IB history unit 1

High middle ages: 11th-13th century

6 history concepts

• cause and consequence

• change and continuity

• significance

• perspective

what is the social hierarchy pyramid?

population increases down pyramid

wealth decreases down pyramid

What does the word viking mean?

Derived from 'Vik' (meaning bay); translates roughly to pirate/raider. Used by outsiders to describe an activity rather than as a self-identifier.

Where do the Norse live?

Scandinavia (modern-day Norway, Sweden, and Denmark).

Geographic range of Norse navigation

Master seafarers and river navigators who expanded from the Black Sea in the east to modern-day Canada in the west.

Norse political and social organization

Not a unified or concerted civilization; made up of fringe communities and chiefdoms. Far-western settlements (Greenland and North America) were completely separate from mainland kings.

Economic motivation for Norse raiding and trading

Living in a poor 'backwater' region of Europe, they pillaged resources for survival while simultaneously driving wider trade and economic development.

Clothing and attire in Norse culture

Made primarily from animal skins and wool layered for cold weather; rare imported silk was reserved for elites.

Norse religious beliefs (at the start)

Polytheistic pantheon of gods associated with divine realms such as Asgard and Valhalla.

who were the Norse/vikings?

answer from reading: LANDS OF FIRE AND VINES

what was life like for norse in iceland?

lots of pressures, rivalries bt clans and communities within iceland, landscape completely changed by norse, not monetary based economy

reliance on driftwood + scarce resources, needed political system

what was life like for Norse in Greenland?

answer from reading: LANDS OF FIRE AND VINES

Why did Norse expand?

answer from reading: LANDS OF FIRE AND VINES

how did the norse expand to greenland?

seafaring, someone heasing from norway to iceland but got blown off course in a storm

Why did the norse expand?

push: bad harves from cold summer then harsh winter, killed many people in iceland so looking for better lands to settle elsewhere

think maybe islands (greenland) would be better, population of iceland growing, fertile lands full

pull: medival warm period, less ice drift in ocean, warmer temp in some northern areas allowed for more expansive farming

were certain factors more significant in Norse expansion than other factors?

answer from reading: thingvellir, brattahlid and l’anse aux meadows