters of debate among historians. According to the traditional account presented in The Russian Primary Chronicle , it was founded by the Viking Oleg , ruler of Novgorod from about 879. In 882 he seized Smolensk and Kiev , and the latter city, owing to its strategic location on the Dnieper River , became the capital of Kievan Rus. Extending his rule, Oleg united local Slavic and Finnish tribes, defeated the Khazar s, and, in 911, arranged trade agreements with Constantinople .
Oleg’s successor, Igor , is regarded as the founder of the Rurik dynasty , but he was a less-capable ruler than Oleg, and the treaty that he concluded with Constantinople in 945 featured terms that were less favourable than those that had been obtained in 911. In his writings, Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus described trade practices in Kievan Rus at that time. During winter the Kievan princes made circuits among neighbouring tribes to collect tribute, which consisted of furs, money, and slaves. As spring came, they loaded their goods into small boats and moved them down the Dnieper in convoy to discourage attacks by nomadic steppe tribes. Their ultimate destination was Constantinople, where their rights of trading were strictly defined by treaty. Igor’s son Svyatoslav was the last of the Kievan princes to adhere to Scandinavian traditions, and with the ascent of Vladimir I (Volodymyr) in 980, the Rurik line was thoroughly Slavonized. It still preserved its connections with other parts of Europe , however, and it ruled a large territory that stretched from the northern lakes to the steppe and from the then uncertain Polish frontier to the Volga and the Caucasus .
Vladimir’s reign heralded the beginning of the golden age of Kievan Rus, but that era’s brilliance rested on an unsteady base, as the connection between the state and its subject peoples remained loose. The only link unifying the subdued tribes was the power of the grand duke of Kiev. The people paid tribute to the prince’s tax collectors, but they were otherwise left almost entirely to themselves and were thus able to preserve their traditional structures and habits. One development of enormous importance during Vladimir’s reign was his acceptance of the Orthodox Christian faith in 988. The conversion was born of a pact with Byzantine Emperor Basil II , who promised his sister’s hand in marriage in exchange for military aid and the adoption of Christianity by the Kievan state. After traditional religious practices were suppressed in Kiev and Novgorod, the Byzantine rite was propagated throughout Vladimir’s domain. Although the religion came from Constantinople, the service was in the vernacular , as the Bible had been translated into Old Church Slavonic by the missionaries Saints Cyril and Methodius in the 9th century.
A period of fratricidal uncertainty followed Vladimir’s death in 1015, as Vladimir’s eldest surviving son, Svyatopolk the Accursed , killed three of his other brothers and seized power in Kiev. His remaining brother— Yaroslav , the vice-regent of Novgorod—with the active support of the Novgorodians and the help of Varangian (Viking) mercenaries, defeated Svyatopolk and became the grand prince of Kiev in 1019. Under Yaroslav, Kiev became eastern Europe’s chief political and cultural centre. Yaroslav embellished his capital with the cathedral of St. Sophia, a church in Byzantine style that still stands, and he encouraged the growth of the monastery at Pechersk under Anthony of Kiev . Yaroslav also collected books and had them translated. In an attempt to head off the sort of familial bloodshed that had prefaced his own rise to power, Yaroslav introduced an order of succession that privileged seniority but held that the territory of Kievan Rus as a whole belonged to the family. That edict had no lasting effect, and upon Yaroslav’s death in 1054, his sons divided the empire into warring factions. The title of grand prince of Kiev lost its importance, and the 13th-century Mongol conquest decisively ended Kiev’s power. Remnants of the Kievan state persisted in the western principalities of Galicia and Volhynia , but by the 14th century those territories had been absorbed by Poland and Lithuania , respectively.
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Ukraine said it shot down a $36m bomber jet inside russia as kyiv continues territory push: report.
The Ukrainian military says it brought down one of Russia’s most expensive fighter jets over the Kursk region in southwestern Russia on Wednesday — as Ukrainian ground units continue to move into the area as part of a shocking counter-invasion that seems to have caught the Russians completely off-guard.
Video footage of the downed SU-34 — a high-tech fighter-bomber that costs about $36 million each — has circulated on social media and appears to show fire and debris from the destroyed jet, according to Business Insider.
On Wednesday, the Ukrainian military confirmed the kill in a post on Telegram.
