The Vikings Pillage Europe
739 AD
739 739
09.00E57.00N
MISC

SCANDINAVIA
	In 739 AD a storm suddenly broke over Europe.
	For reasons still unclear to historians, Danes, Norwegians and some Swedes began an almost 200-year career of cruel raiding and warfare throughout Europe.
	In their shallow-draft long boats, these "Vikings" traveled great distances.  Beginning in 739 AD with an attack on a church at Lindisfarne, an island off the east coast of England, Viking raids extended from England to Constantinople.  They even traveled up-river to attack such inland cities as Paris and London.
	Churches throughout Europe prayed, "From the Fury of the Northmen, O Lord, deliver us."
	Though Viking battle tactics were not very sophisticated, they made up for their lack of sophistication with their fury. In battle some Vikings basically went crazy, completely ignoring their own safety. These warrior-fanatics were called "berserkr" (from which we get our word "berserk").
	The Vikings also had little regard for such concepts as mercy. One warrior was called a "children's man" because he didn't like to toss babies into the air and catch them on the point of his spear.
