One of the first recorded Viking invasions took place in 793 CE on Lindisfarne, off the east coast of England. Bands of Viking warriors looted and destroyed the island’s well-known monastery (a residence for monks or other religious people). They killed many of the monks. Their behavior shocked all who heard of the raid.
After that, Viking attacks increased. Raiders stole whatever they could find, from precious gems to fine fabrics to people – young men and women to sell into slavery.
Early Viking raids kept to lands on the North Sea and the English Channel. Soon, however, the Vikings’ thirst for riches sent them farther inland. They attacked places along the Rhine, Seine, Loire, and Rhône Rivers – all over Europe. Swedish Vikings sailed across the Baltic Sea to Russia. They followed the Dnieper and Volga Rivers and settled in parts of what are now Russia and Ukraine. Some of these feared warriors traveled to the Black and Caspian Seas and on to Constantinople and Baghdad.
The Vikings traveled all over these lands stealing treasure, terrorizing people, and destroying entire towns.
