vikings as we understand it (although the word just means 'pirate' and isn't something they ever called themselves) were around much later than the Roman empire, although there were people in Scandinavia then, obviously. Their explorations were a few centuries ad as far as i know - for instance, Leif Eriksson is credited with discovering Greenland (and possibly mainland America) 900 or so years before Columbus, about 600 AD methinks. the Holy Roman Empire was in what is now mainly Germany, around 900 AD, but existed for quite a while, and was a major power in medieval europe.
of course, i may be slightly out there - most of this was gleaned from playing Civilisation and living with history students!
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