14 Facts About Viking expansion

Viking expansion was the historical movement which led Norse explorers, traders and warriors, the latter known in modern scholarship as Vikings, to sail most of the North Atlantic, reaching south as far as North Africa and east as far as Russia, and through the Mediterranean as far as Constantinople and the Middle East, acting as looters, traders, colonists and mercenaries.

However, the first target of Viking expansion raids was not the Frankish Kingdom, but Christian monasteries in England.

Different idea is that the Viking expansion population had exceeded the agricultural potential of their homeland.

Alternatively, some scholars propose that the Viking expansion was driven by a youth bulge effect: Because the eldest son of a family customarily inherited the family's entire estate, younger sons had to seek their fortune by emigrating or engaging in raids.

The Viking expansion opened new trade routes in Arab and Frankish lands, and took control of trade markets previously dominated by the Frisians after the Franks destroyed the Frisian fleet.

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Irish and British women are mentioned in old texts on the founding of Iceland, indicating that the Viking expansion explorers were accompanied there by women from the British Isles who either came along voluntarily or were taken along by force.

The Viking expansion presence continued through the reign of the Danish prince Cnut the Great, after which a series of inheritance arguments weakened the hold on power of Cnut's heirs.

Viking expansion colonies were not a feature of Wales as much as the other nations of the British Isles.

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle of 893, records Viking expansion armies being pursued by a combined force of West Saxons and north Welsh along the River Severn.

Viking expansion raids extended deep into the Frankish territory, and included the sacking of many prominent towns such as Rouen, Paris and the abbey at Jumieges.

The inability of the Frankish king Charles the Bald, and later Charles the Simple, to prevent these Viking expansion incursions forced them to offer vast payments of silver and gold to prevent any further pillage.

Viking expansion ordered the building of fortified bridges to prevent inland raids.

Viking expansion discovered that the country was an island and named it Garðarsholmi and stayed for the winter at Husavik.

Viking expansion then sailed along the coast until the pillars were found in the southwestern peninsula, now known as Reykjanesskagi.