## TL;DR

Viking Age (793-1066 CE): Norse seafarers from Scandinavia raided, traded, and settled across Europe, reaching North America (L'Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland, ~1000 CE) centuries before Columbus. Not just raiders: also traders, explorers, settlers. Norse mythology (Odin, Thor, Valhalla) remains culturally influential.

## Core Explanation

Longships: shallow draft enabled river navigation and beach landings. Raids: Lindisfarne (793, shocked Christian Europe), Paris (845). Settlements: Iceland (874), Greenland (Erik the Red, 985), Vinland (North America, Leif Erikson ~1000). Danelaw: Viking-controlled England. Norman conquest of England (1066): Normans were Viking descendants who adopted French culture. Runes: writing system. End: Christianization, kingdom consolidation.

## Further Reading

- [The Age of the Vikings (Anders Winroth)](https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691149851/the-age-of-the-vikings)