Interactive Map of Viking Raids and Expeditions

The Viking Age traditionally begins on June 8, 793, with the raid on Lindisfarne, a monastery on an island off the northeast coast of England. Viking longships appear at dawn and plunder the shrine of Saint Cuthbert, shocking all of medieval Christendom. This event marks the start of 273 years of Norse expansion across Europe, into Asia and all the way to America.

Ragnar Lothbrok is the most legendary figure of the Viking raids. He is said to have commanded the 120 longships that besieged Paris in 845. The Icelandic sagas portray him as a hero of many conquests, but his historical existence is still debated: the leader documented by the Carolingian chronicles was named Reginheri. Full feature: Ragnar Lothbrok, the Legendary Viking.

The longship is the iconic Viking warship, 20 to 37 meters long. Its clinker-built hull (overlapping planks) and single keel allowed it to sail both on the open sea and in shallow rivers. The Vikings could thus sail up the Seine to Paris or up the Volga to Baghdad. Complete guide: Longship: Construction and Navigation.

Yes. In the year 1000, Leif Erikson lands in Vinland (present-day Newfoundland, Canada), some 500 years before Christopher Columbus. Archaeological excavations at L'Anse aux Meadows (a UNESCO-listed site) confirmed as early as 1960 the presence of a permanent Viking camp on American soil. This major discovery is still little known to the general public.

Twice. In 845, 120 longships sail up the Seine under the command of Reginheri: Charles the Bald pays 7,000 pounds of silver to make them leave. In 885, an army of 30,000 Vikings besieges Paris for a year. Count Odo holds out heroically — a turning point in French history. Read: The Viking Siege of Paris in 845.

It is a myth. No horned Viking helmet has ever been found in an archaeological excavation. This cliché comes from the costumes of Wagner's opera (1876) and from 19th-century Romantic illustrations. Real Viking helmets were simple and conical, often made of iron with a nose guard — designed for combat, not for looks.

Mjölnir (Thor's hammer), the Valknut (three interlocking triangles, symbol of Odin), the Vegvísir (runic compass), Yggdrasil (the world tree) and the Ægishjálmr (helm of awe). Each symbol served a protective or spiritual function in Norse culture. Full breakdown: The 17 Viking Symbols and Their Meaning.

The Vikings practiced Norse mythology, a polytheistic faith centered on Odin (king of the gods), Thor (god of thunder), Freyja (goddess of love and war) and Loki (the cunning god). They believed in Ragnarök, the prophesied end of the world, and in Valhöll, where warriors who died in battle feasted for all eternity at Odin's side. Gradual Christianization (9th–11th century) put an end to this religion.

On September 25, 1066, Harald Hardrada, king of Norway, lands in England with 300 longships to claim its throne. He is crushed at Stamford Bridge by Harold Godwinson. Three weeks later, William the Conqueror (a descendant of the Vikings of Normandy) in turn defeats Harold at Hastings. This double battle marks the end of Scandinavian expansion and the beginning of the High Middle Ages.

The Vikings reached four continents: North America (Vinland, 1000), Africa (raids in the Mediterranean, Muslim Spain, the Moroccan coast), Asia (trade as far as Baghdad via the Volga and the Dnieper) and all of Europe (France, England, Ireland, Russia, the Byzantine Empire). Their trade and military network covered a larger territory than the Roman Empire at its height.