“Defense forces of Ukraine destroyed the enemy Su-34,” Ukraine’s General Staff wrote. “The sky over Kurshchyna became clearer.”
It’s not the first time the Ukrainians shot down that model of plane, which is known by NATO as the “fullback” and reportedly carries sensors, avionics and smart weapons.
Back in February, the country’s military said it took down four Su-34s in just one week — and a total of 10 Russian jets in 10 days, Business Insider said.
Word of the splashed fighter comes just as Ukrainian forces continued to make serious headway in their invasion of Kursk — President Volodymyr Zelensky said his troops had seized 74 settlements there as of Tuesday.
The Ukrainian army now controls about 400 square miles of Russian territory — an area about half the size of Rhode Island.
“We continue to advance further in the Kursk region , from one to two kilometers in various areas since the start of the day,” Zelensky said Wednesday. “We have captured more than 100 Russian servicemen during this period.”
The Su-34 debuted in 1990, when the Soviet Union was in the midst of a gigantic collapse that shook the pillars of the world, according to the National Interest , a magazine centered on national defense and security.
The fourth-generation fighter-bomber entered official service more than 20 years later, and has since served as a formidable part of Russia’s Air Force.
It’s also played a key role in Moscow’s repeated offensives against its southern neighbor, dropping glide bombs on Ukrainian targets from as far away as 25 miles, according to Newsweek.
But it has also suffered losses during the invasion: Ukrainian officials claim to have downed more than three dozen of the planes as they resist the Russian bear, which first sauntered into their country more than two years ago.
Ukraine believes Russia likely has a total of about 140 Su-34s, Newsweek said.
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Primary Homework Help The Vikings. by Mandy Barrow : Celts. Romans. Saxons. Vikings. Normans. Tudors. Victorians. WW ll. 500 BC . AD 43. 450. 793. 1066. 1485. 1837. 1939 ... Introduction to the Vikings in Britain. The Viking Age in Britain began about 1,200 years ago in the 9th Century AD and lasted for just over 200 years.
Vikings were also known as the Norsemen. Norsemen means 'people from the North'. They were great travellers and sailed to other parts of Europe, where they traded, raided, and often settled. Interesting Fact. To find out which direction to travel, Viking sailors would sometimes release ravens . The birds flew towards land and the longships ...
Primary Homework Help The Vikings. by Mandy Barrow : Celts. Romans. Saxons. Vikings. Normans. Tudors. Victorians. WW ll. 500 BC . AD 43. 450. 793. 1066. 1485. 1837. 1939 : This site uses cookies. ... Where did the Vikings come from? The Vikings came from the three countries in Scandinavia (in Northern Europe)
Pupils will learn about aspects of Viking life, such as social hierarchy, battle techniques and diet, in our National Geographic Kids' Vikings primary resource sheet. The teaching resource can be used in study group tasks for exploring Viking clothing and social roles, as a printed handout for each pupil to review and annotate, or for display ...
The Vikings came from all around Scandinavia (where Norway, Sweden and Denmark are today). They sent armies to Britain about the year 700 AD to take over some of the land, and they lived here until around 1050. Even though the Vikings didn't stay in Britain, they left a strong mark on society - we've even kept some of the same names of towns.
The Vikings were warriors from northern Europe. They were also known as Norsemen or Northmen. They sailed the seas from the late 700s to the 1000s. They attacked many countries and took away much treasure. Their northern European neighbors gave them the name of Viking, which means " pirate ."
1 min. Updated: 19th January 2023. The Vikings travelled through Europe between the 8th and 11th century. They were known for raiding countries and spreading their influence across Europe. They also loved to trade lots of different things like jewellery and tools! The Vikings invaded Britain over 1000 years ago.
Welcome to our Homework Help guide all about the Vikings. Click through the chapters on the left-hand side to learn more about this famous period of time! As well as help with your homework, these guides contain lots of exciting activities that you can try at home and plenty of fun facts that you can impress your family and friends with.
Simply download this Vikings Resource Pack and receive multiple learning materials to enhance the classroom experience for your children. Not only this, but it'll save you time from having to lesson plan. First, transform your classroom displays by using our fantastic posters, bunting and borders included in the pack, ready to proudly show ...
