10 Things You May Not Know About the Vikings — HISTORY Lists Think you’ve got the Vikings pegged? With all the caricatures and stereotypes out there, there’s probably a lot you’ve never heard about the seafaring Scandinavians who raided and settled coastal sites in the British Isles and beyond between the ninth and 11th centuries. Explore 10 surprising facts about the Vikings below. Ted Spiegel/National Geographic/Getty Images 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Vikings Homework Help Where did the Vikings settle in Britain? The area eventually settled by Vikings was called the Danelaw. It formed a boundary separating Anglo-Saxon England from Viking England and was defined in a treaty between the English King Alfred and Viking King Guthrum in AD 880. It lay north of Watling Street, a Roman road running from London north-west to Chester and covered northern and eastern England. The Vikings settled in: Islands off the coast of Scotland - Shetland, Orkney and The Hebrides Around the north and north west coast of Scotland Parts of Ireland - Dublin is a Viking city The Isle of Man Small parts of Wales Parts of England known as Danelaw Place Names We can tell where the Vikings settled by place names of towns and villages today. Place names ending in –by eg. Derby - A village where deer are found Place names ending in –thorpe (or -thorp, -throp or –trop) eg. Place names ending in –toft or-tofts. Viking Words
* 101 Viking Facts from the History Specialists 1. Vikings were very clean people (at least by comparison to other people at the time!). 2. A Viking's most treasured weapon was his sword. They were handed down generations via inheritance, were often named and could be inscribed with runes by talented smiths to magically increase their power. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58. 59. 60. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. 66. 67. 68. 69. 70. 71. 72. 73. 74. 75. 76. 77. 78. 79. 80. 81. 82. 83. 84. 85. 86. 87. 88. 89. 90. 91. 92. 93. 94. 95. 96. 97. 98. 99. 100. 101. Content on our site can be reproduced for educational purposes.
Primary History - Vikings Where did the Vikings settle? - Danelaw The areas the Viking settled in were known as Danelaw. It covered an area roughly east of a line on a map joining London and Chester. The Saxons lived south of the line. The Vikings settled in: Islands off the coast of Scotland - Shetland, Orkney and The Hebrides Around the north and north west coast of Scotland Parts of Ireland - Dublin is a Viking city The Isle of Man Small parts of Wales Northumbria (which included modern Yorkshire) East Anglia Leicester, Nottingham, Derby, Stamford and Lincoln We can tell where the Vikings settled by place names of towns and villages today. Place names ending in –by eg. Derby - A village where deer are found Place names ending in –thorpe (or -thorp, -throp or –trop) eg. Place names ending in –toft or-tofts. Viking Words hus = house holm = islet; dry place in a marshy area orm = Serpent or Dragon
Viking Longships - Children's British History Encyclopedia Many Vikings were good sailors because they lived close to rivers and fjords (sea inlets). They grew up from childhood able to use ships for fishing and travelling. A big Viking longship would be about 30 metres long and were made from overlapping planks of oak wood joined together with iron rivets (bits of metal hammered into holes). Each ship could carry 60 men. The sails were brightly coloured in stripes or diamond patterns. The Vikings loved to decorate their ships with fine wooden carvings. The ship was steered by means of a rudder, mounted on the side, near to the back of the ship. They used the: sun, moon and stars to help them navigate. The Vikings gave their ships names like: Long Serpent, Raven of the Wind or Snake of the Sea.
Middle Ages for Kids: Vikings Back to Middle Ages for kids The Vikings were people who lived in Northern Europe during the Middle Ages. They originally settled the Scandinavian lands that are today the countries of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. The Vikings played a major role in Northern Europe during the Middle Ages, especially during the Viking Age which was from 800 CE to 1066 CE. Viking Raids The word Viking actually means "to raid" in Old Norse. The Viking Age and Expansion into Europe Eventually the Vikings began to settle in lands outside of Scandinavia. Viking expansion during the Middle Ages - Click to see larger view By the start of the 11th century the Vikings were at the peak of their expansion. Defeat in Great Britain and the End of the Viking Age In 1066, the Vikings, led by King Harald Hardrada of Norway were defeated by the English and King Harold Godwinson. A major reason for the end of the Viking age was the coming of Christianity. Viking Ships Perhaps the Vikings were most famous for their ships.
