The Vikings were seafaring people from Scandinavia who raided and traded throughout Europe between the 8th and 11th centuries. They were skilled craftsmen and warriors who traveled in longships, established settlements in places like England and Ireland, and had their own alphabet, religion, and social structure, with men participating in crafts or trade and women handling domestic duties. The Viking era in England ended when William the Conqueror defeated the Vikings in 1066.

1. Who were the Vikings?

2. The Vikings were people who lived long ago in Sweden, Norway and Denmark.

3. Most Vikings lived on farms in houses made of wood, stone or blocks of turf.

4. Vikings men were craftsmen or traders. Viking women did all the household jobs.

5. Viking children did not go to school. They helped at home and learnt from stories.

6. Vikings wore clothes made of cloth, leather and fur. All Viking people wore jewellery.

7. The Vikings ate a lot of meat. They ate off wooden plates and drank from horns.

8. The Vikings were great sailors who travelled all over Europe in long ships.

9. The Vikings came to England in search of treasure and wealth in 865.

10. They destroyed monasteries and killed many monks to get to their gold.

11. The Vikings were great warriors. They used spears and shields in battle.

12. They captured most of the north of England. The only part not won was Wessex.

13. They had their own alphabet called ‘runes’. These symbols were carved onto stone.

14. The Vikings had their own religion and worshipped their own gods.

15. The most popular God was Thor. Thor ruled the skies, storms and thunder.

16. The Vikings bought and sold things using coins, which were measured by weight.

17. William the Conqueror won England in 1066, ending the Viking era in England.

18. Place names ending in –by, -thorpe or –ay may have been Viking settlements.

19. York – or Jorvik – was the main Viking town and still has a Viking theme today.