Final answer:
The Vikings evolved from being raiders to traders and settlers. Initially targeting monasteries, they eventually established settlements in England and Normandy, transitioning towards trade and integrating into European society.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Vikings, originating from Scandinavia, underwent significant changes in their methods of acquiring wealth over time. Initially, Vikings conducted raids targeting monasteries and settlements in search of riches such as silver and slaves. Monasteries, with their valuable artifacts, were particularly susceptible to Viking raids due to the wealth held within.
Over time, these raiding tactics evolved into more settled forms of wealth acquisition. By 850 CE, Vikings began to establish settlements in previously raided areas, notably in places like England and Normandy. In England, they significantly influenced the local language and traditions, while in Normandy, granted land established a kingdom which would eventually play a pivotal role in English history. The settlement of these areas coincided with a reduction in raiding, as the Vikings transitioned into more traditional medieval European societies. Their focus shifted towards trade and commerce, which included trading with regions as distant as the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad.
By the mid-tenth century, Scandinavia witnessed the rise of powerful kingdoms and widespread conversion to Christianity, both of which contributed to the cessation of Viking raids. Former raiders, like those who became rulers of Normandy, dissolved into the fabric of European nobility.