The Viking Age is traditionally said to have begun in 793 CE with a raid on the monastery at Lindisfarne in England.

Early Viking activity consisted of seasonal 'hit-and-run' raids for portable wealth (plunder) and slaves.

Over time, these raids evolved into large-scale invasions and permanent settlements.

In England, a large area known as the 'Danelaw' fell under Viking control.

In Ireland, Vikings founded many coastal towns, including Dublin, which became a major Viking trading hub.

In Francia (France), Viking raids led to the Siege of Paris, and they were eventually granted the territory that became Normandy.

Swedish Vikings, known as the Varangians or Rus', traveled east into modern Russia and Ukraine.

They established a state known as the Kievan Rus' and controlled trade routes connecting the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea.

Norwegian Vikings focused on westward expansion, settling the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland, and briefly, North America.

European kingdoms eventually developed more effective defenses, and the era of Viking raids gradually came to an end.