Original subtitles

we owe much to the ancient Greeks from

the invention of democracy to citizens

participation in government to the

Olympic Games the Greeks laid the

foundations of science and created

Western drama

[Music]

the Romans conquered and unified Europe

their greatest achievements lay in

administration infrastructure and above

all their system of law

[Music]

the Vikings stormed onto the world stage

as Raiders from the sea but they went on

to build a vast network of Trade and

they were the first to discover America

between them these three peoples were

the founders of Europe

[Music]

once they were dreaded but the

achievements and discoveries of the

Northmen helped shape modern Europe

[Music]

the Vikings came from the far north of

Europe or what one Roman historian

called the World's End the Romans called

this distant region Scandinavia

to outsiders it was a mysterious place

when nature ruled it was not only

distant but almost empty a place where

ice met fire

[Music]

they're the untamed forces of nature

predominated and no matter where you

went

the sea was never far away

[Music]

the Scandinavian ghosts comprising

stretches of today's Denmark Norway and

Sweden were the homeland of the Vikings

when the Northmen set out in their

longships they terrorized much of europe

[Music]

one of their earliest raids came in the

years 793 when the dragon ships

descended upon England their objective

monastery on the island of Lindisfarne

an important place of pilgrimage off

Northumberland on the island the monks

lived the life of work and prayer

these pious men were rich and peaceful

they defended their treasures with words

not weapons

to the Vikings a god who had died on the

cross must be weak

[Music]

he must be a God who was unable to fight

or protect his people

[Music]

so the treasures of the monastery were

there for the taking the monastery lay

close to the coast once the ships had

reached the shore the Raiders would fall

on the victims immediately without

warning and without quarter that was the

typical Viking strategy long term plans

were not for them the men on the ships

were fearless seasoned fighters this was

not their first raid on England

the treasures of the English church

drools them like a magnet

by the time the monks noticed the

invaders it was too late

with their attack on the a bo Linda's

fun

the Vikings opened a new chapter in

world history

no sooner had the monk seen the Viking

ships on horizon the new warriors would

have been here standing at the monastery

for the monks this would have been a

traumatic experience many of them saw it

as a sign of what's to come and they

were right the raids continued until

eventually the monks were forced to

abandon the monastery

[Music]

so began an age of fear the pagan

strangers were huge men who knew neither

fear nor mercy

the Vikings became notorious for their

brutality

[Music]

worst of all were the berserkers wild

men who worked themselves into a frenzy

of slaughter the men of the cloth

happened a chance against the onslaught

from the scene all he could do was pray

most of the monks were killed on the

spot any who survived were enslaved the

booty made the Raiders powerful and

famous in their homeland

they carried off as much as they could

load aboard their ships

behind them they left death and

destruction

the raid on Lindisfarne was only the

beginning from then on the dragon ships

attacked the English coast again and

again in the early Middle Ages half of

Europe lived in fear of the Vikings

there were the most successful warriors

of their time yet their personal

equipment was nothing special hardly any

of them had chainmail nor were their

weapons exception

only a few of them had helmets and none

of the helmets had horns that is a myth

warriors in horned helmets first

appeared in Gardner's operas there has

also been speculation about what drove

the berserkers was it perhaps magic

mushrooms but they induced nausea so

probably not

perhaps other plants played a role they

too could have acted as stimulants a

[Music]

fungus spanning grain is said to bring

on hallucinations the practice of shield

biting could have been a form of

self-hypnosis but most authorities

believe that the Vikings did not use

drugs instead they shouted themselves

into a fighting mood this released

hormones that made them disregard pain

[Music]

