Raid

A Raid is a particular kind of attack, usually by small numbers of warriors, focussed on plunder. Raids in period were common, as various forces were determined to enrich themselves by the misfortune of others. The goal of a raid was to attack a lightly defended target and make off with valuables with a minimum of loss to yourself.

The Norse were noted raiders, and their longships frequently landed on foreign shores bent on plunder, so much so that the Norse term for raid,to go viking, became synonymous with the Norse people themselves.