The Viking raids and warfare of the 8th to 11th centuries have become some of the most famous and notorious events in European history. The period, known as the Viking Age, saw Scandinavian raiders make several expeditions to Britain, Ireland, and the coastlines of western Europe, in order to steal, conquer, and colonize. This was the result of an expansion of Norse power, as they moved further away from their home territories in Scandinavia, seeking new lands and resources.
The primary goal of Vikings during the Viking Age was to acquire wealth and resources, usually through raiding. This usually came in the form of plundering, either by capturing people and enslaving them or by taking whatever items they considered valuable. Viking raiders
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When attacking a settlement, they would use their ships to approach the shore, sometimes a day or two ahead of time, to lay a trap and wait in an ambush. Often, the raiders would use their numbers to overwhelm the defenders and breach the defences, and although they rarely had a decisive victory, this strategy worked in their favour most of the time.
When it came to defending their own settlements, the Vikings were also quite good at defence. Larger settlements, such as Dublin and York, had defensive walls that were often built with timber, clay, and stone, and reinforced with iron. Additionally, small boats, called "snekkjas" were used to patrol the coasts and act as a first line of defence against the raiders.
In addition to the more traditional forms of attack and defence, the Vikings also made use of a variety of weapons and tactics. Swords, axes, and bows and arrows were commonly employed, as were wooden shields that could be used to protect the raiders or defenders from enemy attacks. The Vikings also created and used longboats, which could carry a large number of men, allowing them to quickly travel across the seas and launch surprise