Beginning of the Viking Age

Timeline

1. 700–800Coasts of Norway and Denmark · ScandinaviaNorthern Europe developed longships and trading vessels suited to ocean voyaging; combined with astronomical navigation and coastal sailing experience, this made long crossings of the North Sea and Baltic possible.
2. 750–800Coasts of the North Sea and Baltic · Baltic SeaNorse warrior bands raided and traded along the coasts of Britain, Francia, and the Baltic, extending Scandinavian power to the edges of Western Christendom.
3. 793–800Coasts of Western Europe · Western EuropeEvents such as the 793 attack on Lindisfarne monastery made Western Europe's churches and royal houses formally aware of the maritime threat from the north, bringing the Viking Age into the core of historical narrative.