nowadays would believe that it was their

fighting spirit and not their weapons

that made the Vikings such effective

warriors this was a time when most

people were violent but perhaps the

Vikings more than anyone else really

understood how violence worked the even

gaze of swords names celebrating it

battle blazed bloodthirster life hater

these swords weren't better than others

but they were an integral part of their

owners life important possessions we can

compare this to those people today who

gave names to their boats or cars

the Vikings most important weapon was

their ships their lawn ships were not

only the fastest craft of their time but

also the most stable from the coasts of

Scandinavia the Vikings sail to the

Baltic to England the Rhineland France

Spain and Italy they descended upon

cultural and trading centers wherever

they were coasts or navigable rivers

the dragon ships had room for raiding

parties of several dozen men Farah Evy

King is what they call their expeditions

in search of booty going uh Viking in

other words going on raids overseas but

there was another more peaceful side to

the Vikings they spent most of their

time at home as fishermen farmers or

craftsmen the things they made in their

villages were easily traded above all

tanned animal skins and furs

some even fashioned rune stones but the

majority lived from the bounty of the

land the sea or the many lakes

they're Smitty's were famous many a

piece of loot was melted down

particularly precious coins were

sometimes worked into jewelry

the typical Viking house was small and

without windows much rarer were the big

long houses were the clan chiefs and

their families lived at the beginning of

the Viking era the Northmen had neither

a state nor the kingdom they were

organized in large family clans were the

leader the yawl the most powerful yowls

were a kind of less of prince below the

yowls came the free men they were

farmers fishermen craftsmen or merchants

their wives were the mistress of the

house if in some of the men went raiding

or trading they ran the household alone

at the bottom were the landless who

worked as servants or maids all the

important decisions were made at an

assembly of the freemen of the district

that thing they met at an appointed time

in the open air there they made

important decisions and discussed the

law to resolve disputes pursue yahar

monte rosa made oh my name's I don't

attend I name Choi dong different

aligote ate the Emerson line a mine on

time very pursues our invaders or yet

straight

in Iceland the freemen met at the foot

of a volcanic chasm which they regarded

as a magical spot there they held a

general assembly the old thing an early

version of Parliament there were also

trading tons like beocca Capon and high

taboo in today's living holstein they

carried on international trade as early

as the 10th century high table was a

town of around a thousand people it was

famous for hosting ships from many

different countries

merchants from all over Europe came to

hi taboo to exchange their wares for

jewelry and goods looted by the Vikings

[Music]

a trader from the Orient praised high

taboo as a great town at the farthest

end of the ocean the Northman's feasts

were notorious they liked to drink

in large quantities and often getting

drunk was a sign of manlings but the

great feasts held by princes it was

customary to have a sculpt a poet to

sing the hosts praises the gasps planned

by Fisher I need a husband Hotel once

I'll invite Christ in custard

yeah of course a finish line that I

shall be a home lessons Allah anti hub

new to the end test my ID yeah Casey how

Smith feeling system what activation by

price now yeah can wecan hundra but had

assurance the flower society

God hears zakharov beyond to the dr.

banner or the phone since a blunt

enticement it is on on dia site of an

out advisor gasp pointless visas of mine

and feeling highs not nearly tada

[Music]

the skulls went from court to court

reciting heroic legends and verses

praising the prince who was hosting them

[Music]

the works they recited were passed on by

word of mouth and only written down from

the 12th century on the Icelandic sagas

and the editor poems told of the deeds

of courageous men of drinking parties

and pirates raids of wandering the seas

and walls

[Music]

but they also told of the Vikings gods

and there were a lot of them the gods

were not however he only figures the

people of the Viking imagination

[Music]

the world of the Vikings was a world of

secrets

it was an inexhaustible source of myths

and magic they believed that every crack

in the ground every geyser was the home

of a spirit

a giant could live in a volcano or a

dwarf tender smithy

they believe that Giants were involved

even in the creation of the world in the

beginning there was only fire and ice

when they met it brought forth the

ancestral father

yamir but the gods killed

yamir they made the earth from his flesh

and the Seas from his blood the

mountains from his bones and the forests

from his head his skull became the sky

his brain the clouds the first man and

woman were created from two tree trunks

[Music]

the chief god Odin lived in Valhalla a

rainbow bridge connected his realm with

the world of men his son for made

thunder and lightning with his hammer

unguarded mankind

whatever the problem people turn to Thor

for help

[Music]

