Four social classes existed in Viking society. There was the Kings, the Jarls, Karls, and Thralls. At the top of the social pyramid there was the wealthy and the royal, the King's. Kings in Viking culture had to have royal blood, and were chosen from the royal family. Many kings claimed to be descendants of the Viking gods, making him seem more powerful and more respected. The Kings gained most of their revenue from collecting taxes from royal estates, and gaining most of their property from outlaws and felons. Right below the kings were the Jarls. They were the wealthier, more respected people on the social pyramid. They were often rich, freeborn men, who could control a large portion of land. The Jarls looked after its people, and gave advice.
…show more content…
The Karls were free to own land, build property, and start businesses; they were the everyday people in Viking society. A Karl could become a Jarl if the gods favoured him, or become a thrall if they were unable to pay their debts. At the bottom of the social pyramid are the slaves, called Thralls. Mostly all the houses in Viking society had slaves. When Vikings went on raids to other regions, they wouldn’t just take the people's things, they would also take the people and make them slaves. But being a slave in Viking culture wasn’t all that bad, owners who treated their thralls bad were often looked down upon, and because of that Thralls were likely to be treated well by their owners. A Thrall could often be freed in a couple different ways. If they had treated their masters well, or were brave in battle their masters could let them go. Thralls could also buy out there slavery with silver. Thralls who had children were automatically a slave from birth, and most thralls had zero to little rights.”Slaves who had been freed were nominally freemen, but their status was …show more content…
Trading in the Viking age was absolutely needed for survival. The Vikings relied heavily on trade, and had a very vast and expansive trade network. They traded all over Europe, Asia, and even to the Far East. Most of Viking trading was done over short distances, such as the Scandinavian coasts. Viking trading was a simple system. You paid the captain of the ship for cargo space, and then sailed off to different regions in the world to trade. The Vikings built wide ships called knarrs. They were specifically designed to carry cargo, up to 35 tonnes. These ships allowed Vikings to carry heavier things such as livestock, timber and silver. “The ships were also strong, enabling them to travel through the rough rapids of European rivers and to journey long distances, as far away as Greenland” ("Vikings as Traders."). Towns typically popped up around these trading destinations, where it was easy to reach by land and sea. But this proposed a problem, they were easy to attack. So the towns and trading posts had to be strategically placed, so they could be defended. The Vikings wanted spices, in which they got from the Far East and places like China and Persia. Wealthier Vikings wanted silks to show their wealth, along with silver and wine from places such as France, Denmark and Germany. The Vikings traded soapstone for other goods, used for things like pottery. They also exported amber, whetstones, and varieties of
The Karls were free to own land, build property, and start businesses; they were the everyday people in Viking society. A Karl could become a Jarl if the gods favoured him, or become a thrall if they were unable to pay their debts. At the bottom of the social pyramid are the slaves, called Thralls. Mostly all the houses in Viking society had slaves. When Vikings went on raids to other regions, they wouldn’t just take the people's things, they would also take the people and make them slaves. But being a slave in Viking culture wasn’t all that bad, owners who treated their thralls bad were often looked down upon, and because of that Thralls were likely to be treated well by their owners. A Thrall could often be freed in a couple different ways. If they had treated their masters well, or were brave in battle their masters could let them go. Thralls could also buy out there slavery with silver. Thralls who had children were automatically a slave from birth, and most thralls had zero to little rights.”Slaves who had been freed were nominally freemen, but their status was …show more content…
Trading in the Viking age was absolutely needed for survival. The Vikings relied heavily on trade, and had a very vast and expansive trade network. They traded all over Europe, Asia, and even to the Far East. Most of Viking trading was done over short distances, such as the Scandinavian coasts. Viking trading was a simple system. You paid the captain of the ship for cargo space, and then sailed off to different regions in the world to trade. The Vikings built wide ships called knarrs. They were specifically designed to carry cargo, up to 35 tonnes. These ships allowed Vikings to carry heavier things such as livestock, timber and silver. “The ships were also strong, enabling them to travel through the rough rapids of European rivers and to journey long distances, as far away as Greenland” ("Vikings as Traders."). Towns typically popped up around these trading destinations, where it was easy to reach by land and sea. But this proposed a problem, they were easy to attack. So the towns and trading posts had to be strategically placed, so they could be defended. The Vikings wanted spices, in which they got from the Far East and places like China and Persia. Wealthier Vikings wanted silks to show their wealth, along with silver and wine from places such as France, Denmark and Germany. The Vikings traded soapstone for other goods, used for things like pottery. They also exported amber, whetstones, and varieties of