"Reeve" or representative of the King of Wessex rode out to meet these visitors. He took with him only a small group of men under the impression that the strangers were traders. The strangers slew them.

According to Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, "the ravages of heathen men miserably destroyed God's church on Lindisfarne with plunder and slaughter" in June of the year 793. The Christian monastery communities of Jarrow and Iona, lying on Britain's exposed northern coasts, were looted immediately afterwards. In 795 raids were recorded near Dublin and in 799 on the coast of southwest France.

As far as we know this was all the work of Vikings, otherwise known as Northmen or Norsemen, from Scandinavia in northern Europe. This was also the beginning of the period of history known to us as the Viking Age, dating around AD 800 - 1050, when Scandinavian people from the modern countries of Denmark, Norway and Sweden influenced much of northern Europe and beyond.

Vikings traveled further out in the globe than any European had ever gone before. They exploited the riches of the East and explored the uncharted waters of the North Atlantic. T

Whether as colonizers, traders or warriors, Vikings reached almost every part of the known world and discovered new lands. Their ships traveled the west European coast, sailed through the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea, and journeyed to Italy, Spain, Morocco and the Holy Land. From the Baltic Sea they traveled up Russian rivers and waterways to the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, and all the way to Baghdad. In Asia, they met caravans from China and traded walrus ivory and furs for spices, silver and exotic goods. They sailed the along the North Atlantic and discovered the Faeroes, Iceland and Greenland, and settled parts of England, Scotland, Ireland and Normandy, an area which still bears their name ("Northman's Land").

The most prized and valued Viking weapon, but not the most common one, was the sword. These were very valuable and were often handed down from generation to generation, or were received or given as gifts by great warriors and kings. Swords were considered to have a greater value if they had a history or had belonged to a famous warrior (many believed they were imbued with the warrior's bravery). The blades were between 72 - 80cm (29'' - 32'') long and about 7.5cm (3'') broad at their widest with a shallow groove to lighten the blade without losing any strength. At the time of the migrations from Germany to England some warriors might still have been using swords of the late Roman pattern, the so-called spatha.

In the beginning, Vikings attacked and raided Europe, dominantly under the authority of the Christian Church since the Roman Empire had already died away a few hundred years ago. Vikings deeply affected the fragile political and stability of Europe. This is one reason why their fierceness is overblown. One inference is the priests (the only educated people, therefore historians as well) exaggerated the Viking's damage since the Church was deeply affected by them. One such example is how the Vikings are portrayed in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Germany England, Carolingian Empire, Equipment Invasions, Viking Age, Roman Empire, Central Sweden, North Atlantic, Harald Hårfager, Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, Jarrow Iona, ad 800, northern europe, reasons viking, viking age, carolingian empire, anglo-saxon chronicles, north atlantic, deeply affected,
Approximate Word count = 1407
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)