Ten Viking Great Achievements, Besides Beheading the Enemies (Part 1)
The Vikings were famous for their hit-and-run attacks that plundered and deprived the folkstown of their lives. Yet, that's just an aspect that the media wants you to see. What's striking is always put forward to boost the view. As a result, many of the Viking great achievements are pushed into oblivion. In this blog post, we are to mention 10 Viking Great Achievements besides wielding the axe and beheading the enemies.
They had settled in North America in 900 AD
The Vikings once built their temporary settlement in North America when they first landed there in 900 AD. This had happened roughly half a millennium of years before Columbus discovered North America.
L'anse aux Meadows Viking settlement in North America
The Vikings built the best forts
There have been seven Viking forts distinguished. About five of them were constructed under the reign of King Harald Bluetooth who unified the Danes under a banner and converted the Danes to Christians. The archaeologists agreed that the Vikings had learnt this type of ring-shaped fort (the trelleborgs) from another tribe. Yet, no tribe could build a ring fort that nearly reached perfection like the Vikings.
Viking trelleborg now. The round shape of the ring fort nearly reached perfection
They adopted many ways to find a way at sea
How could the medieval men navigate when they were at sea? This question has always been an interesting debate. Many theories have been put forward to explain how the Vikings navigated their directions. They could have used their sunstone and sun compass. The Vikings brought their ravens to find land when they got lost. This was a risky venture where the Vikings could have lost their life once made a wrong move.
The Vikings were the international tradesmen of their time
Back to the Viking Age, life didn't revolve around killing only. They found ways to make more fortune as much as possible. As a result, they started to trade internationally.
In Constantinople, they traded silk and seasonings for slaves that they had captured from Russia. They brought furs, skins, and ivory to trade in western Europe. They established towns with both political and economic power like Birka, Hedeby, or Ribe. They founded Dublin and York which they turned into an important trading town outside London.
The Viking treasure found in Helgo - an island in Swede. The treasure included a crozier, a Buddha statue, and a scoop (used for baptism ritual)
Some Viking kings became the King of England
Some Viking kings who later became the King of England included Sweyn Forkbeard, Cnute, and William the Conqueror. The latter two figures made their name more well known compared with Sweyn Forkbeard whose reign in England lasted for roughly 50 days.
Then the reign of Cnute the Great and his sons lasted for 25 years and that of William the Conqueror about 70 years. All of them were offsprings of the Vikings.
