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Viking Expeditions 39
station from which they extended their plundering ex-
peditions to Scotland, England, and Ireland, where
they also founded powerful states. Their discovery of
Iceland, Greenland, and America has already been re-
lated.
The Danish Expeditions. The Danish vikings plun-
dered the coasts of England, Germany, and France
Separate bands even entered the Mediterranean and
plundered its coasts.
England was finally conquered by the Danish king
Sweyn Forkbeard (Sven Tveskagg). His son Knut,
who on account of his wisdom and power has been
given the title Great, gave the exhausted land peace
and order. His dominion is said to have been the larg-
est ever ruled- by any northern king. It embraced not
only England and Denmark but also Norway. A few
years after his death, however, the Danish dominion
in England was forever ended, 1042.
In France the Danish vikings dared to attack even
the capital, the strongly fortified Paris. But the Frank-
ish king hit upon an effective plan to secure his land
from further viking attacks. He gave the lands on both
sides of the lower Seine as a duchy to the powerful
viking chieftain Gange-Rolf (Rollo) . He is said to have
been so heavy that no horse could carry him, so he had
to walk. Hence the appellation G&nge, meaning walk-
ing. He and his successors defended the country against
other vikings so powerfully that France thenceforth
enjoyed quiet. His duchy was named Normandy and its
people Normans after the Northmen. The Normans
were long known for their strength and love of adven-
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