Viking marauders in their longships burst through the defences of ninth-century Europe, striking terror into the hearts of peasants and rulers alike for two centuries. But the Vikings were more than just marine warriors and this atlas shows their development as traders and craftsmen, explorers, settlers and mercenaries. With over sixty full colour maps, it follows the tracks of the Viking merchants who travelled deep into Russia, of Viking mercenaries who served in the emperor's bodyguard at Constantinople, and Viking mariners who sailed beyond the edge of the known world to North America.

Table of Contents

The Causes of the Viking Age; Timeline. Part I The Origins of the Vikings: The Scandinavian Environment; Scandinavia Before the Vikings; Pagan Religion and Burial. Part II Scandinavia in the Viking Age: From Chiefdoms to Kingdoms; Rural Settlement; Trade and Trade Routes; Ships and Seafaring; Viking Towns; Women in the Viking Age. Part III The Raids: The Raids Begin; The Raids Intensify; The Vikings in the Mediterranean; The Franks Fight Back; The Great Army in England; The Great Raids on Francia; Wessex Defended; The Conquest of the Danelaw; The Kingdom of York; Vikings in Ireland I; Vikings in Ireland II; The Vikings in Scotland; Scandinavian Placenames in Britain; The Duchy of Normandy; The Vikings in Brittany; The Viking Warrior. Part IV The North Atlantic Saga: The Faeroes and Iceland; The Settlement of Iceland; Icelandic Literature; The Vikings in Greenland; Voyages to Vinland. Part V The Vikings in the East: The Swedes in the East; From Scandinavian to Slav. Part VI The Transformation of the Vikings: Raids on AEthelraed's Kingdom; The Danes Conquer England; The Empire' of Cnut; The Thunderbolt of the North; The Struggle for England; The Kingdom of Man and the Isles; The Twilight of Viking Scotland; Scandinavia After the Vikings; The Early Scandinavian Church. Viking Kings and Rulers.

About the Author

John Haywood is the author of a number of books, including The Penguin Historical Atlas of the Vikings and The Historial Atlas of the Celtic World (Thames & Hudson). He lives in Lancaster.