"When the age of the Vikings came to a close, they must have sensed it. Probably, they gathered together one evening, slapped each other on the back and said, 'Hey, good job.'" -- from "Deep Thoughts" by Hans Håndi The era of the Viking raids in Western Europe began in the late Eighth century and continued throughout the Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth Centuries. The era of raiding extended for a very long time - a good deal longer than in, for example, our timeline.