Viking activity in the British Isles
Hey there kiddo! So, a long time ago, there were people called Vikings who lived in Scandinavia, which is a cold place in the north of Europe. These Vikings were really good at sailing their boats and they loved to explore new places.
Now, Britain is a group of islands that is really close to Scandinavia, so the Vikings decided to pay a visit. They first came to the east coast of England in the late 8th century, and they kept coming back for a few hundred years.
When the Vikings arrived, they weren't always very friendly. They would often attack and try to take over the towns and villages they came across. They were really good fighters, too, so they sometimes succeeded in taking control of the land.
The Vikings would often raid the English towns and steal their treasure. They also did something called "looting and pillaging", which basically means they would take whatever they wanted and burn down the rest.
Sometimes, the Vikings would even take English people as slaves! That's when they would force people to work for them without getting paid. This wasn't very nice.
But not all of the Vikings were bad guys. Some of them liked to trade with the English people instead of fighting with them. They would bring goods like fur and honey, and the English people would give them things like silver and jewelry in exchange.
Over time, some Vikings even settled in England and started living there permanently. They became farmers and traders and even married English people! This is why some English people today have Scandinavian-sounding last names, like "Ericsson" or "Olafsson".
So, to sum it up kiddo, the Vikings were a group of people from Scandinavia who liked to sail to new places, including the British Isles. While some of them were friendly and liked to trade, others were mean and fought with the English people. Some even took them as slaves! But over time, some Vikings settled in England and became a part of the community.
Now, Britain is a group of islands that is really close to Scandinavia, so the Vikings decided to pay a visit. They first came to the east coast of England in the late 8th century, and they kept coming back for a few hundred years.
When the Vikings arrived, they weren't always very friendly. They would often attack and try to take over the towns and villages they came across. They were really good fighters, too, so they sometimes succeeded in taking control of the land.
The Vikings would often raid the English towns and steal their treasure. They also did something called "looting and pillaging", which basically means they would take whatever they wanted and burn down the rest.
Sometimes, the Vikings would even take English people as slaves! That's when they would force people to work for them without getting paid. This wasn't very nice.
But not all of the Vikings were bad guys. Some of them liked to trade with the English people instead of fighting with them. They would bring goods like fur and honey, and the English people would give them things like silver and jewelry in exchange.
Over time, some Vikings even settled in England and started living there permanently. They became farmers and traders and even married English people! This is why some English people today have Scandinavian-sounding last names, like "Ericsson" or "Olafsson".
So, to sum it up kiddo, the Vikings were a group of people from Scandinavia who liked to sail to new places, including the British Isles. While some of them were friendly and liked to trade, others were mean and fought with the English people. Some even took them as slaves! But over time, some Vikings settled in England and became a part of the community.