VIGO

(42° 12’ N., 8° 43’ W.), seaport, naval station, on Ria de Vigo, Pontevedra, Spain; fisheries; important commerce. The town was attacked by Drake towards the end of the 16th century, and in 1702 the allied Anglo Dutch fleet sank the French and Spanish treasure fleet. from America. Pop. 45,000. 20’ N., 76° 30 E.), ruined city, Madras, India; ancient capital of the kings of V. rover; not connected with ‘king’), Scand in avian pirates who from VIII.-x1. cent. overran large parts of the Brit. Isles and Europe. The Viking Age reached its height in IX.-X. cent. One band of North men (Varangians) under Rurik founded the Ru ian Empire, 862 (see Ru ia), cro ed Europe by the Dnieper valley, and even threatened Constantinople. Still more hist. are the Viking invasions of Britain and the European coast between the Rhine and Loire mouths. Towards end of VIII. cent. the Danes made first appearance on Eng. coast; colonizing expeditions followed mere harrying raids; although checked by Alfred and Danegeld, Danes secured permanent footing, Canute, becoming king of ali England; 1018 (see EneiaNnD, Hisrory OF). North men invaded N. and W. of Scotland, IX-X. cent.; western isles not recovered by Scot. king till 1263. V’s landed in Ireland, 795 onwards, and founded kingdoms of Dublin (852), Water ford, etc. On continent. they seized river-mouth (e.g. Scheldt, Seine), and thence plundered or conquered surrounding country. In IX. cent. they repeatedly took Paris, ravaged Burgundy and Rhine districts, and even penetrated Mediterranean. Charles the Simple in 912 ceded Normandy as a peace-offering to North men under Rollo. Like their descendants, the Normans, the North men or V. were able administrators as well as bold adventurers. In their small craft (several examples of which have been discovered) they scoured the seas, reaching Green land and even N. Amerca (see VINLAND) in X-XI. cent,