Viking journeys 4 (4/4)

Generally speaking, the Norwegians expanded to the north and west to places such as Ireland, Scotland, Iceland and Greenland; the Danes to England and France, settling in the Danelaw (northern/eastern England) and Normandy; and the Swedes to the east, founding the Kievan Rus, the original Russia. However, among the Swedish runestones which mentions expeditions over seas, almost half tell of raids and travels to western Europe. Also, according to the Icelandic sagas, many Norwegian Vikings went to eastern Europe.

According to custom, all free Norse men were required to own weapons, as well as permitted to carry them all the time. These arms were also indicative of a Viking's social status: a wealthy Viking would have a complete ensemble of a helmet, shield, chainmail shirt, and sword. A typical bóndi (freeman) was more likely to fight with a spear and shield, and most also carried a seax as a utility knife and side-arm. Bows were used in the opening stages of land battles, and at sea, but tended to be considered less "honorable" than a hand weapon. Vikings were relatively unusual for the time in their use of axes as a main battle weapon. The Húscarls, the elite guard of King Cnut (and later King Harold II) were armed with two-handed axes which could split shields or metal helmets with ease.

Varangian guard:
Basil II's distrust of the native Byzantine guardsmen, whose loyalties often shifted with fatal consequences, as well as the proven loyalty of the Varangians, led him to employ them as his personal bodyguards. This new force became known as the Varangian Guard (Greek:Τάγμα των Βαράγγων, Tágma tōn Varángōn). Over the years, new recruits from Sweden, Denmark, and Norway kept a predominantly Scandinavian cast to the organization until the late 11th century. So many Scandinavians left to enlist in the guard that a medieval Swedish law from Västergötland stated that no one could inherit while staying in "Greece"—the then Scandinavian term for the Byzantine Empire

Category:

Education

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• Norse
• north germanic
• nord germaner
• vikingar
• nordic
• Varangian guard
• Varangian Rus
• Scandinavia
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• Рѹ́сь
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• Varyags
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[1oden2dva3tree]

Leo the Deacon (Byzantine historian X century) - the story is the image of the Prince of Russia: white dress, a ring with Garnet on one ear, shave their beards, long mustache shaved head - just a lock of hair hanging down the side ... - All Rusas same.

- This is the image of a Viking? Ha! Ha! Ha! I did not know that the image - Cossack and Viking are one!

Who is lying - the author of the film? - Leo the Deacon? Or Slavs and Scandinavians were a single nation? Jokes stories ....

[BirkaViking]

@1oden2dva3tree The Arabs whitness a viking ship burial among the Rus Vikings and that was a north Germanic custom and nothing else.

And also all the first Rus rulers had Scandinavian names.

Rurik and Oleg= Helge, Helgi

Igor= Ingvar

Olga=Helga

And you seems to forget maby the most important thing of all. And that is that almost all treasures from the east ended up in now a days Sweden. Here it has been found tonnes of silver.

[BirkaViking]

@1oden2dva3tree And also the Varangian Rus traded much with the Arabs so here in now a days Sweden it has been found more Arabic coins then the Arabs has found themself from the viking age.

[Ralleq1]

Great upload. Makes me proud to be Dane :)

[teufelstaub]

There's a great book available about Gudrid,called "The Far Traveler:Voyages of a Viking Woman" by Nancy Marie Brown,one of the archaeologists who excavated this New World site.It explores the sagas concerning Erik,the actual routes and travels,as well as lots of unique archaeological details such as turf home building and turf saddle making.

[L33ML]

Oh very interesting series ... Vikings rule in these time like nice warriors and great discoverers

Great upload :-)

[hsmissviking]

Fascinating series, I really enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing :)

[TheVinlandViking]

Well I was right! This documentary was very interesting! hahaha :-) Thank you for the upload my friend!

[beini321]

hummm... why not more about vínland and the battle between vikings and native americans, and how that pregnant woman cut the baby out of her to scare the natives away when they where capturing her, vikings did not like to be captured or become slaves.

[StellandBlood]

Thanks for this great upload.