Beginning in the 8th century, the Danes began a long era of well-organized raids across the coasts and rivers of Europe. Large areas outside Scandinavia were settled by the Danes including what became know as the Danelaw in England, the Netherlands, northern France and Ireland. Two Viking warriors from the same clan separated for more than 1000 years and have finally been reunited at the Danish National Museum in Copenhagen.

Danelaw was established as an area ruled by Vikings and extended across much of England. A group of fairly young Viking warriors was found here buried in a mass grave near the church where they had been killed by orders from King Aethelred II, King of the English. The warrior hilighted here was in his 20s and died from injuries to his head. He had sustained 8 to 10 hits to the head and several stab wounds to the spine.

The Birka female Viking warrior was a woman buried in the 10th century in Birka, Sweden and discovered in the 1870s. The grave was assumed to be a battle hardened man for 128 years until DNA analysis proved she was actually a high-ranking professional warrior. Shield-maidens are female warriors that take on male roles including wielding weapons and are depicted in many period figures, tapestries and brooches as well as mentioned by the famous Danish historian of the time, Saxo Grammaticus.

The grave chamber was made of wood and approximately 3.45m long and 1.75m wide. The body was in a sitting position and found earing garments of silk and silver. The grave contained a sword, an axe, a spear, armor-piercing arrows, a battle knife, two shields, two horses, one mare and one stallion. The grave also contained a game set with a board and pieces. This is considered evidence of her strategic thinking and indicating she was an officer who could lead troops into battle.

The future French Revolutionary Jean-Paul Marat left home at the age of 16 to train in medicine and would eventually settle in Newcastle upon Tyne where he gained a reputation as being a highly efficient doctor who also had an interest in political writings. He moved back France 6 years later and his medical skills earned him the patronage of the aristocracy. He used his new found wealth to found a scientific laboratory where he began studies on fire, heat, light and electricity - he was even visited by Benjamin Franklin. Despite his new status and success, he began so spend a lot of time discussing and writing about social injustice.

As Louis XVI struggled to maintain power in the late 1780s by assembling the Estates-General for the first time in 175 years, Marat decided to end his research and medical profession to focus entirely on his passion for politics. He began writing on the topics of social, economic and religious reforms - this manifested itself in numerous vicious attacks on those he proclaimed were enemies of the people. His newspaper called for extreme violence against the upper class and government provoking statements such as five or six hundred heads cut off would have assured your repose, freedom and happiness. After reaching fame, He was elected to the National Convention in 1792 where he actively supported the death of the deposed King in a trial.