Paper 2- Why the Vikings invaded Britain

Question 1

Who where the Anglo-Saxons?

Answer 1

From AD 400 and onwards, tribes from Denmark and Northern Germany (Angles, Saxons and Jutes) invaded and later settled into Britain. They were know as the Anglo-Saxons. They set up a number of different kingdoms, led by lords and chieftains- by AD 800, most Anglo-Saxons had converted to Christianity.

Question 2

Who were the Vikings?

Answer 2

In the mid-700s, the people of Scandinavia (Norway, Denmark and Sweden) began to explore, raid and eventually invade the countries around them. They sailed to Britain, Ireland, France, Spain and Italy. Others travelled by land, going as far as Greenland. They were known as Vikings and began their raids in Britain in AD 793.

Question 3

How and when did the Vikings attack Britain?

Answer 3

• The first recorded attack was on the monastery at Lindisfarne in Northumbria AD 793
• In AD 795, they attacked the Isle of Iona in Scotland
• To begin with, they attacked in the summer when the seas were calmer for their small ships
• They raided villages and monasteries near the coast, then sailed back with stolen gold and silver, cattle and even enslaved people
• Later, they sailed up rivers, attacked further inland and some stayed for long periods of time and built camps

Question 4

Why did Tudor and Stuart Explorers look west?

Answer 4

Under the Tudors, England and Wales were finally united and large parts of Ireland came under direct English control. The Tudors and Scottish Royal family, Stuarts came together through marriage too. The two countries were now united under one King. There was a surge in overseas trade, British explorers found new sea routes, laying a strong foundation for an overseas empire. During the late 1400s, improvements in** technology and navigation** allowed for longer journeys and more ships to travel.

Question 5

John Cabot

Answer 5

Spain, first nation to colonise Americas, they discovered gold, making them rich. 1946, Tudor King VII joined the age of exploration, giving John Cabot the mission of finding new lands.

• From Bristol, Cabot sailed towards the Atlantic, landed in Canada. However, there weren’t profitable economic resourecs that could be gained there- no silk and gold.
• Cabot returned home, however his brief visit marked the start of the British empire. Overtime, british settlers moved in and out of what was named ‘Newfoundland’
• Establishing a base meant that British adventurers (Sir JOhn hawkins and Sir Walter Raleigh) could explore and claim further territory. They also took this as an oppurtunity for plundering riches from Spanish ships and colonies.

At this time, there was religious rivalry between the two countries- England was Protestant, and Spain, Catholic. This added an edge to the desire of each country’s monarch to gain more land.