Vikings: The Rise and Fall

An attack on a small religious community on the holy island of Lindisfarne in A.D. 793 heralded the start of the Viking age of conquest and expansion; the Vikings' beginnings in Scandinavia.[National Geographic]

The Siege of York occurred in 866 when the Great Heathen army laid claim to the Northumbrian capital of York. Looking at the major battles, players and strongholds in ninth-century England.[National Geographic]

The Silk Road opened up a world of trade for the Scandinavians in the East. Seeking further wealth, the Vikings known in the East as 'the Rus' attacked Constantinople in 860.[National Geographic]

The siege of Paris in 885 was the culmination of the Viking invasions of Francia. Looking at the persistent Viking attacks on Francia and the enduring presence of the Scandinavians on the Frankish Empire and beyond.[National Geographic]

Political turmoil in Norway leads a voyage of discovery west. The Vikings discover Iceland where they established lasting settlements. Further exploration from Iceland leads to the discovery of Greenland and Newfoundland[National Geographic]

The mid-10th-century reign of Harald Bluetooth as king of a newly unified, powerful and Christianized Denmark marked the beginning of a second Viking age. We look at the final days of the Viking empire.[National Geographic]