history ( vikings ) Flashcards
(62 cards)
What were the Viking homelands known for?
Very different landscapes
Scandinavia consisted of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, each with distinct geographical features.
What was the social structure of Viking society in the 8th Century?
Hierarchical and unequal
This structure included jarls, bondi, and thralls.
What characterized Norway’s landscape?
Mountainous and mostly infertile
Norway had a long coastline facing west across the North Sea.
Who were the jarls in Viking society?
Warriors who owned large amounts of land
Jarls led groups of loyal bondi in battle.
What were bondi in Viking society?
Farmers who owned small areas of land
Bondi were loyal to a jarl and fought for him in return for protection.
What were thralls in Viking society?
Slaves with no rights
Thralls were the property of jarls or bondi.
What characterized Sweden’s landscape?
Thick forests and lakes
Sweden had a long coastline facing east across the Baltic Sea.
What is the geographical feature of Denmark?
A small collection of islands with fertile land
Denmark is located in the south of Scandinavia.
What were ‘Things’ in Viking society?
Regular meetings of jarls and bondi
At Things, new laws were decided and criminal cases were judged.
Who ran the Thing?
The lawspeaker
The lawspeaker was an elected member who memorized all existing laws.
Fill in the blank: The landscape of Norway is mostly _______.
infertile
True or False: Bondi had significant power in Viking society.
False
Bondi were loyal to jarls and were part of the lower social class.
What rewards did bondi receive for their loyalty to jarls?
Protection, treasure, and regular feasts
This loyalty was crucial for maintaining the social order.
What were the clear gender roles in Viking society?
Male roles included hunting, raiding, and attending the Thing. Female roles included domestic tasks like working on the farm and raising children.
Gender roles were often challenged, with examples of female warriors.
What was a common practice regarding marriage in Viking society?
Polygyny, or having more than one wife, was common.
This led to fewer women available for marriage to other men.
What were the roles of women in Viking society?
Women worked on farms, prepared food, raised children, and were associated with magic and spirits.
Women could also hold important public roles.
What does the evidence suggest about female infant mortality in Viking society?
Female infant mortality was twice as high as male, suggesting female infanticide.
This indicates potential societal issues regarding the value placed on female children.
What was the stance of Viking society on queer identities?
Viking society was homophobic, but evidence suggests queer identities were common.
Laws against same-sex relationships and burial practices indicate this.
What were Viking longships adapted for?
Longships were superbly adapted for raiding with features like a square sail, streamlined hull, oars, and shallow hull.
This allowed for rapid journeys and travel in shallow waters.
What was the Viking economy’s reliance on?
The Viking economy was completely reliant on slavery.
Slaves, known as thralls, had no rights to own property.
What were the distinct roles of male and female thralls?
Male thralls worked on farms or cutting wood; female thralls produced textiles for clothes and sails.
This indicates a division of labor based on gender.
Describe the living conditions in Viking longhouses.
Longhouses were cramped, unsanitary, and made of wood insulated with turf. Families shared one large room with animals.
Waste was stored in a cesspit.
What was the Viking diet primarily composed of?
The diet included elk, reindeer, herring, shellfish, corn, pigs, chickens, and cows for milk.
Beer made from barley was also important for feasts.
What was Birka and its significance?
Birka was a trading town in northern Sweden controlled by a jarl and protected by a hillfort.
It was significant for trade connections across the Baltic and North Seas.