but when someone died they sometimes

sought the advice of a witch husbands

and fathers were often killed on raids

over the sea their family's hoped that

the wise women would be able to answer

the question where is the dead man now

for no one could say for sure what

happened after death only one thing was

certain not everyone was granted an

afterlife

the Vikings believed that the souls of

those who did not succeed in entering

the other world haunted the earth to

terrorize the living Bihar means like a

bath

yes caught

via co-star em come miss von stein a

bundle in which Isis list of I spear

this matches with English eat or

hindered again

the cannon on - candy and Ovid's - Doris

foodle design a verdict instead was to

meet a guy stand his father's business

handle hot bath

many in the car Gonzaga defer the sign

cops vision gonna be negated

only courageous warriors found a place

in the other world

they reached Valhalla Valhalla was

Odin's Hall Odin and his wife lived

there and enjoyed watching contests

between the Fallen Vikings in Valhalla

the warrior elite would live until the

end of the world in the daytime they

tested their strength in single combats

in the evening they celebrated as Odin's

table with Mead and meat as for those

not lucky enough to die in battle help

awaited them it is an old norse word

related to the english word hell a dark

place of lifeless souls those who could

afford it gave their departed and

elaborate funeral one of the largest

Viking graves is in southern sweden the

dead man's urn is surrounded by giant

rocks set up in the shape of a boat that

was to take him into the afterworld

[Music]

some were buried in actual boats the

most famous boat burial site was

discovered by a farmer in Norway in 1903

a year later archeologists uncovered

their surberg ship it was 22 metres long

and made of oak behind the masked layer

burial chamber containing two female

skeletons those who buried them must

have been wealthy the Osterberg ship is

now in a museum in Oslo Moray yacht from

a warship it testifies to the unique

shipbuilding skills of the Vikings among

the burial objects would decorated

wooden carts and sledges everything that

a Viking needed for a comfortable

afterlife

[Music]

the skeletons belong to a very old woman

and a young girl probably a queen with

her maid

[Music]

one thing is certain the person who had

such a valuable grave must have been

very influential the OSHA Bell ship

remains the most important find from the

Viking era anguish misandry over the

golden key elegant evicting a strong leg

vein extends itself suddenly stopped

giving

allottee ether leader on under the text

word nursing home it lighter

especially me anticipating standard

meters the wicked side sent Java Hopeton

intricacies abandon each on the

literally goes ba son de ser toll around

so with the hiding in Scandinavia in the

10th century this tolerance encouraged

an intermingling of faith

the Vikings gradually assimilated

Christian concepts into their world of

magic and Nordic gods

many people took to wearing both the

pagan amulet and the cross they were

happy to accept protection from both

four and Christ

over time missionary monks converted

more and more Vikings to Christianity

don't you be sure is some tension in

1900 missionary on a Scandinavian

unsanctioned anoxia vinegar fold the

envelope stated mission in front of

Gentiles came straight out from England

asking first envelope therefore ekata

had fish eaten it will certainly garnish

to film it really going to do knob some

aim and vile guns best of all for some

Christianity as bouncy disc and

innovation endless visibility and far

cava with Chris Lehane run handle to

tribe environment excel from Kristin to

my camp on the straight on women and on

with success sort of Christendom and sin

Angry Birds with us late Martin told

cast tweaking admirable Hull City

template immediate in the hunt robbed of

a fear Allah under and fresh practice

Kristin tomb and Laden asymptotes in

Paradise women feet of garden were good

for health

Anto straight Ava the sophistic fetus a

Christian is even from Odin hervanta

dusty Carnegie the Steve a chronica in

Scandinavia the gang Carnegie Hall

clingy fiercely see a large crew negate

from gothic novel feel involved so VD

course include again in Gondolin

frontier the new faith spread slowly

first in Denmark then in Norway Iceland

and Sweden

[Music]

the conversion was by and large peaceful

women were particularly receptive to the

new religion since it held the promise

of life after death for them as well

the churchmen from Germany and England

established themselves and as the

centuries went by pagan Scandinavia

converted entirely to Christianity

the famous stave churches of Norway were

among the first churches in Scandinavia

they date from the 12th and 13th

centuries this Swedish crucifix also

dates from the time of conversion but

Viking mythology remains an

inexhaustible source for opera and film

often it is heavily embroidered ass with

bargainers horned or winged helmets

[Music]

