Wanderlust World Wanderlust World The premise contains a historical inaccuracy. The 1066 invasion of England was Norman, not Viking. The Viking Age conventionally ends around 1066. The conquest was led by William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, culminating in the Battle of Hastings. While Normans descended from Norse Vikings (Northmen) who settled northern France, they were culturally French-speaking Christians by 1066—distinct from Scandinavian Viking raiders of earlier centuries.