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The Germanic Peoples
The Germanic Peoples
The Germanic Peoples
The Vikings
- The Vikings, who were also called Norsemen, came from
Denmark and the Scandinavian Peninsula. They were expert
sailors who used small boats called drakkars. From the 8th to
the 11th century, they crossed the North Sea to carry on
sackings. They invaded part of Great Britain and France, and
colonised Iceland and Greenland.
The Magyars
- At the end of the 9th century the Magyars, who were from
Central Asia, settled in the Pannonian Basin (Hungary). They
carried out numerous raids and sackings in the Germanic
kingdoms, the Slavic kingdoms and the Byzantine Empire.
Finally, they settled down and established the Kingdom of
Hungary.
The Slavs
- The Slavs came from lands to the north of the Carpathian
Mountains. They gradually occupied most of Eastern Europe.
Like the Germanic peoples, the Slavs converted to
Christiantity. From the 6th century onwards, they established
small kingdoms, some of which form the basis of present-day
states. The Western Slavs settled in Central Europe (Poles,
Czechs and Slovakians); the Eastern Slavs spread scross the
plains of Eastern Europe (Russians, Ukranians and
Belarusians); and the Southern Slavs travelled as far as the
Balkan Peninsula (Serbs, Croatians, Slovenians and
Bulgarians).