- Danegeld
- Silver tribute paid by rulers (especially in England and France) to Viking leaders in exchange for peace. The Franks paid 700 pounds of silver after the Siege of Paris (885–886).
- Danelaw
- The Viking-controlled territories in northern and eastern England after the Treaty of Wedmore (878). Named because Danish law, not English law, applied in these areas.
- Longship (drakkar)
- The shallow-draft Viking warship with both oars and sail. Its clinker construction and flexibility made it uniquely suited to coastal raids and river navigation.
- Knarr
- A broader, deeper Viking cargo ship used for trade and colonisation voyages to Iceland, Greenland and North America.
- Varangian Routes
- Swedish Viking trade routes south via the Rivers Dnieper and Volga, connecting the Baltic Sea to Constantinople and Baghdad.
- Clinker construction
- Shipbuilding technique where hull planks overlap rather than meeting edge-to-edge. Made Viking ships flexible and seaworthy in rough Atlantic conditions.
- Jorvik
- The Viking name for York. Captured by the Great Heathen Army in 866, it became a major international trading city and centre of Viking culture in England.
This definitions covers 📚 Key Terms within Viking Expansion, c.750-c.1050 for GCSE History. Revise Viking Expansion, c.750-c.1050 in Component Group 4 — Period Studies for GCSE History with 14 exam-style questions and 18 flashcards. This topic appears regularly enough that it should still be part of a steady revision cycle. It is section 9 of 14 in this topic. Make sure you can use the exact wording confidently, because definition marks are often lost through vague language.
Practice questions for Viking Expansion, c.750-c.1050
Describe two features of the Viking raid on Lindisfarne in 793.
Describe two features of Viking longships.
Quick recall flashcards
What was Danegeld?
Silver tribute paid by rulers to Viking leaders in exchange for peace. After the Siege of Paris (885-886), the Frankish king paid 700 pounds of silver to make the Viking fleet of 700 ships leave. English kings also paid Danegeld repeatedly. Rather than genuine peace, it often just postponed the next raid.
What was a knarr and how was it used?
A broader, deeper Viking cargo ship designed for trade and colonisation rather than raiding. Used to carry settlers, livestock, supplies and trade goods on long ocean voyages. Knarrs transported Viking settlers to Iceland (c.874), Greenland (c.985), and North America (c.1000).