In the 9th century ad seafaring warriors known as Vikings began raiding the coasts of Europe, burning, plundering, and killing as they went. These marauders, or pirates, came from Scandinavia —what is now Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The people who lived there were known as Norsemen, or Northmen. Their expression for these campaigns of swift ...
The Anglo-Saxon King Alfred the Great, who became King of Wessex in AD871, managed to force the Vikings out of the South of England. In AD886, King Alfred agreed to a treaty with the Vikings. Alfred kept the west and the Vikings were given the east which later became known as 'Danelaw'. By AD878, the Vikings had settled permanently in England ...
5. Writing about a Viking. 6. Who ruled England? This site contains videos. 'Walk' through a Viking village. Find out who the Vikings were and get an idea of the extent of their travels. Write your name in Runes and learn about their longships. Travel back in time to 793 AD.
Vikings for kids homework help. Find out who the Vikings were and where they came from. Videos, links, games and shop for Vikings. History Home; Dinosaurs; ... Vikings for kids learning in KS2 at Primary School. Homework help on the history of Vikings, who they were and where they came from. Time: 750AD - 1100AD
E VIKINGS HOMEWORK GRID TERMS 3 &4 KESTRELSICT Research the Vikings and create a poster that contains at least 6 key facts abou. the Anglo-Saxon to Viking period in Britain. Th. k about any pictures that could be included.Maths Create a timeline of key events that happened between the start of t. Anglo-Saxon era and the end of the Vikings ...
Ivan Vasilyevich (his family name was Rurik) was born on January 22, 1440, in Moscow. He was born at the height of the civil war that raged between supporters of his father, Grand Prince Vasily II of Moscow, and those of his rebellious uncles. In 1446 Ivan's father was arrested and was blinded by his cousin. Ivan was first hidden in a ...
The Rus. From the 8th to 11th centuries CE, a new ethnic group emerged on the borders between modern-day Eastern Europe and European Russia: the Rus. These were originally Norse peoples, many from modern-day Sweden, who first settled and then ruled many of the river routes between the Black, Baltic, and Caspian Seas.
Vikings founded Kievan Rus in the mid-9th century, but Scandanavian settlements in Eastern Europe actually date back to at least A.D. 750. This is when pre-Viking-Age Scandanavians likely settled ...
Vladimir's reign heralded the beginning of the golden age of Kievan Rus, but that era's brilliance rested on an unsteady base, as the connection between the state and its subject peoples remained loose. The only link unifying the subdued tribes was the power of the grand duke of Kiev. The people paid tribute to the prince's tax collectors, but they were otherwise left almost entirely to ...
The Democratic Party doesn't want Harris put in a position of responsibility for this administration's disastrous record on the economy, inflation, wages, crime, the border and a world …
Use any of the fun facts, engaging Viking activity sheets and interesting games and tasks to help you explore the Vikings and their culture. You can find a brilliant selection of beautifully illustrated display items and KS2 Vikings primary resources, games, activities and more for your class to use and enjoy.
Breaking News Now: Vikings' J.J. McCarthy out for 2024 season An Su-34 fighter-bomber drops a glide bomb on Ukrainian positions. One of the planes was reportedly downed by the Ukrainian military ...
Viking Houses. The Vikings built their houses from local material such as wood, stone or blocks of turf. They lived in long rectangular houses made with upright timbers (wood). The walls were made of wattle (woven sticks, covered with mud to keep out the wind and rain). Viking houses were often one room homes with a cooking fire in the middle.
Police announced two "significant" arrests Wednesday in their investigations into a series of recent burglaries at homes and businesses in the San Fernando Valley. "About a week and a half ...
Viking Food. There were no supermarkets or shops to buy food so the Vikings ate what food they could grow or hunt. Vegetables e.g. leeks, onions, turnips, parsnips and carrots. Wild nuts e.g. hazelnuts and walnuts. Berries e.g. gooseberries, blackberries and blueberries. Wild animals e.g. deer, wild boar, fox, beaver, and bear.
What did the Vikings Wear? Viking clothes were made from wool, linen and animal skins. The Vikings were skilful weavers and made their own clothes. Women, with the help of children, made the wool into yarn and used natural dyes from plants to give it colour. Men wore tunics and trousers and women wore a long dress with a pinafore over it.