The Annals of Saint-Bertin and an Anonymous Monk

In the ninth century, the empire of Charlemagne began to disintegrate due in large part to a series of weak and inept rulers who succeeded him. On account of the crumbling political situation, western Europe once again fell prey to an onslaught of invasions. As with the invasions of four centuries earlier, much of the European continent was reduced to a state of chaos and anarchy.

Perhaps the most feared of this new wave of invaders were the Vikings. A seafaring people, the Vikings took to their longboats to escape the uncertainties of life in the rocky, mountainous, and mostly barren lands of Scandinavia. Referred to by their contemporaries as the Northmen or Danish pirates, they pillaged and plundered large parts of Europe with callous impunity, contributing to the eventual breakdown in central government. The...