History's Greatest Raiders: Vikings

The English island of Lindisfarne was both sacred and wealthy. Pilgrims who came to the island's monastery to visit the grave of St. Cuthbert often brought donations with them--donations that drew the attention of Norsemen known as Vikings (which means "pirate"). Beginning in 793, Vikings launched a series of violent raids to plunder the monastery, and the monks eventually fled, taking St. Cuthbert's body with them. For the next 60 years, the threat of Viking raids forced the peoples of England, Ireland, and France to regard the sea in terror. Coastal communities rarely had even an hour's notice to prepare for an attack. Vikings had fast ships, were heavily armed, and chose lightly defended targets. They were also willing to kill anyone that stood in their way--including women, children, the elderly, and monks. A Christian prayer from this period reflects the fear instilled by Vikings: "From the fury of the Norsemen, deliver us O Lord." In 845, the Viking chieftain Ragnar carried out a particularly brazen raid on Paris. His target was well inland and would have to be approached by river. Furthermore, his progress would be slowed by winter ice. As a result, Charles the Bald, the king of the Franks, had plenty of time to prepare. Unfortunately, Charles decided to split his army so it could defend both banks of the river. Ragnar easily defeated the smaller force and hanged 111 captives in full view of the other French soldiers. Meeting no further resistance, Ragnar's men entered Paris on Easter Sunday, where Charles paid Ragnar 7,000 pieces of silver so he would go away. Although Charles was criticized for paying this ransom, he bought himself eight years of peace. In hindsight, he probably wished he had greeted Ragnar at the mouth of the river with the silver.