The viking sword and Exploration

The Viking sword +ULFBERH+T
 We recently learned about the +ULFBERH+T sword. It is a sword that has crucible steel in it. It is a steel that has very few dots and slags as they call them in it. It is better then other steel of its time. To make it you would have to heat the iron and coal to a very high temperature, and in Europe it seemed that no one could do it. But in the middle east there was swords made with crucible steel. This means that the Vikings must have gone to there and got the Crucible steel. Historians think that they went on the Volga trade route. This is a route from Sweden to Iran it is mostly on water. It goes along the Volga river and lakes. Then it goes to the Caspian sea and past it into modern-day Iran and Iraq. Vikings might have got Crucible steel from here. I think they did and so do others. Then they would have gone back to Scandinavia in small rowboats. There they would shape the steel into the sword. But the inscription of +ULFBERH+T is still a mystery. No one knows who Ulfberht was. Christian Abbots and Popes put a cross in front of their name. Maybe this was a Christian Abbot who had made it. But the Christians were forbidden to Trade with the Pagan Vikings. Maybe a Christan viking had made it. Or maybe just a Viking had made it. Or it was a brand name. But it showed that the sword was made with Crucible steel. Other Ulfberht swords were made but they did not have Crucible steel in them. They were fakes. They had the letters +ULFBERHT+ on them. Someone was trying to copy +ULFBERH+T. If you had a +ULFBERH+T sword you would be highly honored as a great and rich warrior. +ULFBERH+T Swords were like the best kind of weapons. 

Exploration
The Vikings who originated in Scandinavia, explored from North America to Pakistan.
They were great explores on sea. They were not the best on land though. Proof that they had gone to North America and Pakistan is real. A viking ruins was found in North America and Statues of Buddha were found in Viking graves. The Vikings also went to Greenland, Iceland, Newfoundland,  Israel, Constantinople, Italy, Spain, Morocco, Russia, France, England, Ireland,Greece, Iraq and Iran. Like you probably know Vikings did not have horns on their helmets and there are also peaceful and economic vikings.

The Normans

The Normans were Vikings. The Vikings attacked France but when Charlemagne was king of France the Viking’s attacks were unsuccessful. When Charlemagne died the Viking’s raided and raided and raided until the French gave them some land in turn for protection from other Viking’s. When other Viking’s came the Viking’s in France defended the French. After some time the Viking’s in France settled, converted to Christianity and became Normans. The first Norman king was Rollo the king after him (Richard the fearless) spent a lot of time fighting off the French but at last there was peace. And one Norman king set off on a journey to Jerulasam called a pilgrimage and died on the way back to Normandy. All he left behind was a 8year old William. It was hard for William to become king. He had many strong enemy’s the strongest was guy of burgundy he had allies to his strongest ally was a bishop a leader of a church but when the bishop died guy of burgundy took over . William fled to France and henry the king of France welcomed him and helped him by attacking Normandy with his forces after guy of burgundy died in a battle against the French William became king but he called himself duchy of Normandy. William looked over the seas toward England. He wanted to conquer England because Edward the confessor was close to death and had no heir. William was a distant cousin of Harold Godwinson the heir chosen by Edward Harold was not related to Edward at all but he was a good choice. One day Harold was in a boat and a storm blew him to the shore of Normandy and wrecked his ship there when William heard the news he was happy. What luck! he and a troop of soldiers ran to the shores to meet Harold William brought him to one of his castles and treated him kindly & gave him a feast when the feast was done William took the table cloth and reviled bones of saints he made Harold swear an oath on them swearing on bones of saints was considered sacred . The oath was to say that William was the rightful heir to throne when Edward died. Harold swear it because he was in Williams’s castle and did not want to get captive or killed. William set Harold on his way with a new ship. When Edward died Harold did not keep his promise and he was crowned king on his crowning day Haley’s comet was in view of the earth and many said that it as a bad omen because Harold did not keep his oath. Harald Hardarda of Norway attacked England and conquered a few cites he took hostages and decided to exchange his prisoners for gold so he and a few other men with no armor because it was so hot they weard skins instead when they came a bridge were they were supposed to get the gold but when they came the whole English army marched on the bridge Harald Hardada sent two riders to his ships were the rest of the army was when the riders came to the ship they called everyone to come and help fight but when they set off most took their armor off and walked there those who didn’t died because it was so hot for Viking’s
and the battle of Stamford bridge was utter defeat for Harald Hardada and he died . when the English defeated the Viking’s the Normans attacked at the south the Vikings had attacked from the north so Harold’s army had to march all the way south and when he got there his army was exhausted and camped on a hill near the Norman’s camp the William decided to attack and that was the battle of Hastings in the battle the English made a wall of swordsmen on the top of the hill and the Norman’s charged with Calvary the Norman’s were winning. When suddenly some swordsmen from the wall of swordsmen charged and destroyed a lot of the Calvary and made William fall of his horse all the Normans thought he was dead and were about to give up when William got up and said he was alive then the Normans fought stronger and at last the Normans won and Harold died after that it was easy to conquer the other cites because there was not a king and the Normans conquered England. Williams conquer of England earned him the name William the conquer .the Danes attacked Norman-England and they did not conquer anything.




The Normans in Italy


the Norman Italians were mercenaries byzantine mercenaries that attacked Italy under a byzantine general they conquered a lot of cites but when the general died the army fell apart and some Normans attacked Italy more and took it for themselves they conquered Sicily, Malta and part of north Africa the first Italy Norman king was William iron arm there greatest leader was Robert Guiscard he maintained all those lands at the same time! After him all the Italian barons revolted because a new king had power over them now a Sicilian king his name Roger. Germany and byzantine banded together and called aid from the pope in Rome he helped the anti-Norman army attack the Normans. Under Rogers control they were beat. Roger did not attack and did not do one open battle at all. He waited and waited let the summer sun, bugs and revolts in Germany and byzantine make the German byzantine army go away without them the pope was powerless he signed a peace treaty with roger and went back to Rome . Roger had defeated his enemies without bloodshed! He was a wise king but after him Norman Italy fell apart Malta and north Africa were conquered by Arabs and the barons in Italy revolted and revolted and the Byzantine ,German army attacked again and the Normans in Italy were conquered .