Rise of the Vikings
Vikings conducted raids, founded settlements, and established political control in many regions: they raided monasteries and towns in the British Isles, settled in places such as Iceland, Greenland and Normandy, sailed into the Mediterranean and established trade routes and political ties as far east as the Volga and Constantinople. Their activities ranged from hit-and-run raids to full conquest and colonisation, and they also served as traders and mercenaries (for example, in the Byzantine Empire).
Who where the Vikings
The Vikings were people from the Norse-speaking regions of Scandinavia (today’s Norway, Sweden and Denmark) who, during the early Middle Ages, acted as sailors, traders, settlers, raiders and mercenaries across much of Europe and beyond. They spoke Old Norse, used runic writing, and practiced Norse religion before gradually converting to Christianity between the 8th and 12th centuries.
Viking ships
Viking ships — especially the famous longships — were technologically advanced for their time: long, narrow, light wooden hulls with shallow drafts that made them fast, seaworthy and able to enter shallow rivers and beaches for quick landings. Their design (rows of oars plus a square sail, double-ended hull for reversing direction) allowed both ocean crossings and river travel, enabling raids, trade and colonization across the North Atlantic, the Baltic, and into Eastern Europe.
Viking conquests
Vikings conducted raids, founded settlements, and established political control in many regions: they raided monasteries and towns in the British Isles, settled in places such as Iceland, Greenland and Normandy, sailed into the Mediterranean and established trade routes and political ties as far east as the Volga and Constantinople. Their activities ranged from hit-and-run raids to full conquest and colonisation, and they also served as traders and mercenaries (for example, in the Byzantine Empire).
What happened to the Vikings
The Viking Age did not end suddenly but faded as Scandinavia changed: kingdoms consolidated, many Norse people converted to Christianity, and European states became better organized and able to resist raids. As a result, Viking raiding decreased and Norse culture increasingly merged into medieval European societies — descendants of the Vikings became medieval Scandinavians, Normans, Rus’ and other regional peoples rather than a distinct “Viking” phenomenon.