Viking raid warfare and tactics
Vikings were members of tribes, originally from Scandinavia, of Norse ancestry, who gained a reputation for their raids and piracy in many parts of Europe, especially England, Ireland, and Frankish territories. The term "Viking Age" refers to the period roughly from 793 AD to the late 11th century in Europe. In this era Viking activity started with raids on Christian lands in England and eventually expanded to mainland Europe, including parts of present-day Russia. While maritime battles were rare, Viking bands proved very successful in raiding coastal towns and monasteries due to their efficient warships, and intimidating war tactics, skillful hand-to-hand combat, and fearlessness. What started as Viking raids on small towns transformed into the establishment of important agricultural spaces and commercial trading-hubs across Europe through rudimentary colonization. Vikings' tactics in warfare gave them an enormous advantage in successfully raiding (and later colonizing), despite their small population in comparison to that of their enemies.
List of Vikings episodes
"Vikings" is a historical drama television series written and created by Michael Hirst for the channel History. Filmed in Ireland, it premiered on March 3, 2013 in Canada. "Vikings" is inspired by the sagas of Viking Ragnar Lothbrok, one of the best-known legendary Norse heroes. The series portrays Ragnar's and his family's rise from serfdom to nobility and fame through successful raids into Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and Francia. The series is also inspired by, and loosely adapts, various historical events from European history during the Early Middle Ages.
A series of thirteen webisodes known as "Vikings: Athelstan's Journal" was released by the History Channel. Each webisode serves as a journal entry for the "Vikings" character Athelstan. The webisodes were released prior to and in conjunction with the beginning of the third season of "Vikings", and are available on the History Channel's website. The webisodes have a running time of 1:45 to 5:01 minutes.