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Like the Mongols who rode out of the eastern steppe, the Vikings descended upon an unprepared Europe in the Middle Ages, terrorizing the populace of invaded countries and changing the course of European History. While they were considered ruthless barbarians by the rest of Europe, it was a Viking who first walked on the shore of the New World and their home life was democratic and pastoral. When the winter subsided, however, it was time to load up the ships and ravage the weak princes of the continent. This book shows how the Vikings lived, what they looked like and how they rose from a rag-tag band to establishing their own kingdoms in the family of European states. ( )