The act of raiding and conquering Europe was enough to reshape Europe in terms of geography. The Vikings were unable to change to continue with raiding since events in Europe made the activity less profitable. Hence, it became less appealing to the northern people. The Vikings contributed towards a creation of a classed society since there emerged a small number of wealthy people and a big number of poor people who were employed in farms. At the beginning of the Viking age, several European societies did not have a central authority. By the end of the age, European lands had established central authorities. The other Europeans also began to establish armies to try to stop the Vikings. It is also notable that the Europeans began fortifying their territories to prevent the Vikings’ attacks.
The Vikings were a unique society. They were interested in entrepreneurship. Thus, the raids were intended to raise capital as opposed to continued occupation. As indicated, the Viking geography covers the North Atlantic and the Scandinavian regions. The administrative centers were at Kingdom of Northumbria. The Vikings constructed roads to various regions, which allowed them to travel to various parts with ease (Medieval Society and the Vikings 1).
This video is a crucial guide regarding events in medieval Europe. The video depicts how families and groups of people were organized. The aspect of leadership also comes up. However, in the case of the Vikings, it appears that there were relatively clear leadership structures. The idea of raiding also helps one understand that the tenets of the Christian religion were not binding in this society. The kind of society in Europe is divisive. Across the other parts of Europe, kingdoms or fiefdoms were common. However, in the Northern part, the society was somewhat laissez-fairre as it did not reflect established leadership arrangements. As the case of the Vikings, each person was a leader, although, there was a central authority in the Kingdom of Northumbria (Medieval society and the Vikings 1).
In a simple sense, the Vikings were people who resided in the North Atlantic and Scandinavia regions during the Viking age. The Viking age was between 793 and 1066. During the time, the Vikings had the most influence on other Europeans. The Vikings were able to exert their influence using trade and their trademark raids across the continent. Raiding was seen as a part time occupation that these people ranked highly (Medieval society and the Vikings 1). However, only a small proportion of the Vikings who practiced the occupation. The Viking raiders were entrepreneurs who believed that raiding was a useful approach to amass capital for their business ventures. The video has only helped me understand the Vikings better. In addition, it has helped me to do away with misconceptions against the Vikings. I now describe the Vikings as entrepreneurs who were out to create wealth.
Religion comes up because of the raids the Vikings made. The Christian church came to the Vikings’ land at the end of the riding age (Medieval society and the Vikings 1). However, indigenous religion was practiced based on the rites such as burial ones that were conducted. The Vikings’ raids were a contradiction on the teachings of Christianity. Consequently, Christians across Europe saw the end of the age as an opportunity to spread their gospel. Religion also discouraged arming of people for any reasons.
Art is a critical aspect of the Vikings’ culture. A look at their burial sites for instance exemplifies the worth of art. The Vikings’ art revealed information on religion as well as social construction. The Vikings’ horned helmets are also a big reflection on their art. Based on the video, the Vikings had to vanish as times changed. It is clear that raiding was no longer as productive as it was earlier. An entrepreneur is open to new ideas in as far as those ideas enhance the pursuit of targets. Thus, the Vikings changed their ways leading to the notion that they vanished.
