The Vikings were originally diverse Scandinavian seafarers from Norway, Sweden, and Denmark (though other nationalities were later involved) whose raids and subsequent settlements significantly impacted the cultures of Europe and were felt as far as the Mediterranean regions c. 790 - c. 1100 CE. The Vikings were all Scandinavian but not all Scandinavians were Vikings.
More about: VikingsDefinition
Timeline
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c. 4000 BCE - c. 2300 BCEDepictions of ships in stone (in burial settings) and metal found in Scandinavia.
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c. 350 BCEHjortspring boat - the earliest known plank-built Scandinavian vessel.
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c. 200 CE - c. 400 CERoman technology used by Vikings in shipbuilding.
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c. 350 CE - c. 400 CEThe Nydam Ship built, first able to easily travel long distance overseas.
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c. 750 CE - c. 800 CEThe presumed founding of the important Viking trading center of Birka in Sweden.
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780 CE - 950 CEThe commercial Viking centre at Kaupang thrives.
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c. 790 CE - c. 880 CEStyle E (also 'Oseberg' or 'Broa' style) of the Scandinavian animal ornamentation styles flourished between the late 8th- and late 9th century CE.
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c. 790 CE - c. 1100 CEThe Viking Age.
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793 CEFirst Viking raid in Britain at Lindisfarne Abbey.
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c. 800 CE - c. 1050 CEApproximate timespan of the Viking Age.
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c. 829 CE - c. 831 CEThe Frankish missionary St. Ansgar (801-865 CE) first introduces the Swedes to Christianity in the Viking trading town of Birka.
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845 CEViking chief Ragnar Lothbrok raids Paris.
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c. 850 CE - c. 990 CEThe Borre Style of the Viking Age animal ornamentation styles flourished between c. 850 and the late 10th century CE.
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854 CE - 858 CEViking raids on West Francia allegedly led by Bjorn Ironside and Hastein (although this attribution is more likely legendary rather than historical).
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876 CEViking raids involving Rollo.
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885 CE - 886 CEViking siege of Paris. Odo of West Francia successfully defends the city.
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c. 890 CE - c. 990 CEThe Jelling Style, a Viking Age animal ornamentation style, cropped up just before 900 CE and was in vogue until the end of the 10th century CE.
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c. 900 CEViking Hedeby is at its height. It encompasses an area of around 24 hectares and has a population of approximately 1,500 people.
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c. 950 CE - c. 1000 CEThe Mammen Style, a Scandinavian animal ornamentation style, flourished in this period.
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c. 950 CEThe Viking trading center of Birka in present-day Sweden goes into abrupt decline around the mid-10th century CE.
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c. 990 CE - c. 1050 CEThe Ringerike Style, a Scandinavian animal ornamentation style, flourished in this period.
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c. 1000 CEVikings first land in North America, in Newfoundland and other parts of eastern Canada.
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c. 1040 CE - c. 1100 CEThe Urnes style, the last of the Viking Age animal ornamentation styles, flourished in this period and even extended into the 12th century CE in certain locations.
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1066 CEViking Hedeby is sacked by Polabian Slavs, after already having been sacked by Harald Hardrada of Norway a few years before. Residents relocate to Schleswig, and Hedeby's role as mercantile center ceases.
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c. 1066 CEHarald Hardrada of the Vikings killed at the Battle of Stamford Bridge; accepted date of the end of the Viking Age.
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25 Sep 1066 CEBattle of Stamford Bridge in which Harold Godwinson (Harold II) defeats an invading army led by Harald Hardrada, king of Norway.
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21 Sep 1069 CEA Viking force led by King Sweyn II of Denmark's brother Asbjorn sacks York.
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May 1070 CEKing Sweyn II of Denmark joins forces with Anglo-Saxon rebels led by Hereward the Wake to threaten East Anglia in England.
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c. 1220 CEThe Prose Edda by Snorri Sturluson is written.
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c. 1270 CEThe Poetic Edda is written. It contains poetry that dates further back, though.
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2018 CEThe Viking trading center of Hedeby is made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2018: the "Archaeological Border complex of Hedeby and the Danevirke".
