... mean there was more social than political impact of the Vikings. In his book, Kings and Vikings, Sawyer notes that although the Vikings were disruptive and destructive when raiding, they made a positive contribution to society as conquerors and colonists.1 This is a revised view of Vikings, where previously they were thought to be plundering and murderous villains and is more accurate if we are to take the evidence of the social development due to the Vikings into account. The development of towns, in particular in England can be attributed to the Vikings to an extent. They started to settle in the North and East of the country and towns such as Lincoln and Stamford grew rapidly. York also benefited greatly from Viking settlement, as it became their major city in the Danelaw after its capture in 867 and an important trading place for the Vikings. The fact that the Vikings increased ...

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