Subtitle
Terjemahan
About a thousand years ago, people known as the Vikings were known and feared throughout Europe.
The Vikings were the people of the northern part of Europe, called Scandinavia, which includes the modern countries of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.
The Vikings made their living by farming and fishing.
However, by about the year 700, they began making attacks, or raids, upon towns along the coasts of Europe in order to steal the wealth of those towns.
The Vikings made their attacks very quickly and without any warning.
They were very cruel to the people of the towns they attacked, and they sometimes destroyed the towns by burning down the buildings.
In some parts of Europe, the local kings would often fight against the Vikings.
Sometimes, however, the kings would pay the Vikings in order to persuade them not to attack.
Although the Vikings were known as fierce warriors, they also built excellent ships. The wooden Viking ships, called longboats, were able to sail even in very bad weather.
Many Viking longboats were about 20 metres long, but some were nearly 90 metres long.
The Viking sailors used both sails and oars to move their ships.
The Vikings travelled across a large area.
They made many of their attacks in Britain, France, and Germany, but sometimes sailed south, into the Mediterranean Sea.
Other Vikings moved to the east, and then south along the rivers of Russia. Some even went as far as the area that is now the country of Turkey.
In some places, the Vikings decided to stay.
Many Vikings settled in England and in France, and eventually they mixed with the local people.
Other Vikings settled in Russia and also mixed with the people there.
The most famous travels of the Vikings were in the Atlantic Ocean.
Vikings sailed westward to the island of Iceland where many of them stayed.
Today, the people of Iceland are descended from the Vikings.
Some Vikings sailed farther west to the cold island of Greenland.
Vikings lived in Greenland for several generations, but eventually they died out.
Some Vikings had gone even further west and reached the Canadian island of Newfoundland.
The Vikings only stayed for a few years, but they had reached North America about 500 years before Christopher Columbus!
Gradually, the Vikings became converted to the Christian religion.
They also stopped raiding the towns of Europe, and instead of fighting, they began trading with their neighbors.
Today, the Scandinavian countries are known as very peace-loving nations.
Sekitar seribu tahun yang lalu, orang-orang yang dikenal sebagai Viking dikenal dan ditakuti di seluruh Eropa. Viking adalah orang-orang dari bagian utara Eropa, yang disebut Skandinavia, yang meliputi negara-negara modern Denmark, Norwegia, dan Swedia. Viking mencari nafkah dengan bertani dan memancing. Namun, sekitar tahun 700, mereka mulai melakukan serangan, atau penyerbuan, ke kota-kota di sepanjang pantai Eropa untuk mencuri kekayaan kota-kota tersebut. Viking melakukan serangan mereka dengan sangat cepat dan tanpa peringatan apa pun. Mereka sangat kejam kepada orang-orang di kota-kota yang mereka serang, dan mereka kadang-kadang menghancurkan kota-kota itu dengan membakar bangunan-bangunan. Di beberapa bagian Eropa, raja-raja setempat sering berperang melawan Viking. Namun, kadang-kadang, raja-raja akan membayar Viking untuk membujuk mereka agar tidak menyerang. Meskipun Viking dikenal sebagai pejuang yang ganas, mereka juga membangun kapal yang sangat baik. Kapal Viking kayu, yang disebut longboat, mampu berlayar bahkan dalam cuaca yang sangat buruk. Banyak longboat Viking memiliki panjang sekitar 20 meter, tetapi beberapa memiliki panjang hampir 90 meter. Para pelaut Viking menggunakan layar dan dayung untuk menggerakkan kapal mereka. Viking melakukan perjalanan melintasi area yang luas. Mereka melakukan banyak serangan mereka di Inggris, Prancis, dan Jerman, tetapi kadang-kadang berlayar ke selatan, ke Laut Mediterania. Viking lainnya pindah ke timur, dan kemudian ke selatan di sepanjang sungai-sungai Rusia. Beberapa bahkan pergi sejauh wilayah yang sekarang menjadi negara Turki. Di beberapa tempat, Viking memutuskan untuk tinggal. Banyak Viking menetap di Inggris dan di Prancis, dan akhirnya mereka bercampur dengan penduduk setempat. Viking lainnya menetap di Rusia dan juga bercampur dengan orang-orang di sana. Perjalanan Viking yang paling terkenal adalah di Samudra Atlantik. Viking berlayar ke barat ke pulau Islandia tempat banyak dari mereka tinggal. Saat ini, orang-orang Islandia adalah keturunan Viking. Beberapa Viking berlayar lebih jauh ke barat ke pulau Greenland yang dingin. Viking tinggal di Greenland selama beberapa generasi, tetapi akhirnya mereka punah. Beberapa Viking bahkan pergi lebih jauh ke barat dan mencapai pulau Newfoundland di Kanada. Viking hanya tinggal selama beberapa tahun, tetapi mereka telah mencapai Amerika Utara sekitar 500 tahun sebelum Christopher Columbus! Secara bertahap, Viking beralih ke agama Kristen. Mereka juga berhenti menyerbu kota-kota di Eropa, dan alih-alih berkelahi, mereka mulai berdagang dengan tetangga mereka. Saat ini, negara-negara Skandinavia dikenal sebagai negara-negara yang sangat cinta damai.