John Haywood is an expert on the history of Dark Age Europe. His many books include Historical Atlas of the Ancient World, The New Atlas of World History, and Viking: The Norse Warrior's [Unofficial] Manual.
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In AD 800, the Scandinavians were just barbarians in longships. Though they held sway in the north, their power meant little more than the ability to pillage and plunder, which they did to bolster their status at home. But as these Norse warriors left the... SEE MORE