the Old Norse Sagas helped inspire the

Lord of the Rings Asterix and Obelix in

the counter Vikings even if they are

called Normans there are well-loved

cartoon characters such as Mickey the

Viking much of what we believe about the

Northman remains speculative but there

is one thing we know for sure they were

great explorers

while some when training others set out

to find a new place to live for the

limited stretches of fertile land in

Scandinavia could not support its

growing population

many families left to seek their fortune

beyond the buns of the known world they

embarked on long and dangerous voyages

[Music]

they knew the sea as no one else did

[Music]

they're heavy ships the canals carried

them safely through stormy seas and

across distant oceans

in the 9th century Vikings from Norway

sailed north west past the Faroe Islands

and discovered Iceland

in those days Iceland was more temperate

than it is today and it was uninhabited

many Vikings made their home there

[Music]

how did the Vikings manage to reach an

island that lay over a thousand

kilometers from Norway thanks to a

spectacular find we now know in the

1960s several Viking Rick's were

salvaged they are housed today in the

Danish Viking ship Museum at the

Roskilde the thousand-year-old remains

tell us a great deal about the

Northman's ingenuity at shipbuilding two

different types of ship were discovered

the Kenard a highly stable transport and

merchant vessel and the narrow speedy

longboat ideal for marauding

a few years ago a team from the museum

reconstructed a canal and launched it

they wanted to find out how the votes

performed at sea

by sailing the ships themselves we get

to know how you actually use what these

wrecks means we don't know about the

looking of the wrecks themselves and

simply by going in and rebuilding and

rebuilding again flying again we

actually get to know what I would have

done

every summer the sea stallion set sail

once again the crew spend weeks on board

to get a real feeling for the ship

they try out all kinds of maneuvers and

are always amazed at how smoothly the

ship glides through the water even with

little wind I have the deepest respect

for the wiping skipper which have been

sailing these ships for 1,000 years ago

especially this thing that it's a very

simple construction layer of the sail

but at the same time it's just perfect

in balance

perfect balance and speed they are the

outstanding characteristics of all

Viking ships whether raiders or merchant

vessels

[Music]

they are still considered the best ships

of their time and several factors went

into making them the best when building

their ships the Vikings didn't saw the

logs that split them along the grain

this made the Timbers strong and

flexible the mast could be put up and

taken down quickly essential when facing

a bridge across a river or whenever the

crew had to row

[Music]

the sale could be adjusted so as to make

way against the wind and the boats had

an extremely shallow draught the Vikings

always began their major expeditions in

early summer when the fjords and coasts

were free of ice and snow

[Music]

one of their most momentous voyages

began in Iceland it was led by the most

notorious man in the country Erik the

Red

Erik was belligerent and hot-tempered

some of his men met their deaths at his

hand

[Music]

Eric was outlawed several times but when

he killed two men in a quarrel with his

neighbor he was banished from the island

that was how Eric the red came to blazed

a trail for future explorers

[Music]

Eric left Iceland with a few men and

some slaves he wanted to scout out a

land that was supposed to lie somewhere

to the northwest

he found it and later called it

Greenland

by calling it Greenland Eric was hoping

to lure other settlers his plan worked

and many Vikings followed him to a new

home

[Music]

Eric's eldest son was called Leif a

happy boy was said who even as a child

dreamt of going out into the wide world

he was fascinated by a story that did

the rounds in his father's house it was

said that an Icelandic merchant had

drifted off course on his way to

Greenland and had ended up in a country

much further to the west

[Music]

exploration was in his family's blood

Lafe was seized by a hunger for

adventure that it was years before he

was able to go to sea in his own ship to

find the mysterious country

[Music]

he navigated according to the seafaring

methods of old by the Sun and by the

Stars and above all with the help of

experience despite the danger from

storms and huge waves

Lafe and his crew sailed further and

further into uncharted waters their

voyage along the west coast of Greenland

took three days for two days they struck

out across open sea then followed a

coast until they finally reached

Newfoundland

[Music]

