Vikings In Scotland Facts How They Lived Their Influences And More

The Vikings were a tribe of seafarers and pirates that originated in Scandinavia in the eighth century.They ruled and raided England from the ninth to the eleventh century. Some of these Norsemen settled in extensive parts of mainland Scotland including the islands located in the northern and western zone of the country.The Vikings in Scotland have a rich history that shaped the nation the way we see it today. The Norse settlers crossed the Sea from Norway to come to England. Some of the Vikings advanced towards the north and settled in the Scottish mainland during the time. This marks the beginning of the Viking period in Scotland. Though there is relatively little information about the early Viking settlements in Scotland, archaeologists have made discoveries significant enough to conclude that the Vikings had enormous influence in shaping the history of the Scots.In Ireland, the Viking influence was challenged strongly by the English invasion during medieval times. However, the effects of such conquests were absent in Scotland, this fueled the expansion of Viking activity in Scotland. They maintained culturally a much more diverse presence among the Scots. Norse settlement was fairly common in two places, one of them was the Western Isles and the other place was the Isle of Man. There the Vikings settled, ruled, and established a separate kingdom called the Kingdon of Isles. The Viking rulers had a diverse ancestry with many languages and ethnicities consisting together. These rules gave rise to many tribes of the Western Isles.If you are looking for some more content on the Vikings, then why not take a look at the articles on Viking history for kids, or famous Swedish Vikings fun facts too.The Viking Presence And Influence In ScotlandScotland during the early middle ages was a land of diversity, many languages along with the native Celtic language of the Scots were spoken there. When the people of this Scandinavian tribe moved to settle in Scotland, they were welcomed.The English did not follow the Scandinavian tribe up to Scotland which let them live freely among the Scots. The proper records of early Scandinavian settlements in Scotland are missing, so drawing accurate conclusions is difficult. However, historians could infer records of Viking settlement during the late eighth century from the Northern Isles, Orkney Islands, and the Shetland Islands in Scotland. Pictish was the common language spoken by the Scots during that time, but soon it was replaced by Scandinavian. The Scandinavian influence in Scotland flourished the most during the 11th century when the Earl of Orkney, Thorfinn Sigurdsson advanced up to the north in the Scottish mainland. The places in this part of the country like Dingwall, Sunderland, and Wick mainly have Norse names.The Viking Rulers Of The Isle Of ManLocated at the center of the Irish Sea, the Isle of Man is a perfect embodiment of cultural heterogeneity, many cultures of the Irish Sea world were brought together in this place. Whether the name was of Norse origin or other Scottish origins is unknown. The earliest group that settled in the Isle of Man was believed to be the Brythonic speakers. They were the Celtic speakers of Britain. Later during some time in the sixth century, the people of Ireland inhabited the Isle of Man. For a short span, the Northumbria Kingdom also tried to capture the Isle of Man but for the longest time, the people of Ireland and Scandinavia chiefly inhabited the place.The Viking age in the Isle of Man lasted from the 10th-11th century. The kings of Dublin started the Viking invasions on the island during the 10th century and they were followed by the Earls of Orkney. However, the Gaelic culture and language were still prevalent even in the Viking society. The Isle of Man went under the rule of the Crovan dynasty in 1079, this was a turning point for the Island. The Crovan dynasty at that time was partially dominated by the kings of Norway. In the 13th century, a war broke out between Norway and Scotland over the Isle of Man and the latter emerged as Victorious. With this, the Viking Age and the influence of Norse culture ended in the Isle of Man. However, the Scots could not rule the Isle of Man for long. A century later, the Scottish king David II was captured by the English during the Battle of Neville’s Cross and he ended up offering the Isle to the English as a ransom. The island was ruled over by Britain for quite a long time but at present, it functions as an autonomous body. It is not subject to the British Parliament and has a unique position in the constitution.Viking Sights In ScotlandThere are some picturesque sights on the east coast of Scotland, that were once believed to be the settlements of the Vikings. They were particularly nervous about sailing to the west coast sea and referred to these places as the Scottish fjords.Shetland- Shetland Isles were the first islands that were discovered by the Norse people when they set voyage towards the Scottish mainland. The Viking men on their way to England arrived on this beautiful land in the eighth century and ruled Shetland for the next 600 years.Jarlshof- Jarshlof is was another Norse settlement that was discovered from the Shetlands. The Scandinavian settlers moved there in the ninth century and the first longhouse of the British Isles was discovered from this place.Lerwick’s Up Helly Aa festival- The Up Helly Aa festival is an enormous festival that is held in the Shetlands every year to celebrate the place’s history. The biggest festival is held in Lerwick where thousands of men are seen walking on the road in Viking costumes. However, women cannot participate in this festival.Old Scatness- The Old Scatness was an iron village of the Viking age. Scotland has now secured