Vikings vs Anglo-Saxons Worksheet 3A

Copyright © PlanBee Resources Ltd 2014 www.planbee.com

How the Danelaw was established in England

793 852

867 865

869 871

886 878

Vikings vs Anglo-Saxons Information Sheet

Copyright © PlanBee Resources Ltd 2014 www.planbee.com

How the Danelaw was established in England

In the years following the Viking raid at Lindisfarne on Holy Island in 793,

the Vikings continued to attack, plunder and destroy monasteries

around the coastal areas of the north of England, Scotland and

Ireland. The island of Iona in Scotland was attacked three times. In the

final attack in 806, 68 monks were massacred.

Until 852, the Vikings only ever raided England and sailed away again in their

longboats to Scandinavia. In this year, the Vikings stayed in England for a long

period of time for the first time. They camped on the Isle of Thanet in Kent over the

winter.

The Vikings were starting to think about colonising England. They had already settled in some of the

islands off the coast of Scotland. In 865, the Danish ‘Grand Army’ landed on the east coast of

England, led by King Ivan ‘the Boneless’ and King Halfdan. Over the coming years, there were a

series of attacks further inland in Mercia, East Anglia and Northumberland.

In 869, King Edmund raised an army to defend the East Anglians from the

latest Viking attacks. However, his army was defeated and King Edmund

was killed and decapitated. This prevented him from having a proper

Christian burial. Many years later, his head was reunited with his body

and returned to the royal residence where he was finally buried. The

town was then renamed Bury St Edmund.

After their success in East Anglia, the Vikings next turned their attention to Wessex which was by

then the most powerful of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. In 871, there were a series of battles

between the Vikings and the Wessex army, led by King Ethelred and his brother Alfred. However,

Ethelred became ill and died, passing the crown to his brother as his children were too young to

reign.

A month after he became king, Alfred suffered a humiliating defeat in yet another Viking battle. By

this time, the men were war-weary and many had deserted or gone back to their farms to harvest

the crops. Alfred decided that he would offer the Vikings money on the condition that they would

stay out of Wessex. The Vikings agreed and a ‘Danegeld’ payment was made which kept the

peace for a number of years.

The peace was not to last. In 878, the Vikings once more attacked Wessex but this time, King Alfred

and his army were able to defeat them. Both sides agreed that a peace needed to be reached.

King Alfred offered the Vikings the northeast of England on the condition that they leave the rest of

England to the Anglo-Saxons. The Vikings agreed and King Guthrum, the Viking leader, even

converted to Christianity and was christened by King Alfred to further enhance the peace

between the two sides.

In 886, the Treaty of Wedmore was signed. This

officially granted the Vikings the northeast of

England, now known as the Danelaw, and

leaving the rest of the country to King Alfred. It

was agreed that Alfred would now control

Wessex and English Mercia, being named ‘King of

all England’ and uniting the kingdoms for the first

time. Alfred himself was the first

person to call the Anglo-Saxons

‘Angelcynn’ or ‘English people’.

Northumberland

Mercia

East Anglia

Essex

Kent

Sussex

Wessex

Map of England

793

Danelaw

English Mercia

Wessex

Map of England

886

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