The Viking World

At the end of the 8th century AD the Vikings burst upon a shocked and unsuspecting Europe. Lean ships with curved prows forged their way across the sea and penetrated deep into the land along the rivers and creeks., disgorging ferocious warriors to plunder and pillage. 'Never before', wrote Alcuin of Britain in 793, 'has such terror appeared... as we have now suffered from a pagan race, nor was it thought that such an inroad from the sea could be made.' For 300 years the power of the Vikingsdominated Europe and the fear of their raiders was strong. Then as rapdly and as misteriously as they had appeared, the Vikig warriors vanished from the sea; their Age had passed, but their influence can still be seen today.

História Geral