The Vikings: Savages Or Technologists
Vikings have long been depicted as barbaric, bearded, horn wearing savages that terrorised Northern European coastal villages, but researchers have slowly pieced together what made the Vikings so successful, this has led to another picture emerging. There is no doubt the Vikings were fierce warriors that terrorised coastal Europe, but their fierceness wasn’t unique, the Vikings realised the benefits that technology could bring to pillaging and plundering the coastal settlements of peasants and fishermen. While the rest of Europe had plunged into the dark ages the Vikings were embracing many different technologies that would give them an unmatched superiority in coastal warfare and raiding villages that they would use for years on end.
The Vikings reign of terror was owed to their long ships. Historians believe that the Viking longship was the greatest by Oscar Vincent achievement of the European dark ages. These ships were so strong they could easily survive all oceans while having a draft of as little as 50cm allowing it to be easy to control in shallow waters. “They were strong enough to cross the open sea they could go way up river and truly surprise people in places where no one expected an ocean-going ship to appear.” - By William Short (author and Viking scholar). The Vikings made their long ships by using the clinker method of construction. They did this by placing planks of long timber usually oak wood that then were overlapped and nailed together the Spaces between planks were then filled with the wool animal hair making it watertight ship.
The water underneath the ship was sallow, this allowed it to be possible to do beach landings they used beach landings so they could easily raid town town The shape of the sail allowed the Vikings to sail close to the wind. This ability, combined with the capability to row during bad wind conditions, allowed sailors to run in to shore, engage the enemy on land, and escape. It wasn’t only the Vikings vessels that were advance the Vikings also was technology like axes, swords, spears, bows and arrows, shields, and armour that were of the highest quality available at the time. Some of their weapons they made themselves, others they sourced from the best available. Many of the swords used by Vikings came from Frankish swordsmiths, who produced exceptionally good swords. They usually had a double-edged blade and were between seventy and eighty centimeters in length. To make them flexible and strong black smiths of the Viking age used a technique called pattern welding. This technique involved hammering together twisting and rehammering layers of iron in a fire to add carbon which was key to the swords flexibility. The Viking age weapon-smiths also included a beveled groove called a fuller, down the length of the blade in order to lighten the weapon. This made Viking swords light, strong and flexible which gave them an advantage in battle.
It wasn't only superior weapons that enabled the Vikings to be so successful. The Vikings also had superior training. It was a requirement that all male Vikings had completed weapons training so they could defend their villages during attacks. So when they went raiding, it wasn't just a band of bearded farmers who roamed around; it was well educated soldiers who knew how to handle themselves. Some historians think that Vikings used a sun compass or a sun stone to help them determine where they were going. This was a great tool because it was easy to make and it helped them to navigate the northern sea and adveachaly find America and more countries. Fierce, ruthless warriors. Yes, but this wasn't the only reason the Vikings were such successful raiders, a large part of it was due to their superior boats and weapons which they were trained to use.
