The Vikings entered history with a bang. The year 793, marked by their unheralded attack on the monastery of Lindisfarne, where they descended like ‘stinging hornets’ and ‘fearful wolves’ to enslave ...

When the Vikings returned in 845, they brought with them a flotilla of more than 100 longships to sack the city. On Easter Monday, the Vikings managed to catch the city unprepared once again.