1.1.1 Migration - Viking Invasion

Question 1

How did England look like before the viking invasion? (4)

Answer 1

• plethora of anglo-saxon kingdoms
• population was largely christian
• hardly any towns
• people lived in the countryside

Question 2

Describe how the Anglo-Saxons migrated to Britian

Answer 2

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

Question 3

When did the Anglo Saxons start invading Britain?

Answer 3

AD400

Question 4

When did the Vikings start invading Britain?

Answer 4

around AD790

Question 5

Describe how the Vikings migrated to Britian (3)

Answer 5

• 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

Question 6

Why did the Vikings invade? (6)

Answer 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

Question 7

When did Alfred become King of the Anglo Saxons?

Answer 7

AD871

Question 8

When did the Vikings start their attacks on Wessex?

Answer 8

In AD876 after conquering Northumbria, East Anglia and Mercia

Question 9

Describe the timeline of events when the Vikings started their attacks in Wessex (6)

Answer 9

• 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

Question 10

Describe what happened in Britain after the peace terms between Guthrum and Alfred were made (7)

Answer 10

• 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

Question 11

In 792, when England was ruled by the Anglo-Saxons, how many kingdoms was it divided into?

Answer 11

7

Question 12

Who were the Anglo-Saxons?

Answer 12

Anglo-Saxons were people who migrated to England from parts of central Europe (around Germany) from the fifth century

Question 13

From the _____ century, the Anglo-Saxons ruled England

Answer 13

fifth

Question 14

Which 7 kingdoms was England divided into?

Answer 14

Northumbria, Mercia, Wessex, East Anglia, Essex, Kent and Sussex

Question 15

What was the problem that arose in England when it was divided into 7 kingdoms?

Answer 15

These seven kingdoms were often at war with each other so England was unstable and at risk of invasion

Question 16

What reputation did the Vikings have?

Answer 16

They had a reputation for being fierce, eager to kill anyone who got in their way, and unafraid of death

Question 17

Describe the Vikings’ boats

Answer 17

Long ships that were strong enough to travel from Denmark to England, but narrow enough to travel inland along rivers

Question 18

Why was England an ‘easy target’ for the Vikings to invade? (2)

Answer 18

• 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

Question 19

Describe the ‘Fall of the kingdoms’ (4)

Answer 19

• 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

Question 20

Describe the ‘gold and plunder’ in England when the Vikings invaded (2)

Answer 20

• 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

Question 21

Describe when the Anglo Saxons decided to pay the Vikings danegeld

Answer 21

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

Question 22

When was the first serious attack by the Viking army and what was it known as?

Answer 22

865 - Great Heathen Army

Question 23

How was The Great Heathen Army different to previous Viking raids?

Answer 23

It was different to previous Viking raids since it attacked with the intention of settling, not just raiding and plundering

Question 24

Where did The Great Heathen Army attack?

Answer 24

York - the capital of Northumbria

Question 25

What did The Great Heathen Army do once they attacked York?

Answer 25

They took York for their capital and used it as a base from which to conquer the rest of England

Question 26

Between ____ and ____, the Great Heathen Army conquered huge swathes of England, and people from Denmark and Norway settled in these English lands.

Answer 26

865, 874