From the time of the first known raids in Lindisfarne in 793 until the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066 the Vikings were the most powerful and influential people of northern Europe. Famed for their battle prowess and extensive trade, they made themselves known from Western Europe to the Black Sea. Through a desire of freedom from the power of the Kings or perhaps sheer greed, the Vikings settled in many places of Europe. These Scandinavians were the people who helped form what today is Russia and have left marks in almost every country in Europe.
