The Vikings came from Norway, Sweden and Denmark. These three countries are known collectively as Scandinavia.

The Vikings came to England for the first time from Norway in 950 AD. They came in search of treasures and farmlands. They didn’t have enough land for farming in Norway because of overpopulation and small land.

The Vikings were pagans. By the time they arrived in England, the English were already Roman Catholic Christians. The Vikings worshipped several gods but Odin was their greatest god.

Scandinavia has long coastlines so the Vikings were very good in making boats/ships which they used for invading other countries.

The Vikings made longboats (also known as ‘drakkars’) which were the perfect shape for invading coastal towns because they could sail all the way up to the sandy coast without the need for an anchor.

The Anglo-Saxons (people from Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands) had been living in Britain since the beginning of the 5th century. The Anglo-Saxons came to Britain after the Romans left.

The Anglo-Saxons and Vikings both lived in Britain until 1066 but they spent most of the best part of 300 years fighting each other.

1066 was when William the Conqueror from France conquered England and chased away both the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings.

The Vikings raided to steal gold from monasteries and also to take people as slaves.

The Vikings usually carried out their raids during the summer months when it was safer and easier to cross the sea from their home in Norway.

The Vikings raided primarily in Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and Northwest Asia. In Western Europe, the Vikings were active in present-day Great Britain, Ireland, France, Germany, and Spain.

Vikings were called Norsemen because Norsemen indicates that they came from Northern Europe and in particular, the Scandinavian countries. Also, the word Viking is a word originating from a language called Old Norse and is not so much a name of a people, but a verb.

Attached is a picture of a typical Viking.