Scandinavians who raided Britain and the continent from the 8c to the 11c. At much the same time, traders and raiders set out from Sweden and moved into modern Russia. In Russian chronicles, these 9c Swedish Vikings were referred to as Varangians. The first recorded Viking attack in England was on Lindisfarne in 793; their first on mainland England was in Lindsey in 841. 'Viking' always implies raiding, but many Norsemen were (also) traders and farmers. Countless settlements were made in the East Midlands of England by Danes, while Norwegians, navigating from so much further north, favoured the western isles of Scotland and Ireland. Vikings began settling in eastern England in 877, though armies had over-wintered many times, e.g. at Repton in 873-4. From this time the *Danelaw really emerges into English history. [OldEngl. wicing = pirate]
Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases. Christopher Coredon with Ann Williams.