A guide to the weapons, armour and tactics of the archetypical Viking warrior from his origins in Scandinavia through the devastating explosion into British history to the end of the Anglo-Danish monarchy at Hastings. The exploded and cutaway artwork shows details of armour and weaponry.

When Norwegian Vikings first raided the European coast in the 8th century AD, their leaders were from the middle ranks of warriors known as hersirs. At this time the hersir was typically an independent landowner or local chieftain with equipment superior to that of his followers. By the end of the 10th century, the independence of the hersir was gone, and he was now a regional servant of the Norwegian king. This book investigates these brutal, mobile warriors, and examines their tactics and psychology in war, dispelling the idea of the Viking raider as simply a killing machine.