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Somerled was a twelfth century warlord who led a group of disaffected lords to overthrow Gudrodr Olafsson and gain control of the Scottish isles. But his ambition got the better of him and six years later he was killed trying to invade the Scottish mainland though his descendants continued to rule the islands.

The first people in Scandinavia likely migrated across land bridges through Denmark or Doggerland shortly after the last ice age. Lacking agriculture they relied on animals for food and clothing.

Following the collapse of the Roman Empire under the invasion of Germanic tribes, the Lombards sought control of Italy but were opposed by the Bizantine Empire in the south. This unstable situation grew worse with a rebellion among the Lombards. As the rebellion faltered it's leaders called upon the Normans for help. They obliged and integrated themselves into the region gradually gaining control until they defeated all remaining powers in the battle of Civitate.

Seeking greater prominence, the minor lord Roger Hauteville left Normandy, following his brothers to Italy. While his brother Robert Guiscard secured the the Italian peninsula, Roger lead a surprise attack across the Strait of Messina and conquer Sicily.

The Fall of the Roman Empire brought to an end an era and ushered into power new nations and powers. While the Eastern Roman Empire continued, in the west, the Ostragoths, Franks, Alemanii, Visigoths and Burgundians rose to power.