Primary History - World War 2 - Children at war World War Two (WW2) Homework for Kids For almost six years from 1939 to 1945 Britain fought the toughest war it had ever experienced. World War II was total war - every person, every business, every service was involved. Britain did not fight alone, the war also involved many countries. World War II involved 61 countries with 1.7 billion people, three quaters of the world's population. Fifty million people lost their lives and hundreds of millions people were injured. In 1918, Germany lost World War One. In 1933 the German people voted for a leader named Adolf Hitler, who led a political party in Germany called the National Socialists or Nazis. Shortly before 5am on Friday 1st September, 1939, German forces stormed the Polish frontier. World War Two in Europe began on 3rd September 1939, when the Prime Minister of Britain, Neville Chamberlain, declared war on Germany. Click to hear Chamberlain's speech The Second World War was started by Germany in an unprovoked attack on Poland. Countries What countries fought on which side?
Children and World War Two Children were massively affected by World War Two. Nearly two million children were evacuated from their homes at the start of World War Two; children had to endure rationing, gas mask lessons, living with strangers etc. Children accounted for one in ten of the deaths during the Blitz of London from 1940 to 1941. World War Two was the first war when Britain itself was the target of frequent attacks by the enemy. With the success of the Battle of Britain and the suspension of ‘Operation Sealion’, the only way Germany could get at mainland Britain was to bomb it. The impact of evacuation on children depended to an extent on which social strata you were in at the time. ‘Operation Pied Piper’ was a huge undertaking. ‘Operation Pied Piper’ planned to move 3.5 million children in three days. With such numbers involved, it was to be expected that some children would have a smooth passage to their reception area while some would not. MLA Citation/Reference "Children and World War Two".
Children of the wartime evacuation In January 1941, Sheila Shear and her sister were evacuated from east London to the Chilterns and billeted with a bachelor called Harry Mayo. They came from very different backgrounds – the Shears were Jewish, he was Christian – but an affectionate bond developed between them. Weekly visits and holidays with Uncle Harry, as they came to know him, continued long after the war had ended. When Harry died, Sheila and her mother went to the funeral: "When we got to Chesham, we were treated like the closest members of his family. "We returned to London in the knowledge that we would never go back to Chesham again. Sheila is a past president of the League of Jewish Women and an energetic organiser at Nightingale House, a Jewish care home in London. It was codenamed Operation Pied Piper. What must it have been like to be sent away from home at five, 10 or even 14, as some of the older ones were, and then come home months, – or, more often, years – later and have to pick up where you left off?
Britain's WW2 evacuee children to get their own memorial at last By Colin Fernandez for the Daily Mail and Will Nathan Updated: 08:02 GMT, 23 July 2009 They fled the bomb-torn towns and cities in their hordes to start new lives with strangers in the country for the duration of the Second World War. And now 70 years after the evacuation of 3.5million children, the first national memorial commemorating one of Britain's biggest ever social upheavals is planned for outside St Paul's Cathedral. The bronze artwork is to feature children holding hands with gas masks and luggage labels round their necks, but facing in different directions as they leave home to escape their Blitz-ravaged homes. Poignant: A detail of the proposed evacuees memorial that will stand outside St Paul's Cathedral The sculpture, by Dutch concentration camp survivor Maurice Blik, aims to 'symbolise the bewilderment, anxiety and uncertainty of children sent off to unknown and often unwelcoming destinations', Traumatic: Evacuee children board a train out of London in June 1940
Bomb Sight - Mapping the World War 2 London Blitz Bomb Census With Bomb Sight you can discover what it was like in London, during WW2 Luftwaffe Blitz bombing raids, exploring maps, images and memories. The Bomb Sight web map and mobile app reveals WW2 bomb census maps between 7/10/1940 and 06/06/1941, previously available only by viewing them in the Reading Room of The National Archives. How to use the Map Use the search box to find a street or postcode of interest You can move around the map by clicking on the pan controls Use the zoom controls to change the detail on the map: Click the plus (+) to see more detail and click the minus (-) to see less map detail Use the layer button in the top left to explore the different types of map information that is available Click on individual bomb icons to find out more information Click on the to have a look at the map legend (this button is not available when viewing the website on a small screen) What information is available?