Goths Final Places Review

Constantinople

Raided by the Vikings in the 9th century. They also formed the Varangian guard there.

Dublin

A viking settlement. Became a powerful Norse settlement. A big center for Viking trade and even minted its own coins. Viking rule there ended in 1014 at the battle of Clontarf.

Hastings

The Battle of Hastings, a pivotal event in English history, occurred in 1066 and marked the end of the Viking Age and the start of the Norman Conquest. Duke William of Normandy, a descendant of Viking settlers in France, defeated King Harold II of England, leading to Norman rule and significant cultural shifts.

Stamford Bridge

The Battle of Stamford Bridge (Old English: Gefeoht æt Stanfordbrycge) took place at the village of Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire, in England, on 25 September 1066, between an English army under King Harold Godwinson and an invading Norwegian force led by King Harald Hardrada and the English king's brother Tostig Godwinson. After a bloody battle, both Hardrada and Tostig, along with most of the Norwegians, were killed. Although Harold Godwinson repelled the Norwegian invaders, his army was defeated by the Normans at Hastings less than three weeks later. The battle has traditionally been presented as symbolizing the end of the Viking Age.

Jorvik (York)

Scandinavian York or Viking^[a] York (Old Norse: Jórvík) is a term used by historians for what is now Yorkshire^[b] during the period of Scandinavian domination from late 9th century until it was annexed and integrated into England after the Norman Conquest; in particular, it is used to refer to York, the city controlled by these kings and earls. The Kingdom of Jórvík was closely associated with the longer-lived Kingdom of Dublin^[c] throughout this period. Under the Romans it became the provincial capital and bishopric of Eburacum. The Roman settlement was regularly planned, well defended and contained a stone legionary fortress. The Romans withdrew around 407 and the Anglo-Saxons occupied the settlement from the early 7th century. Post-Roman York was in the kingdom of Deira; it was taken over in 655 by its northern neighbour Bernicia to form the kingdom of Northumbria. The Anglo-Saxon king Edwin of Northumbria was baptized there in 627 and the first Anglo-Saxon archbishop Ecgbert of York consecrated in 780. The settlement became the Anglo-Saxon trading port of Eoforwic.

Reykjavik

Reykjavík was traditionally settled by Vikings in 874 AD, with Ingólfur Arnarson being credited as the first permanent settler. It was the first permanent Norse settlement on Iceland.

Uppsala

It was a religious, political, and cultural center during the Viking Age, hosting temples, Viking assemblies, and burial grounds of notable chieftains. Uppsala's Viking legacy is also characterized by cultural and spiritual exchange, as well as trade. Uppsala was home to a prominent temple at Gamla Uppsala, serving as a central place of worship for the Norse religion. A sacred tree, possibly an ash or yew, was located at the temple and played a significant role in rituals.

Novgorod

Novgorod, a city in northwestern Russia, had a significant Viking influence, particularly during the early medieval period. It was a major trade center and a key point in the "Route from the Varangians to the Greeks," a major trade route connecting the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea and Constantinople. The city's history is intertwined with the Rus' people, who were part of the Viking world, and the Varangian princes, including Rurik, who is traditionally credited with founding the Rus' state. Novgorod's Viking history continued to shape its development, with Viking merchants, traders, and rulers leaving a lasting impact on the city's culture, economy, and political landscape.

Kyiv

The Vikings played a pivotal role in the founding and governance of the Kievan Rus', a medieval state in Eastern Europe, from the 9th to 13th centuries. The Vikings, known as the Rus, or Varangians in the East, established a trade route and eventually settled in the region, including the city of Kyiv. They formed a loose federation of principalities, influencing the development of East Slavic culture and the establishment of the Kievan Rus' state, which later became the foundation of modern Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus.

Hedeby

Hedeby (Danish pronunciation: [ˈhe̝ːðəˌpyˀ], Old Norse: Heiðabýr, German: Haithabu) was an important Danish Viking Age (8th to the 11th centuries) trading settlement near the southern end of the Jutland Peninsula, now in the Schleswig-Flensburg district of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Around 965, chronicler Ibrahim ibn Yaqub visited Hedeby and described it as "a very large city at the very end of the world's ocean. Due to its unique position between the Frankish Empire and the Danish Kingdom, the settlement developed as a trading centre at the head of a narrow, navigable inlet known as the Schlei, which connects to the Baltic Sea.

Danewerk

The Danewerk was a large defensive earthwork, or border fortification, built by the Danes, primarily during the Viking Age, to protect their kingdom from potential threats from the south. It stretched across the Jutland peninsula, essentially acting as a wall between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. It was built to prevent the expansion of the Frankish Empire into Danish territory and to control the land route between the North and Baltic Seas.

Starya Ladoga

Staraya Ladoga, also known as "Old Ladoga," played a significant role in Viking history, acting as a crucial trading post and settlement for Scandinavian traders and settlers. Located in northwestern Russia on the Volkhov River, it served as a gateway between the Baltic Sea and Eastern Europe, and was an important center for the development of the Kievan Rus' state. For a time, Staraya Ladoga served as the first capital of the Kievan Rus', before Rurik moved the capital to Novgorod. 

