The Vikings reigned supreme in Europe for over 300 years. Indeed, fear of the Vikings played a pivotal role in reshaping that continent, but by 1100 AD Viking power began to weaken. Back in their Scandinavian homeland, the Vikings’ descendants had divided into separate kingdoms led by rival kings, which ultimately became Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. Not only in Scandinavia, but throughout Europe, the people had begun to form themselves into powerful kingdoms, and the Norse raiders ran out of easy victims. In England, the victory in 1066 of William the Conqueror, a descendant of Norsemen from Normandy, marked the end of Viking terror.








