Norsemen
Sign in to saveAlso known as Norseman, Northmen, Northman, Norse people, Norse peoples
The Norsemen (or Northmen) were a Germanic cultural group in the Early Middle Ages, originating among speakers of Old Norse in Scandinavia. During the late eighth century, Scandinavians embarked on a large-scale expansion in all directions, giving rise to the Viking Age. In English-language scholarship since the 19th century, Norse seafaring traders, settlers and warriors have commonly been referred to as Vikings.
~7 min read
Encyclopedic overview
7 sectionsContents
- History of the terms ''Norseman'' and ''Northman''
- Other names
- Geography
- Notable Norse people
- See also
- Notes
- References
The Norsemen (or Northmen) were a Germanic cultural group in the Early Middle Ages, originating among speakers of Old Norse in Scandinavia. During the late eighth century, Scandinavians embarked on a large-scale expansion in all directions, giving rise to the Viking Age. In English-language scholarship since the 19th century, Norse seafaring traders, settlers and warriors have commonly been referred to as Vikings.
Historians of Anglo-Saxon England often use the term "Norse" in a different sense, distinguishing between Norse Vikings (Norsemen) from Norway, who mainly invaded and occupied the islands north and north-west of Britain as well as Ireland and western Britain, and Danish Vikings, who principally invaded and occupied eastern Britain.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Norsemen” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.