For 250 years the Vikings sailed the oceans of the world. Their exploits are legendary. They reached far into Russia, sailed the Mediterranean from one end to the other, crossed the Atlantic to Iceland, Greenland and North America. At one point they ruled much of England and Ireland. Few cities, even those far from the coastline were safe from them. But it was not all raiding, they were also settlers and explorers. This is the story of one of these men, Erik Sigvaldsson, who ended up in the service of the emperor of Byzantium.