The Viking Age was a period of viking raids (during the Middle Ages) that lasted approximately from 793 to 1066. The age saw Scandinavian seafarers, known as the "vikings", launch raids across Europe, North Africa, and in the Caspian Sea and Black Sea regions. The vikings had already raided each other's lands in the Baltics for hundreds of years, but improvements in seafaring technology allowed for the Vikings to cross the seas in search of plunder. They established settlements in Eastern Europe, Normandy, England, Ireland, the islands around Scotland, on Ireland, Greenland, and Newfoundland, and in northern Germany and Estonia. The vikings were known to be barbaric, with the pagan vikings sacrificing people to their gods, massacring men and children, and taking women as captives. During the 10th century, most vikings converted to Christianity, and their raids died down as their societies centralized. In 1066, the death of King Harald Hardrada during a failed invasion of England ended the Viking Age, with the viking invasions coming to an end.
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