1.1.1 Migration - Viking Invasion Flashcards
How did England look like before the viking invasion? (4)
- plethora of anglo-saxon kingdoms
- population was largely christian
- hardly any towns
- people lived in the countryside
Describe how the Anglo-Saxons migrated to Britian
From around AD400, tribes from Denmark and northern Germany (Angles, Saxons, Jutes) invaded and settled in Britain. They set up a number of different kingdoms, led by lords and chieftains - by AD800 some were very wealthy. AD800- most Anglo-Saxons had converted to Christianity
When did the Anglo Saxons start invading Britain?
AD400
When did the Vikings start invading Britain?
around AD790
Describe how the Vikings migrated to Britian (3)
- From Scandinavia and began raiding around the AD790s
- Initially, raided monasteries (Lindisfarne in Northumbria) and villages near the coast
- Later, they sailed up rivers and attacked further in land, even setting up camps
Why did the Vikings invade? (6)
- British farm land was better and easy to grow crops and feed cattle
- High death rates in Scandinavia (mainly elderly and young)
- Scandinavia was over-populated
- Only eldest sons inherited land in Scandinavia
- The land in England was easy to plunder and pillage
- Norway = too hilly and Denmark = sandy soil
When did Alfred become King of the Anglo Saxons?
AD871
When did the Vikings start their attacks on Wessex?
In AD876 after conquering Northumbria, East Anglia and Mercia
Describe the timeline of events when the Vikings started their attacks in Wessex (6)
- AD871 Alfred the Great became king of Anglo Saxons
- AD876 Vikings started attacking Wessex after conquering Northumbria, East Anglia and most of Mercia
- After some early successes, Alfred and his army were driven back + forced to hide on the Isle of Athelney (Somerset marshes)
- May AD878 Alfred beat the Vikings at the Battle of Edington and they agreed peace terms
- Guthrum (the Viking leader) had to become a Christian and agree never to attack Wessex again
- The Vikings where to live in the north and east of the country which was called the Danelaw
Describe what happened in Britain after the peace terms between Guthrum and Alfred were made (7)
- During Alfred’s reign (AD871 - 899) Viking raids still occurred on Anglo-Saxon territory
- Alfred strengthened defences
- Many Vikings in Danelaw settled down lived peacefully
- People travelled and traded between Wessex and Danelaw, intermarriage occurred between Anglo-Saxons and Vikings
- Other kingdoms acknowledged Alfred as the ‘overlord’ and Anglo-Saxons called themselves Angelcynn
- After Alfred’s death, descendants recaptured SOME of the Danelaw. However, the Viking influence remained
- By the time Alfred’s great grand son was king in AD959, the country had been settled for generations
In 792, when England was ruled by the Anglo-Saxons, how many kingdoms was it divided into?
7
Who were the Anglo-Saxons?
Anglo-Saxons were people who migrated to England from parts of central Europe (around Germany) from the fifth century
From the _____ century, the Anglo-Saxons ruled England
fifth
Which 7 kingdoms was England divided into?
Northumbria, Mercia, Wessex, East Anglia, Essex, Kent and Sussex
What was the problem that arose in England when it was divided into 7 kingdoms?
These seven kingdoms were often at war with each other so England was unstable and at risk of invasion
What reputation did the Vikings have?
They had a reputation for being fierce, eager to kill anyone who got in their way, and unafraid of death
Describe the Vikings’ boats
Long ships that were strong enough to travel from Denmark to England, but narrow enough to travel inland along rivers
Why was England an ‘easy target’ for the Vikings to invade? (2)
- England, being an island, had a huge coastline which was wide open to attack from sea, making it an easy target for the Vikings and their longships
- England was divided into seven kingdoms which were often fighting one another. If one kingdom put up a strong enough fight against the Vikings, they would turn their attacks on another kingdom in the meantime
Describe the ‘Fall of the kingdoms’ (4)
- Because of England being an easy target, the Vikings were able to take over most of England kingdom by kingdom
- Northumbria fell to the Vikings in 867
- East Anglia fell in 869
- Mercia fell in 874
Describe the ‘gold and plunder’ in England when the Vikings invaded (2)
- England was one of the most wealthy countries in Europe at the time
- It was home to many monasteries (religious houses where monks live) and these monasteries were full of gold, valuables and precious artefacts
Describe when the Anglo Saxons decided to pay the Vikings danegeld
The monasteries were a key target for the Vikings as they searched for plunder, once English kingdoms began to fall to the Vikings, parts of the country decided to pay the Vikings a fee called ‘danegeld’ to leave them to be. This worked for a while, until the Vikings decided to conquer anyway
When was the first serious attack by the Viking army and what was it known as?
865 - Great Heathen Army
How was The Great Heathen Army different to previous Viking raids?
It was different to previous Viking raids since it attacked with the intention of settling, not just raiding and plundering
Where did The Great Heathen Army attack?
York - the capital of Northumbria
What did The Great Heathen Army do once they attacked York?
They took York for their capital and used it as a base from which to conquer the rest of England
Between ____ and ____, the Great Heathen Army conquered huge swathes of England, and people from Denmark and Norway settled in these English lands.
865, 874
