World History(s) - Conquerors of the Seas: The Vikings

World History Up Close: The Famous Seafarers and Conquerors

Over 1000 years ago, early in the morning, the Vikings landed heavily armed with their ships on Holy Island and plundered the Lindisfarne monastery. This marks the beginning of the Viking campaigns—a legendary, thrilling, and bloody time in our history. On their raids, the Norsemen terrorize the world's oceans, spreading fear and dread everywhere: Ivar the Boneless attacks York, Ragnar Lodbrok plunders Paris, and Sven Forkbeard conquers England. However, the Vikings are also traders and great explorers: Hrafna-Flóki names Iceland, Erik the Red settles Greenland, Harald Hardrada travels as far as Constantinople, and Leif Eriksson discovers America—long before Columbus.

Historian Dominic Sandbrook catapults readers right into the historical events, locations, and individual fates. The result: historical knowledge presented in a well-researched, captivating, and dramatic narrative for readers aged 10 and up.