Feroe Islands

The Faroe Islands were a key stepping stone for Viking exploration and settlement in the North Atlantic. Vikings, primarily Norse settlers from Norway and Denmark, arrived in the Faroe Islands around the 9th century, establishing a lasting presence. The islands' strategic location, midway between Norway and Iceland, made them a natural point of contact for Viking voyagers. The conversion of the Faroe Islands to Christianity around 1000 AD marked the end of the Viking Age on the islands.

Shetland Islands

Vikings adapted to the unique Shetland environment, building stone longhouses instead of the wooden structures they were accustomed to in Scandinavia. Their shipbuilding and seafaring skills facilitated fishing and trade, opening new opportunities for the islanders.

Trondheim

Trondheim, located in central Norway, has a rich history intertwined with the Viking Age. It was founded in 997 by Viking King Olav Tryggvason, who established it as a trading post and the capital of Norway. Known as Nidaros in ancient times, Trondheim served as a crucial center for spreading Christianity and the new faith.

Greenland

Norse settlements were established in Greenland around 985 AD, with the first settlers arriving from Iceland. The last written record from Norse Greenland was a 1408 marriage, with evidence suggesting the abandonment of the Eastern Settlement around 1430. Around 900, the seafarer Gunnbjörn Ulfsson was on a voyage from Norway to Iceland and his ship drifted towards a western coast, probably in the area of today's Cape Farvel on the southern tip of Greenland. He had sighted icebergs, skerries and a desolate, inhumane landscape and therefore did not go ashore. Basically no trees, possible mini ice age made Nore abandon their settlements.

Vinland

Vinland refers to the area of coastal North America explored and briefly settled by Vikings, specifically in the early 1000s CE. The name "Vinland" likely comes from the abundance of wild grapes found in the region. The Norse explorers, led by figures like Leif Erikson, established a settlement at L\'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland, which is considered the most tangible evidence of their presence. 

L’anse aux meadow

L'Anse aux Meadows (lit. 'Meadows Cove') is an archaeological site, first excavated in the 1960s, of a Norse settlement dating to approximately 1,000 years ago. The site is located on the northernmost tip of the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador near St. Anthony.

The Hebrides

are an archipelago off the west coast of the Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner and Outer Hebrides. In 55 BC, the Greek historian Diodorus Siculus wrote that there was an island called Hyperborea (which means "beyond the North Wind"), where a round temple stood from which the moon appeared only a little distance above the earth every 19 years. This may have been a reference to the stone circle at Callanish. Viking raids began on Scottish shores towards the end of the 8th century, and the Hebrides came under Norse control and settlement during the ensuing decades, especially following the success of Harald Fairhair at the Battle of Hafrsfjord in 872.

The Orkney Islands

Orkney was colonised and later annexed by the Kingdom of Norway in 875 and settled by the Norsemen. In 1472, the Parliament of Scotland absorbed the Earldom of Orkney into the Kingdom of Scotland. Both Orkney and Shetland saw a significant influx of Norwegian settlers during the late 8th and early 9th centuries. Vikings made the islands the headquarters of their pirate expeditions carried out against Norway and the coasts of mainland Scotland. In response, Norwegian king Harald Fairhair (Harald Hårfagre) annexed the Northern Isles, comprising Orkney and Shetland, in 875.

Dorestad

It flourished during the 8th to early 9th centuries, as an important port on the northeastern shipping routes due to its proximity to the fork in the Rhine, with access to Germany via the Nederrijn (the northernmost branch of the Rhine), to the southern Netherlands, northern France, and England (via the Lek), and to the northern Netherlands, northern Germany, and Scandinavia. The township was established at the base of the former Roman fortress of Levefanum in the 7th century.

Birka

was an important Viking Age trading center which handled goods from Scandinavia as well as many parts of Continental Europe and the Orient. Birka was founded around AD 750 and it flourished for more than 200 years. It was abandoned c. AD 975, around the same time Sigtuna was founded as a Christian town some 35 km to the northeast. Birka was founded around 750 AD as a trading port by a king or merchants trying to control trade.^[1] It is one of the earliest urban settlements in Scandinavia. Birka was the Baltic link in the Dnieper Trade Route through Ladoga (Aldeigja) and Novgorod (Holmsgard) to the Byzantine Empire and the Abbasid Caliphate.^[4] Birka is the site of the first known Christian congregation in Sweden, founded in 831 by Saint Ansgar.

Iceland

Swedish Viking explorer Garðar Svavarsson was the first to circumnavigate Iceland in 870 and establish that it was an island. The Norwegian-Norse chieftain Ingólfr Arnarson built his homestead in present-day Reykjavík in 874. Ingólfr was followed by many other emigrant settlers, largely Scandinavians and their thralls, many of whom were Irish or Scottish By 930, most. arable land on the island had been claimed; the Althing, a legislative and judicial assembly was initiated to regulate the Icelandic Commonwealth. The lack of arable land also served as an impetus to the settlement of Greenland starting in 986.