Between 850-1100 CE, Europe experienced new invasions from Vikings, Magyars, and Saracens due to the decline of the Carolingian and Byzantine Empires. The Vikings originated from Scandinavia and first raided England and other parts of Europe for treasure before eventually conquering territories like England, founding kingdoms in Scandinavia, and establishing themselves in Normandy. They also engaged in trade along coastal regions. Meanwhile, the Magyars invaded from Asia and established the Kingdom of Hungary after raiding parts of Germany, Italy, and France. Additionally, Saracen pirates attacked Mediterranean coastal cities seeking treasure following the fall of the Carolingian Empire.

1. FEUDAL SOCIETY

2. WHAT WERE THE SECOND
INVASIONS?
NEW INVASIONS
From 850 to 1100,
Europe was weak.
Why?
As a result of the division of the
Carolingian Empire and the decline of
the Byzantine Empire
Thus, new peoples invaded Europe
VIKINGS MAGYARS SARACENS

3. VIKINGS: Conquerors
They come from
Scandinavia
(Norway,
Denmark,
Sweden...)
First, they
attacked England
looking for
treasure. Then
they attacked
other places like
France, Russia
or the southern
Italy.
All European
kingdoms were
afraid of
Vikings
After those attacks, Vikings decided to
conquer many places like England. They
also founded kingdoms. Lands in
Scandinavia were very bad and they
wanted to settle in fertile places.

4. VIKINGS: Merchants
Vikings were also
traders and they
travelled to many
places like the Baltic
coasts, the Byzantine
Empire, Britain and
the Mediterranean
Sea
They usually sold the
treasure and the
slaves that they took
from their invasions.
In exchange they had
weapons, money or
food.

5. VIKINGS: Travellers
As result of their conquest and the trade,
Vikings were great travellers and they
discover new lands like America
Vikings used long and small ships which
could sail in rivers and seas. Those ships
were very light and they even transported
them by land
Vikings weren’t only violent
conquerors, but also they
founded cities and kingdoms
like Russia or Normandy.
Besides, they had a big
influence in countries like
Poland, Holland, England or
Ireland

6. VIKINGS: Important dates to know
793: The first Viking raid, on Lindisfarne monastery. After
that attack, Vikings devastated many cities and villages of
the European coasts
878: Vikings settled in the north of England and Ireland. That
land was known as Danelaw
911: Vikings settled in Normandy – north of France – making
a deal with the king of France
911: Vikings arrived in America
1100: All Vikings became Christians
1066: The VIkings from Norway tried to conquer England, but
they failled. Months later, the Vikings from Normandy
conquered England after the battle of Hastings defeating
the last Anglo-Saxon English king.

7. MAGYARS
They were also known as Hungarians
They come from Asia and attacked Europe
from the east
After raiding Germany, Italy and France,
they settled in the eastern Europe and
founded the kingdom of Hungary
SARACENS
They were Muslim pirates
They didn’t want to spread Islam, but
they attacked the Mediterranean
coasts looking for treasure.
They blocked the Christian economy
after the fall of the Carolingian Empire

8. HOMEWORK
Work in groups of four. Look for more informations about the
Vikings. Concentrate on three aspects:
• Their life
• Their beliefs
• Trade and exploration
• Most important kings
You can use the BBC website and other ones like wikipedia or
an encyclopedia
Then you will prepare a PowerPoint presentation with your
research
Group 1: Vikings from Norway Group 2: Vikings from Sweden
Group 3: Normans (Normandy) Group 4: Vikings in Iceland
Group 5: Vikings from Denmark Group 6: Vikings in England