Extent of Scandinavian Conqtcests 87 



was then called Jomsborg. The inhabitants, who 

 were an exceedingly brave and independent race of 

 freebooters, went by the name of the Joms Vikings. 

 A certain Palnatoki is said to have been the founder of 

 the republic of Jomsborg. He has been chosen as the 

 hero of one of Bjornson's plays. Then north and 

 west of the Baltic lay the three ancient Scandinavian 

 countries, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway; each of 

 which (Norway the last) had before the end of the ninth 

 century coalesced into a single kingdom. 



Travel to the south of Denmark and we see that in 

 this year, 912, the province of Neustria or Normandy 

 has been handed over to Eolf (RoUo) and his North- 

 men. Then, again, in England, Northumbria and a 

 large portion of the Midlands belong to the Danes and 

 Norsemen. At this precise moment a certain Siegfrid, 

 a Dane, of whom we know little, reigned in North- 

 umbria. But a few years afterwards he was succeeded 

 by a Kegnald, formerly King of Waterford, and there- 

 fore a Norseman, not a Dane by descent. The kingdom 

 of Northumbria must have consisted at this time both 

 of Norsemen and Danes, or a Norse king would never 

 have been chosen to reign over it. Of the Norse settle- 

 ments in Ireland and Scotland we have already spoken, 

 and need not speak again. Then, fiom the Orkneys 

 and Shetlands we pass to the Faroes, and to Iceland ; 

 and in the course of the century the area of Norse rule 

 and settlement extends to Greenland and to a fragment 

 of America. 



What an immense power was latent in this vast 

 chain of nations stretching from the east to the west ! 

 Had there been political genius enough among the 



