1. NORSE in the Middle Ages

2. Life In The Middle Ages
Period between the fall of Rome in 476 and the Renaissance starting in 1300.
Hundreds of Kingdoms
Feudal System – The politica, military, and social system. Included manors, kings, lords, knights, vassals, serfs, feifs.

3. The Norse Where: Present day Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark.
Who: farmers, fishermen, woodcarvers, metalworkers, merchants, traders, shipbuilders.
How we know: Runestones, archaeology,
sagas (oral stories of the Norse), others wrote about
“ pirates of the north”…..

4. VIKINGS!

5. VIKINGS!

6. VIKING SHIPS

7. Viking Ships Trading ships called Knorrs (50 ft. long)
Warships called Longships (65’- 95’)
* very fast & quiet
* nearly flat bottom,
could go upstream and in shallow water

8. Viking Longboats

9. Who are the Vikings?
Raiders?
traders?

10. Vikings: Scandinavian Pirates

11. Raiders, Traders, or Settlers?
Started with raiding the Western Islands’
monasteries.
Raiding as a “rite of passage”
Turned Dublin into trade center, continuing to raid while there.
Settled a major portion of Ireland as farmers, while also continuing to raid.

12. Valhala: Mythical hall of the Norse god Odin, where worthy people go upon their death.

13. ERIC the RED Eric Thorvaldsson was
banished with his father from Norway.
Exiled from Iceland for three years.
Settled Greenland in 982
25 ships left Iceland only
14 made it to Greenland.

15. GREENLAND

16. Leif Ericsson Son of Eric the Red.
Sailed to “Vinland” in 1000, bringing back timber and grapes.
Newfoundland, Canada
Made numerous trips exploring N. America
Helluland, Markland

17. L’Anse aux Meadows First Settlement 3-5 years
First child born in America named Snorri Thorfinnsson
Forced out by natives

18. Christopher Columbus
Sailed trade routes to Iceland where he would have heard the Norse sagas about “Vinland”.
Read Marco Polo’s book “Description of the World”.

20. MARCO POLO: 1254 -1324 Grew up in Venice, Italy.
Explored Asia for 23 years mostly in service to Khan and the Mongols.
Captained Venetian galley in war with Genoa, taken prisoner.
Dictated “Travels of Marco Polo” the most famous travel guide in history.

21. Marco Polo’s Travels

22. Back in Venice, Marco Polo’s explorations inspired a period of learning and creativity known as THE RENAISSANCE