For three centuries the Vikings terrified all of Western Europe. For three centuries they were the “scourge of God” for neighboring peoples, eventually moving from raids and robberies to full-scale conquests - at the beginning of the 11th century they conquered England and Ireland, forced France to pay them tribute and founded the Norman kingdom on the northern French lands, which was destined to play a prominent role role in history. The Vikings left an equally noticeable mark in Eastern Europe, but here their habits were strikingly different from what the West was horrified by - in the Tale of Bygone Years there is practically no information about Varangian atrocities and robberies. It is only known that in the middle of the 9th century the Scandinavians collected tribute from the Chud, Meri, Krivichi and Novgorod Slovenes, but in 862 they were expelled by the united Slavic and Finno-Ugric tribes, who called the legendary Rurik to reign. Since then, the Vikings have appeared in Russian chronicles and Scandinavian sagas only as “trading guests”, mercenaries and allies of Rus' - a whole galaxy of brilliant kings served the princes Svyatoslav, Vladimir the Saint and Yaroslav the Wise, who himself married a Swedish princess, and married his son to his sister Anglo-Danish ruler...In this book you will find comprehensive information about the glorious and bloody era of the Vikings, about their campaigns, exploits and victories, as well as about their role in the formation of the Russian state.