In 793 AD, Norwegian warriors attacked the English island of Lindisfarne and completely devastated it. Wave after wave, Scandinavian “sea wolves” followed after loot—land or a glorious death in battle. Much of the British Isles fell to their swords, and the continental capitals of Paris and Aachen were plundered one after another.
Turning east, they sailed along previously unknown rivers of Central Europe, captured Kyiv, and clashed with the powerful Constantinople—capital of the Byzantine Empire. But in the history of the Vikings there were more than just conquests. They introduced a new form of trial by jury in England, were skilled merchants and explorers who settled Iceland, founded Dublin, and created a trade network stretching from Baghdad to the shores of North America.