a World Heritage status for Scatness as many Viking artefacts have been collected from this newly discovered town.Orkney- The Scottish kingdom of Orkney is one of the most important historical sights of the Viking period in Scotland. They set foot on the island 1400 years ago and used it as their base to launch voyages and raids. A large number of power bases were set across the Island and the Norwegian king turned it into an earldom.Brough of Birsay- It was a tidal island off the Orkney mainland coast. The traces of the Viking settlements are still clear on this island.Egilsay- Egilsay is the name of one of the Orkney that was strongly connected to the Vikings. The literal meaning of the island in Norse means Egil’s Island.The Viking BurialThe burial customs of the Vikings did not alter much from the early ages until Christianity was introduced among the Scots as their main religion. The Viking people were the followers of the Pagan god and their burial rituals were in accordance with the Pagan customs. Their burial customs, however, varied based on the places they were living in. The objects found in the burial ground are invaluable sources for shaping Viking history.The Viking people followed two types of burying methods, cremation, and inhumation. The people were buried in the dresses in which they died. Some of the personal belongings of the dead individual were also buried along with him or her in the grave. On some occasions, a Viking was buried lying in a ship or boat. Historians believe that burying a Viking is a mode of transportation means that according to their custom, they needed a mode of transportation to travel to the world after death. Some graves were also observed to contain the remains of horses. In such graves, the horses were believed to be the mode of transportation in the next world. The practice of burying a horse along with a human seemed more common in Denmark and the Birka region of Sweden.Out of the two methods of burial, cremation was more common than inhumation. The majority of burials recorded in the Viking world were cremations. Inhumation was also practiced in a few places throughout the Viking era, particularly in Southern Jutland. As Christianity began to grow in fame, the religious customs changed and it also affected the burial process. With the rise of Christianity, cremation began to be slowly replaced by inhumation.Politics And GovernanceThe Viking people had a step-by-step political plan for invading England and Scotland. This barbaric tribe actually originated in Scandinavia and during the late eighth century, they set voyage to raid England. Not only the British Isles but after a few years, they also went after invading Scotland.In the first phase, the Viking territory was expanded by seeking brutal raids and plunders. They forced their settlements in the southern territories of Europe by violence. In the second phase, the Viking people showed much calmer and deeper political thinking. In this phase, all the settlers were integrated to form a strong political body and army to protect their invaded territories. The earliest example of organized Viking political structures ware set by the earls of Orkney in the north. However, if setting a formal and civilized earldom in the society was a big achievement, the continuity of such a governing body is in doubt. The implementation of the Norwegian rule brought all the independent Viking rulers under a single governing body. The Hebrides and the Island of Clyde remained under the rules of Scandinavia till the 13th century, they were taken away from them after the formation of the Scottish kingdom. They left Britain in 954 when the Angla Saxons rose to power.The Last Battle Of The VikingsThe last battle of the Vikings was the final battle that ended the Viking influence over the Scots when a large and terrifying armada from Norway slowly approached the Ashyre town of the Largs around 70 years ago. At the start of the 13th century, the islands across the town of Lards all belonged to the Norse. The whole of Hebrides gave their allegiance to the Vikings which further fueled the battle.When the Viking people started raiding England in the eighth century, the concept of kings was absent in both Scotland and Norway. The Norsemen started to evolve on the northeast coast and thereby started capturing the whole coast for power and influence. Gradually the entire coast was dominated by Norse culture. In the early 1200s, both countries were introduced to the concept of kings for the first time. Norway’s King Haakon IV and Scotland’s King Alexander came into their respective thrones around the same time and each king was determined to expand the territory. The loyal forces fought with one another but ultimately, King Alexander’s health deteriorated on reaching the west coast and he died.He was succeeded by his son Alexander III who was determined to fulfill his father’s wish and snatch the land from the Norse. He ordered brutal raids in the depth of Norse territories. Alexander prepared troops of thousands of men to welcome the Norsemen, but on the way, the Viking army met with a terrible storm that took out most of their forces. King Harron reached with only 1,000 men who were destroyed by the Scots. He thought of returning with more men after the winter break but unfortunately, Harron died in the course of time. His sons did not continue the war with the Scots and gave up the Hebrides and the Isle of Man to them in return for valuables. The Vikings kept on ruling the Shetland and the Orkney Islands. This battle ended the Norse age.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Vikings in Scotland then why not take a look at Viking history for kids, or famous Swedish Vikings.

The Vikings were a tribe of seafarers and pirates that originated in Scandinavia in the eighth century.