Vikings - Facts

1. They travelled along eastern trade routes at least as far as Istanbul and colonised Ireland, Normandy, Iceland, Greenland, and even reached Newfoundland – incredible when you think there were no aeroplanes!

2. Some of them had very unusual nicknames, like Harald Bluetooth, Ivar the Boneless and Sihtric the Squinty!

3. They have the reputation of ruthless warriors, but were probably not much more warlike than other peoples living at the same time. In Jorvik they settled and established a thriving commercial capital.

4. Political links between Scandinavia and Britain, which started in the Viking Age, came to an end as late as 1469 when Orkney and Shetland were ceded by the Norwegian King to the Scots.

5. Viking became a personal name in 10-11th century England – a man called Viking is named as the moneyer on a later Anglo-Saxon coin.

6. Anglo-Saxon writers in Southern England found it convenient to blame Vikings for some of the things, which their own kings did in the course of taking over the other, previously independent Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.

7. Even when he was still at war with invading Viking armies, Kind Alfred entertained visiting Norwegian merchants, and had their stories of trading voyages written down.

8. Vikings take their name from the area known as Viki in Oslo Fjord – presumably an area renowned for its pirate raiders.

9. By 1000 the Scandinavian kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden had been created as smaller chiefdoms were merged; Christianity had also become established, and soon after his death in 1030 King Olaf of Norway had become St Olaf, with churches dedicated to him in York, London, and other English towns.

10. The last great Scandinavian king in the Viking tradition was Harald Hardraada of Norway, who had served in the bodyguard of Byzantium emperors, and was eventually killed when invading England. He died at Stamford Bridge, 8 miles from York, in 1066.

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