In the early medieval times, the Scandinavian countries (Norway, Sweden, and Denmark) had populations that were too large. Because of this, there were not enough crops to feed everyone which led to a hunt for more land to feed the ever-growing Viking population. This led to Norsemen travelling to areas such as England, France, Germany, and even Russia in search of settlement and conquest.
The Vikings, during their time period, were a turning part in history because internal strife in Scandinavia resulted in the progressive centralization of power into fewer hands; meaning that lower classes who did not want to be oppressed by greedy kings went in search of their own lands; thus leading to Iceland becoming Europe’s first modern republic, with an annual assembly of elected officials.