Scandinavian Settlements 79 



up the Seine were more independent. On the first of 

 these the Vikings sailed only as far as lioueii, which 

 they plundered. The second time they sailed as far as 

 Paris ; and though the city itself was saved — by a 

 miracle it was said — from their fury, some of the 

 neighbouring monasteries were plundered. The same 

 year that took place this first siege of Paris (a.d. 845), 

 Hamburg was taken and plundered by another fleet of 

 pirates sailing up the Elbe. 



This gives us a picture of the earliest Viking attacks 

 on Christendom, which were essentially summer expedi- 

 tions and raids for plunder only. But in the middle 

 year of the ninth century (850) we find the Northmen 

 wintering for the first time in some of the countries 

 which they attacked, and from this date onwards until 

 the year 912 we may consider that the career of the 

 Vikings in Christendom takes a new character. They 

 became more and more settlers in the countries they 

 have selected for plunder, and more and more cut off 

 from the life of their countrymen at home. At first 

 their settlement is no doubt a settlement only in 

 entrenched camps, or other strong places : but gradually 

 the idea comes to them of conquering or colonising 

 great tracts of the enemies' countries. The first to 

 whom this idea occurred seems to have been Thorgisl, 

 the leader of the Norsemen in Ireland, of whom we 

 have already spoken ; but his attempt ended in failure. 

 It was premature, for Thorgisl's death falls in a.d. 845. 



Towards the end of the ninth century we see that 

 large schemes of conquest are beginning to engage the 

 thoughts of the Norsemen. The most extended of 

 these schemes (the most extended that is estimated by 



