Smoke on the Water
An island off the east coast of England. A holy site and a major monastery. Targeted by Viking raiders in 794 AD. Initiated the ‘Age of Vikings’.
Lindesfarne
A Viking settlement on the island of Iceland, founded between 870 and 874 AD by Ingolfr Arnarson. Became a major fishing and raider base in which Viking exploration continued on to Vinland and Newfoundland. In 930 AD, the oldest continuously existing legislature was established, called the ‘Althingi’.
Reykjavik
King of Viking Finland who was invited to rule the Slavic city states in Eastern Europe from 862 - 879 AD. Considered the founder of the Rus (who are named for him). A member of the northern Varangian tribe, was elected Velikii Knyaz (Grand Prince) of Novgorod. His sons would found and rule Russia until 1613 AD.
Ryurik
879 - 929 AD. King of West Frankia until his overthrow in 922 AD. Suffered repeated invasions from Vikings, whom he ceded territory to, East Frankia, and a major revolt of his own nobles who overthrew him. Died in prison, though his son would become King Louis IV of France.
Charles the Simple
845 AD. 120 Viking ships under Ragnar Lothbrok besieged and took the capital of West Frankia, occupying it until paid by King Charles the Bald to leave. The ransom was 7,000 French Livres (2.53 tons) of gold and silver.
Viking Siege of Paris
Describe the Viking Kingdoms in Ireland
Raiding in Ireland begins in 794 AD. The first Viking kingdom established in 821 AD, where several fortified towns are constructed, including Dublin.
Describe the Expeditions to Vinland and Greenland
A series of Viking expeditions intended to settle new lands and find resources to assist with settlements in Iceland and later Greenland.
Describe the Christianization of the Rus
988 AD, the official beginning of Russia as a nation. St. Vladimir the Great, Grand Prince of Kiev and all the Rus’, orders all his subjects in Kiev to be baptized in the Dnieper River. Establishes Eastern Rite Christianity as the official State religion of Russia.
846 - 933 AD. Led the failed Siege of Paris 885 and failed to take the city of Chartres in 911. Signed a Treaty with Charles the Simple which ceded the northern coast to the Epte River, called Normandy. Agreed to convert to Christianity and defend France. Was the Great great great Grandfather of William the Conqueror.
Count Hrollo
A tribe of Scandinavians from central and east Sweden and Finland. Migrated south and east, following the Neva, Moskva, Volga, and Dnieper rivers. Established the city-states of the Rus, and warred with the Slavs and Eastern Romans, before joining them.
Varangians
The name of the Viking kingdom established in 865 AD, when the ‘Great Heathen Army’ nearly conquered the Christian Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of Mercia, East Anglia, and Wessex.
Danelaw
950 - 1003 AD. A Viking King who sailed from Norway to Iceland, and continued on to discover Greenland. Seeing green meadows on the beach, established several towns and created the Viking Kingdom of Greenland. His son would expand the realm into North America, looking for sources of lumber.
Erik the Red
Who are the Kievan Rus?
Federal Principality of the Slavic-Rus Cities in the east. Founded by Oleg The Wise of Novgorod in 879 AD. The Capital city of the Rus was Kiev, starting in 882 AD until their conquest by the Mongols in 1240.
Established Christmas Day, 1066 AD. Replaced Saxon Germanic with Norman French as the official language of government, established Feudalism as the administrative organization of the Kingdom, and replaced almost all Anglo-Saxon lords with Normans.
Norman Kingdom of England
Who was Harold Haadraada?
1015 - 1066 AD. A Norwegian King who served in the Eastern Roman Varangian Guard. Served in Sicily fighting to return the island to Roman rule. Eventually left to return to Norway, until the succession crisis in England, which led to his defeat and death at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. His death is considered the end of the Viking Age.
Who was William the Conqueror?
Fought against King Harold Godwinson of England at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Won a decisive victory by combining French Knights with Viking heavy infantry tactics. Was crowned King of England, Christmas Day, 1066 AD, founding the modern state of England. Died in 1087, having secured England for the Normans, introducing Feudalism to England.
Led and founded by Leif Erikson (son of Erik the Red) in 1000 AD. Was the first European to set foot in North America. Established the colony of Vinland to supply badly needed lumber to the Kingdom of Greenland. Was ultimately abandoned due to conflict with the Eskimo tribes surrounding them.
Viking Colony of Newfoundland
Who was St Olga of Kiev?
890 - 969 AD. First of the Northern Slavic saints. Ruled Kiev as a Princess (Knyaginya) in her own right, and was regent for her son and grandsons. Best known for her defense of Kiev against the Pechenegs, and her later conversion to Christianity. Greatly influenced her grandson to become Christian.
The territory in Northern France between the English Channel and the River Epte. Created as a County to entice the Viking warlord Hrollo to stay and defend the river and coast from other Vikings. Later elevated to a Duchy
Normandy
Who was Ivar the Boneless
Son of Ragnar Lothbrok. Said to be a paraplegic without the use of his legs. Led the Great Heathen Army against the Anglo-Saxons in 865 AD as revenge for his father’s execution. Conquered Northumbria, Mercia, and East Anglia before leaving to become King of Ireland
Describe the Battle of Hastings
October 14th, 1066 AD. King Harold Godwinson of the Anglo-Saxon English fought against Duke William of Normandy outside Hastings. The battle pitted the Saxon Shield Wall against the combined arms doctrine of heavy cavalry, infantry, and archers.
Who were St Cyrill and St Methodius?
The Enlighteners and Apostles to the Slavs. Bulgarians by birth, were sent by the Eastern Roman Empire to help Christianize the northern and western Slavs in the mid to late 9th Century. Discovered the Slavic peoples had no written language, so they invented an alphabet in order to write the Gospels and Liturgical texts in the Slavs’ language. Invented the Cyrillic Alphabet.
Who was St Vladimir the Great?
958 - 1015 AD. Prince of Novgorod, Grand Prince of Kiev. Won the civil war against his brothers and reunited the Rus. Chose Eastern Rite Christianity as the new unifying faith of his new nation, Russia in 988 AD. Considered Equal to the Apostles and the Constantine of the North.
Describe Norman Sicily
Norman Christians from France launched a series of invasions of Islamic and East Roman Sicily in 999 AD, lasting until 1194 to secure the islands, North Africa, and the southern regions of Italy. Normans often fought as mercenaries for various factions, before the County of Sicily was formed and became solely Norman.
Who was Ragnar Lothbrok?
Viking Hero-King of Sweden, Denmark, and Viking Northumbria. Raided English and French territory in the early 9th Century (810’s to 865). Said to have led the Siege of Paris. Was defeated in Northumbria, captured, and executed in a pit of venomous snakes by King Aella of Mercia.