How did the viking invasions affect early medieval life in Western Europe?
The Vikings were vicious and violent. –“The raids of the Vikings in the 9th and 10th centuries are among the best-known episodes of early medieval history…They took a heavy toll on the fragile political development and stability of Europe…the Church, as a wealthy and relatively defenseless target, may have suffered more heavily than many other sectors of European society. –“The Vikings began to raid their southern neighbors seriously and systematically around 800. These raids, and the subsequent invasions, took many forms and reached out in many directions….raids gradually changed from hit-and-run attacks to larger and more ambitious forays in which bands of sailor-raiders carved out holdings or base camps where they might spend the winter. Eventually, by the mid- to late 9th century, the armies grew in size.Many of the men became settlers in the lands where they had first appeared as marauders and raiders. They began to convert to Christianity and either brought families from
