Viking Age, 800-1100 CE
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Rollo of Normandy
A Viking raider on the Seine who became, by treaty in 911, the first ruler of Normandy and ancestor of William the Conqueror.
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Drakkar
“Drakkar” is the term commonly used for the largest and most ornately carved Viking longships, often featuring dragon-head prows intended to intimidate enemies and invoke protective spirits during raiding voyages.
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Skeid
The skeid was a large class of Viking longship built for major raiding expeditions and warfare, carrying a bigger crew and more oars than smaller longship types, and forming the core of larger Viking raiding fleets.
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Snekkja
The snekkja was a mid-sized Viking longship class, smaller than the great skeid but larger than a karve, and represented one of the most common warship types used in Viking Age raiding and naval expeditions.
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Karve
The karve was a smaller type of Viking longship, broader than the largest raiding ships but still fast and shallow-drafted, used for smaller raiding parties, coastal transport, and everyday voyages.
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Knarr
The knarr was a broader, deeper-hulled Norse cargo vessel built for open-ocean trade and settlement voyages rather than raiding speed, but it supported Viking expansion and raiding logistics by ferrying goods, livestock, and settlers across the North Atlantic.
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Longship
The Viking longship was a slender, shallow-draft vessel powered by both oar and a single square sail, built for speed and capable of navigating open ocean, coastal waters, and shallow rivers alike. Its versatility enabled Viking raiders to strike coastal towns and monasteries with speed and then withdraw far inland along rivers.