The Viking raid on Galicia and Asturias occurred in 844. Many
longship
Longships were a type of specialised Scandinavian warships that have a long history in Scandinavia, with their existence being archaeologically proven and documented from at least the fourth century BC. Originally invented and used by the Nors ...
s were lost in the attack and the fleet retreated to
Aquitaine
Aquitaine ( , , ; oc, Aquitània ; eu, Akitania; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Aguiéne''), archaic Guyenne or Guienne ( oc, Guiana), is a historical region of southwestern France and a former administrative region of the country. Since 1 January ...
.
Raid
In 844, the
Vikings
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
, who at that time infested all the maritime provinces of Europe, made a descent at A Coruña, and began to raid the countryside, burning and pillaging. King
Ramiro I of Asturias
Ramiro I (c. 790 – 1 February 850) was king of Kingdom of Asturias, Asturias (modern-day Spain) from 842 until his death in 850. Son of King Bermudo I of Asturias, Bermudo I, he became king following a succession struggle after his predecessor, ...
marched against them with a potent army, managed to rout the invaders with a prodigious slaughter, took many of them as prisoners, and burned the best part of their fleet. Ramiro's reception frightened the Viking raiders, so raiding parties no longer troubled the parts of Spain that were under the king's control.
See also
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Viking raid on Seville
The Viking raid on Išbīliya, then part of the Umayyad Emirate of Córdoba, took place in 844. After raiding the coasts of what is now Spain and Portugal, a Viking fleet arrived in Išbīliya (nowadays Seville) through the Guadalquivir on 25 Sep ...
*
Sack of Santiago de Compostela The sack (plundering) of Santiago de Compostela occurred in 968 AD, when a Viking fleet led by Gunrod entered and sacked the city of Santiago de Compostela in northern Hispania (now Spain). The attack had been encouraged by duke Richard I of Normand ...
References
{{reflist
Viking Age in Spain
Battles involving the Kingdom of Asturias
Battles involving the Vikings
840s conflicts
844