Are Vikings in medieval northern Europe pirates

Vikings were Vikings from the 8th century to the 11th century. They invaded the coasts of Europe and the British Islands, and also visited the vast territory of the Arctic. This period in Europe is also known as the "Viking period". Vikings are different from pirates of the Caribbean. They rob land targets rather than passing ships.

This is a strong marine nation. Since the 4th century, they have carried out many predatory navigation activities. In the 8th century, they settled in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, formed multiple kingdoms, and developed shipbuilding technology to a higher level. Viking explorers not only arrived in Greenland, but also the first Europeans to reach America.

We can't simply say that Vikings are a group of pirates, but Vikings' robbery is terrible and can be called a group of fanatical killers. When plundering, they first throw spears and launch rockets from a long distance, and then make close attacks with swords and tomahawks, either kill all the other party or die by themselves.

The medieval Viking pirates robbed the coast of Europe and Britain, much like the nomads in northern China invading the Central Plains. But this is not to say that there are no Viking pirates in the East. The Japanese pirates of the Ming Dynasty were also pirates based on islands and targeting cities. They invaded and looted the coasts of China and North Korea from the 14th to 16th centuries. In the Ming Dynasty, the "sea ban" policy was implemented, and "pieces and plates are not allowed to enter the sea". As a result, not only the threat of Japanese pirates can not be eliminated, but the whole industrial chain of maritime trade was cut off, forcing maritime merchants to become pirates.

Therefore, the Japanese pirates are not all Japanese. There are also many Chinese and Koreans, some of whom are "both businessmen and thieves". During the Jiajing period, Wang Zhi in Huizhou was such a person. As the leader of the Japanese pirates, he hoped to be recruited by the court and legalized maritime trade. As a result, he was trapped and killed. The hundreds of years of "sea ban" in the Ming and Qing Dynasties made China's ancient maritime advantages lost.