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The beginning of the Viking Age is commonly given as 793, when Vikings attacked the British island Lindisfarne, and its end is marked by the failed invasion attempt on England by Harald Hårdråde in 1066.

The Viking longships were uniquely suited to both deep and shallow waters, and thus extended the reach of Viking raiders not only along coastlines, but also to areas along the banks of major rivers. Rurik founded the first Russian state with a capital at Novgorod. Vikings continued south on rivers to the Black Sea and then on to ConstantinopleConstantinople (Roman name: Constantinopolis; Greek: Konstantinoupolis or ) is the former name of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Its original name was Byzantium ( Greek: Byzantion or Bυζαντιο&nu pronounced roughly B. FranceThe French Republic or France ( French: Republique francaise or France is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents. was particularly hard-hit by these raiders, who could sail down the SeineThis article is about the river in France; it should not be confused with the Senne, a much smaller river that flows through Brussels. For other rivers named Seine see Seine River (disambiguation). A seine is also a kind of fishing net. The Seine (pronoun with near impunity. The region now known as NormandyThis article concerns the former country of Normandy. For other uses, see Normandy (disambiguation). Mont Saint Michel is a historic pilgrimage site and a symbol of Normandy Normandy is a former country (a Duchy) situated in northern France occupying the was rendered practically uninhabitable by the depradations of these recurring raids. Eventually, the French king Charles the SimpleCharles III "the Simple ( September 17, 879 October 7, 929) was a member of the Carolingian dynasty. He ruled as King of France from 898 to 922. The posthumous son of King Louis II of France and Adelaide, Charles married Frederonne who died in 917 and he was able to make an agreement with Hrolf Ganger, later named Rollo. Charles gave Hrolf the title of Duke and granted him and his followers possession of the ravaged land of NormandyThis article concerns the former country of Normandy. For other uses, see Normandy (disambiguation). Mont Saint Michel is a historic pilgrimage site and a symbol of Normandy Normandy is a former country (a Duchy) situated in northern France occupying the. In return, Hrolf swore fealty to Charles, converted to Christianity, and undertook to defend the northern region of France against the incursions of other Vikings. The results were, in a historical sense, rather ironic: several generations later, the Norman descendants of these Viking settlers not only identified themselves as French, but carried the French language and culture into England during the Norman Conquest.