8 | Scandinavia & Northern Europe Destination Guide
From 793 until 1066, Scandinavian Norsemen
explored Europe by its seas and rivers for
trade, raids and conquests. The Viking
Age began in 793, with a landing near
the Lindisfarne Prior y, off the nor theast
coast of England. The Vikings were not just
warriors, traders and craf tsmen, they were
also the ultimate explorers; the Old Norse
verb "viking" means to go on a waterborne
journey, whether by river or sea.
Their routes stretched from the Arctic nor th
e intrepid spirit of the Vikings has led to fascinating unions
and breakups of what are now modern, prosperous nations—
Denmark, Sweden and Norway.
Scandinavian
HISTORY
A LINE DRAWING OF NORSEMEN ARRIVING ON SHORE
of Nor way, along the Atlantic coasts of
France and Spain, to the Mediterranean. They
explored the water ways of Kievan Rus—what
is now Ukraine, Belarus and par ts of Russia—
to reach Constantinople (now Istanbul),
before travelling eastward to Islamic lands.
The 10th to 13th centuries saw numerous
Germanic kingdoms and chiefdoms united
into three kingdoms: Denmark, Sweden and
Nor way. The three Scandinavian kingdoms
joined in 1397 in the Kalmar Union under
