1.1 - Vikings & Saxons - Impact of War on England

Question 1

How did the Viking Raids come about?

Answer 1

Vikings used to peacefully trade with the Anglo-Saxons but due to an increase in population and disruption in trade, the Vikings turned from trading to raiding.

Question 2

Who were the Vikings?

Answer 2

The people of Scandanavia

Question 3

Who were the Anglo-Saxons?

Answer 3

The people of England

Question 4

What years was phase 1 of the viking raids?

Answer 4

790-855

Question 5

How were the vikings suited to raiding?

Answer 5

Had excellent seafarers, ship builders and navigators

Longships could cross open sea or sail long distances of shallow rivers. = Huge advantage as it meant they could appear unexpectedly off the coast or inland without warning / element of surprise.

Question 6

Why were the anglo-saxons unprepared for the raids?

Answer 6

New to mobile raiding warfare

Most valuable places of worship were undefended. i.e monastery of Lindisfarne was attacked.

Question 7

What were the 2 impacts of phase 1?

Answer 7

Economic damage

The people

Question 8

How did phase 1 create economic damage for England?

Answer 8

Archaeologists in Scandinavia found lots of Anglo-Saxon coins and jewellery showing that the vikings took a lot in their raids which meant there could have been large scales of piracy and looting.

Question 9

How did phase 1 create damage for the people in England?

Answer 9

Evidence from skeletons found in viking settlements also suggested that many Anglo-Saxons were taken back as slaves.

People would have also been taken away from their homes and families to be treated unfairly.

Question 10

What years was phase 2?

Answer 10

865-990

Question 11

What was phase 2?

Answer 11

In 865 the ‘great army’ of Vikings landed.

The Vikings aim was now to conquer and settle so they moved deep inland.

They overran Northumbria and established their own Kingdom in York. They also took control of Mercia and East Anglia.

Question 12

When did Alfred become King of Wessex?

Answer 12

871

Question 13

Why was Alfred the King of Wessex named ‘Alfred the great’?

Answer 13

Because he took Wessex from the brink of defeat to victory over the Danes.

Question 14

What were the 2 battles against the Vikings that Alfred won?

Answer 14

1. Christmas 878 when the Danish leader Guthrum launched a surprise attack. Alfred was forced to flee for his life but Alfred rallied his troops and fought a campaign using guerrilla warfare tactics to harass the Danes and stop them from gaining full control of Wessex
2. Battle of Edington in Wiltshire in April 878

Question 15

How did Alfred gain control of Wessex and stop the vikings? (He also did this in his period of peace)

Answer 15

Reorganised his forces - ‘always half its men were at home and half out on service’

Set up a chain of Buhrs across Southern England - expensive but effective.

In 896 ordered a new type of boat to be made that could fight against the Viking longships as they were twice the size

He used the efficient administration of Wessex to collect taxes to pay for everything.

Question 16

How did Alfred ally Mercia with Wessex?

Answer 16

By marrying his daughter Aethelflaed to Ethelred of Mercia.

Question 17

When did Alfred die and who succeeded him?

Answer 17

899

His son Edward continued his work in Wessex and his grandson Athelstan captured York in 927.

Question 18

What were Alfred’s reasons for success?

Answer 18

Identity and culture

Compromise

Question 19

What were Alfred’s reasons for success?

Identity & culture

Answer 19

The adoption of Christianity was reinforced by the church.

Churchmen wrote the legend of Alfred to make him seem more spectacular

Question 20

What were Alfred’s reasons for success?

Compromise

Answer 20

Although Athelstan captured York, he didn’t force the Vikings out of Northumbria and East Anglia

Question 21

When did Alfred’s son Edward die and who became king after?

Answer 21

924

Athelstan became King

Question 22

What were the impacts of phase 2 of the viking raids?

Answer 22

Archaeological evidence suggests violence, including graves and layers of ash where settlements were burnt down.

Over time the Anglo Saxons and Vikings began to trade with each other.

Modern DNA techniques have also shown that Anglo-Saxons and Vikings intermarried.

Question 23

When was phase 3?

Answer 23

991-1066

Question 24

What was phase 3?

Answer 24

In 991 a large army defeated the Anglo-Saxons at the Battle of Maldon in Essex.

In 1002, Athelred sent out an order to kill all Danes living among the Anglo-Saxons but many noblemen refused. He was unable to enforce his authority over them so when the Danish King Sweyn Forkbeard launched a full scale invasion in 1013, he faced ittle resistance.

Question 25

When did Sweyn Forkbeard die?

Answer 25

1014

Question 26

What happened when Sweyn Forkbeard died?

Answer 26

The leading nobles in England refused to accept his son Cnut as their king.

Instead they asked Athelred to come back to lead them.

But Athelred died in April 1016 so Cnut had conquered the country

Question 27

What happened after Cnut’s death?

Answer 27

Power returned to the Anglo-Saxon king Edward and the most powerful figure was the Anglo-Saxon Earl Godwin.