The Vikings had a great impact on the medieval history of northern and eastern Europe, including the political and social development of England and northern France and established the Russian identity in Kyiv. For example, the English language was changed to what we know today due to the Vikings. It is a story that really shows how the Vikings impacted the world history.
Everything started in Paris where a raid by the Vikings against the French was unfolding. The raid didn’t last for long because of the well-trained French army. But the French king didn’t kill the raiders. Instead, amazed by their experience, he gave them the land of Normandy which is the coast of France at the English Channel in exchange for protection against other raiders. Meanwhile, across the channel, England is having a crisis because its king Edward the Confessor died in January 1066 without an heir but the king had promised the english throne to three people: the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson, William the Duke of Normandy and the King of Norway. And all of them assumed that the throne belonged to them.
King Harold Godwinson was already located in England so he took his advantage and claimed the throne. The first one to take action was the King of Norway who prepared his army and landed in southern Scotland. After a decisive battle the Anglo-Saxons won and the Norwegian King was killed. But Harold hadn’t won the war wet because all the way across the country the Duke of Normandy had landed in the south, near the coastal city of Hastings.
When Harold learned about the news, he assembled his army and went to confront the Normans. They met 11 km northwest of Hastings, close to the present-day town of Battle, East Sussex. The battle was one of a kind because two types of warfare that are really different fought each other. The Normans had the high ground and used axes and bows while the Anglo-Saxons used swords and crossbows. The battle turned into a disaster for the Anglo-Saxons and William, Duke of Normandy, conquered London and claimed the English throne.
This event changed the English language forever and was world changing. This is only one example of Vikings influencing world history. But in the 11th century, as the major powers advanced their technology, the Vikings got left behind and with many people moving to cities and doing more modern jobs. The number of Vikings quickly declined and the Viking age ended.
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