in the year 1001 Leif Eriksson and his

men set foot on new territory

little did the young explorers realize

that they had landed on the continent of

North America

so making history

the new arrivals had no idea what they

install but what they saw seemed to them

a paradise

they reported the land was green and

full of Meadows in bloom they called the

fertile land Finland

Wisman Vineland or the Vidal and the

diet does recently dismiss ahead of its

ray sagas be Richmond River expedition

in this Atlanta's didn't war in North

America Gilligan sign muscles and

increasing or North America's on TV King

a hub 1013 for and expedition and

on tenormin the Swiss via knock-knock

visa shaft like a monastic Dexter this

hokum it allowed the spirit okay now

both pieces land investment leaked it

was long thought to be only a legend

that the Vikings were the first

Europeans to set foot on Newfoundland

but in 1960 archaeologists found the

proof they discovered clear evidence of

North settlements the old farms have

since been reconstructed but after a few

years the Vikings left Finland never to

return

no one knows what made them leave

although the Vinland saga mentions

clashes with natives it was almost 500

years before another European captain

dared crossed the Atlantic again in 1492

Christopher Columbus rediscovered the

new world in the name of the Spanish

kings he and his men set foot on

American soil

more than a thousand kilometres south of

leaf Erickson's landing spot Columbus's

discovery led to the first permanent

European settlers moving to North

America they were followed by hundreds

of thousands of slaves shipped from

Africa to labor on plantations together

they built the New World

but the man who really discovered

America was a Viking Leif Eriksson many

finds point to the Vikings not only

travelling west but also sailing to the

east Arabic coins found on the Swedish

island of Gotland are one sign of their

eastward ventures archaeologists have

also found several thousand foreign

coins in the harbors of the trading

towns of height abou and burqa

[Music]

from Scandinavia the Vikings developed a

huge trading network they penetrated

deeper and deeper into present-day

Russia their goal was the capital of the

Byzantine Empire Constantinople only the

toughest men dared attempt this journey

because it was long and strenuous the

trip often lasted for months and a color

that lucky them have like-minded of us

comes in a stint at 38th and then then

continually I'm going bad you know

sawfish or if you have somebody on Issa

figures in that's you it's somebody

about Oklahoma Bible of my labs that

they can on the tail of mi-24 to

knowledge is in

it's your life to supplement you

mentioned having wisdom to insider and

smokers proven good fun discount

we found jobs lots of her and then upon

out

yeah Dylan kasnian blinky cuts horn

manner Yan Jimenez inclined its value

and cannot neshama HD something doesn't

occipital your nation of sorry baton on

leash on that my comedy a hi-hat not let

namely found those comes better

khonanesta is my god - I'm stag - you're

not on Langmead phones either

the leg from Russia to Constantinople

was particularly arduous ships and their

crews had to go through forests over

Rapids and across flood plains and bombs

it was a logistical nightmare

[Music]

to cross the huge expanse the Vikings

sometimes transported their canals

overland they came up with a strikingly

simple idea they dragged their boats

over planks laid on the ground Viking

ships had no keel so they didn't tip

over on land but they were heavy and it

was often days before the men could put

them back in the water from high taboo

to Constantinople it was several

thousand kilometers the men used sheer

muscle power to move their ships over

land if they were lucky local people

might help by lending their draught

animals everywhere the Vikings went they

spread fear especially when they opened

up a new line of business the slave

trade

in the Russian forests there were

neither rich monasteries nor towns worth

raiding

besides slavers were more profitable

than the skins of wild animals

not even children were safe from the

clutches of the Northmen locals curious

about the newcomers were easy prey the

slave trade became the Vikings biggest

source of income they were ruthless in

hunting for people to sell in the slave

markets of Constantinople

[Music]

[Music]

over the centuries thousands of people

vanished into slavery the goal of all

the scandinavian traders was

constantinople in the Middle Ages the

metropolis was the most important point

of exchange for goods from Europe and

the East

after an arduous journey the Vikings

finally followed the river deeper into

the Black Sea then the goal was in sight

[Music]

there were many legends about the city

on the Bosphorus were East met West and

people of different religions lived side

by side

[Music]

