Term
| Who were the Magyars? Where did they come from? When and where did they make permanent settlements? |
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Definition
| The Magyar were an Altaic people who had originated in Central Asia. In 895 they arrived on the plains of Hungary, where they joined the remnants of the Avars. Five years later they ravaged Bavaria. In 906 they plundered Saxony and Thuringia. They raided Germany and France. |
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Term
| Who were the Vikings? Where did they come from? When and where did the Vikings make permanent settlements? |
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Definition
| The Swedish Vikings (Varangians) ruled the Baltic Sea and invaded the Slavic lands to the east. Around 850, they established a post at Novgorod to the southeast of Finland. They were merchants as well as warriors. |
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Term
| When did the Magyar threat end, and who was primarily responsible for it? |
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Definition
| In 955 the Magyars were defeated by Otto I, King of Germany. The Holy Roman Empire was established because of this defeat. |
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Term
| What was so special about the Vikings' mode of transportation? |
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Definition
| The Vikings use ships and took to the sea. Therefore, they were highly mobile, and one place was just as satisfactory to plunder as another. When they found a town well garrisoned, they usually simply went around it, and they rarely risked battle with strong armed forces. |
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Term
| Who was Rollo, and what was the significance of the year 911? |
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Definition
| In 911, Charles the Simple (King of the West Franks), granted the Viking leader Rollo the land around the mouth of the Seine. This gulf was later enlarged to include the region known as Normandy. In return, Rollo became a Christian and the king's vassal. The establishment of Rollo in Normandy effectively protected France from Viking raids along the Channel. The Viking invasions came to an end. |
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