Constantinople moves and in moon club

written and Rogalski not monogamous Tom

Shean and needs of meteor guard because

start does a metal bullets aren't landed

on civic unity US state income and D of

a dwelling which dungeon of whole toys

on moose and start the stand and about

and how to measure kick about and gets

after destruction came all the bone and

the reservoirs to us and below them

domestics to start my aunty's we were

Hobbs governor over dozens any gigantic

nine Pokemon the heart of the city was

the great bizarre

strange sense of exotic spices soaps and

perfumes fill the air the stalls were

overflowing with goods from every

country Under the Sun the streets were

filled with a Babel of different

languages

the Vikings too wanted to sell their

wares they always did good business in

Constantinople

[Music]

he is it the Viking slaves and animal

skins were particularly sought after

they exchanged them for spices silk and

jewelry all for silver coins but it was

always important to bargain bargaining

was a skill that had to be learnt

trading in Constantinople could be a

tricky business

I'm I'm Beyonce granite especially since

the so they want either Biden's love

basket

how's it going Oh fancy

I'm first on the infant's geometry so

saw signs in a diet as I've mention of

ovulating and then revisit Lena dear

come to here appeal year

Sian oneself this a collector yo-yo so

than we are by dish so antsy Yavin IV go

film on twenties now come the item for

today they won't want this

Sjogren's aviv you so stupid Thank You

digression reunite

[Music]

in their constant journey back and forth

the Northmen left their mark on Eastern

Europe

over the centuries Swedish Vikings

founded or conquered many towns in what

is now Russia

they were nearly always important

trading places such as Novgorod okay

the invaders from the north were called

ruse ruse was also the name of the first

Russian state it was founded in the 9th

century by a Viking Prince Alec

[Music]

but Russia is not the only country with

Viking roots

Normandy also has Norse origins in the

10th century the Northmen made so many

incursions into the lower same that the

territory was finally ceded to them as

Normans they quickly established

themselves as a regional power from the

11th century on Norman mercenaries

migrated to southern Italy and took

power there after conquering Sicily they

converted the former Amir's palace in

Palermo into their seat of government in

a pure they left a legacy of countless

Norman buildings even the emperor

frederick ii builder of the castel del

monte had Viking blood in his veins in

1066 Duke William of Normandy invaded

England and was crowned king he too was

a descendant of the Vikings heating a

Hamilton noise cursor as I open

intelligence the aesthetic occurrences

cooked well Sabine Dublin on in your

in Kiev say most ardently granted

mr. de Normandie on the roof lands the

standing rules and innominate

alternately offers no mana she races

little ultimately no manager dies in

suit Italian sincere mock-na land

opposite of the is lands of the current

land besides he hummed invalid santa

hope was not awesome for sure on

Hamilton batteries and groceries are

open interlocking as settlers the

Vikings colonized Iceland and Greenland

as explorers they traveled to America

their descendants ruled in Normandy

England southern Italy and Russia

they entered the world stage as Raiders

plundering and murdering but they had a

peaceful side they spent a large part of

their time looking after their farms and

homes

in a very short time the wild

Scandinavians became goggle players as

merchants they opened up important trade

routes that led not only to southern

Europe but also deep into Eastern Europe

and even to the Orient

[Music]

and in their quest for new land the

Vikings were the first to discover North

America by the height of the Middle Ages

we hear no more of the Northman it's as

if they had disappeared if I think make

a very sudden a very dramatic entrance

into the historical record in the end

they seem to fade away but their

expansion overseas forced them to adapt

to fit in with the other cultures they

encountered until eventually they

stopped being pagan Scandinavians and

become medieval Europeans around the

year 2000 they established the three

great kingdoms of Denmark Norway later

Sweden which still exists today on a car

with Britain and France the Vikings

don't disappear they merge into world

history the Viking legacy to Europe lies

in the cities and countries that they

found it all conquered at the same time

their raids on France on England will

always be remembered with a shudder but

wherever they settled the seafarers

merged into the local population as

Vikings they existed for only about two

hundred years since the Middle Ages they

have lived on as the familiar Danes

Norwegians Swedes and Icelanders the

custodians of the fantastic stories and

sagas about the Warriors traders and

explorers who terrified half of Europe

that was the final in the series tune in

next week for more lost world and stay

tuned now for Gough Whitlam in his own

words

[Music]

you

[Music]

you

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