Vikings vs Anglo-Saxons W3 - Schudio · of Wessex. The Vikings agree and there is a period of peace between Wessex and the Vikings. 886 The Treaty of Wedmore is signed, giving the

Vikings vs Anglo-Saxons Worksheet 3A

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How the Danelaw was established in England

793 852

867 865

869 871

886 878

Vikings vs Anglo-Saxons Worksheet 3B


How the Vikings won the NortheastBy _____________________

Vikings vs Anglo-Saxons Worksheet 3C


How the Vikings won the NortheastBy _____________________

The Vikings decided they wanted to conquer England.

The Vikings and Anglo-Saxons went to war. They battled for years.

The Vikings conquered areas in the northeast and set up a base in York.

The Vikings wanted to overpower Wessex, the most powerful Anglo-Saxon kingdom.

The Vikings fought King Alfred of Wessex when he had been king for a month and won.

Alfred decided to pay the Vikings ‘Danegeld’ to make them stay out of Wessex.

The ‘Danegeld’ bribe worked for five years but then the Vikings decided to attack again.

The armies of King Alfred and King Guthrum fought again.

This time, the Anglo-Saxons won. The Vikings decided they wanted peace.

They agreed the Vikings would stay in the northeast and leave Wessex to Alfred.

King Guthrum even converted to Christianity to help seal the peace agreement.

The Danelaw was established in the northeast and King Alfred became ‘King of all England’.

Vikings vs Anglo-Saxons Timeline Cards


867Two Northumbrians were battling for the crown. The Vikings took advantage of this and took control of York. This city became Jorvik, the Viking capital in

England.

871The Vikings attack Wessex. King Ethelred

and his brother Alfred fight a series of battles against the Vikings. Ethelred dies

and passes the crown to Alfred.

793The first Viking invasion in England. They

ransack the Lindisfarne monastery, massacre the monks and burn down

the priory.

878The Vikings attack Wessex once more.

Alfred and his army march to stop them and are victorious. A peace treaty is

agreed and King Guthrum of Denmark agrees to convert to Christianity.

869The Vikings attack East Anglia. King

Edmund raises an army to fight them but the army is defeated and King Edmund is killed and decapitated.

867The Vikings move south from York and attack Nottingham. They take the city.

806 In the third Viking attack on Iona (an

island in Scotland) 68 monks are killed. The Vikings continue to raid monasteries and towns along the coasts of England,

Scotland and Ireland.

865 The Danish ‘Grand Army’ lands on the east coast of England, led by King Ivan the ‘Boneless’ and King Halfdan. A new wave of attacks on East Anglia, Mercia

and Northumberland begin.

871King Alfred decides to pay the Vikings ‘Danegeld’ in order to keep them out of Wessex. The Vikings agree and there is a period of peace between Wessex

and the Vikings.

886The Treaty of Wedmore is signed, giving the northeast to the Vikings and leaving the rest of England to the Anglo-Saxons.

The northeast becomes known as the ‘Danelaw’.

852The Vikings stay in England for a long period of time for the first time. They

camp on the Isle of Thanet in Kent over the winter instead of returning to

Scandinavia.

886After the Treaty of Wedmore, Arthur is

recognised as ‘King of all England’. He now controls Wessex and English Mercia, uniting these people as ‘Anglecynn’ or ‘English people’.

Vikings vs Anglo-Saxons Information Sheet


How the Danelaw was established in EnglandIn 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’.

NorthumberlandMercia

East AngliaEssexKent

SussexWessex

Map of England

793

DanelawEnglish Mercia

Wessex

Map of England

886

The baptism of King Guthrum by King Alfred

Vikings vs Anglo-Saxons Timeline Sheet


How the Danelaw was established in England

793The first Viking invasion in

England. They ransack the Lindisfarne monastery,

massacre the monks and burn down the priory.

806 In the third Viking attack on Iona (an island in

Scotland) 68 monks are killed. The Vikings continue to raid monasteries and towns along the coasts of England, Scotland and Ireland.

865 The Danish ‘Grand Army’ lands on the east coast of England, led by King Ivan the ‘Boneless’ and King

Halfdan. A new wave of attacks on East Anglia, Mercia and Northumberland begin.

852The Vikings stay in England for a

long period of time for the first time. They camp on the Isle of Thanet in

Kent over the winter instead of returning to Scandinavia.

867The Vikings move south from York and attack Nottingham. They take the city. Late that year, two Northumbrians were battling for the crown. The Vikings took advantage of this and took control of York. This city became Jorvik, the Viking

capital in England.

869The Vikings attack East Anglia. King Edmund raises an army to

fight them but the army is defeated and King Edmund is

killed and decapitated.

886The Treaty of Wedmore is signed, giving the northeast to the Vikings and leaving the rest of England to the Anglo-Saxons.

The northeast becomes known as the ‘Danelaw’. After the Treaty of Wedmore,

Arthur is recognised as ‘King of all England’. He now controls Wessex and English Mercia, uniting these people as

‘Anglecynn’ or ‘English people’.

871The Vikings attack Wessex. King

Ethelred and his brother Alfred fight a series of battles against the

Vikings. Ethelred dies and passes the crown to Alfred. After a

humiliating defeat, King Alfred decides to pay the Vikings

‘Danegeld’ in order to keep them out of Wessex. The Vikings agree and there is a period of peace

between Wessex and the Vikings.

Documents

Vikings vs Anglo-Saxons W3 - Schudio · of Wessex. The Vikings agree and there is a period of peace between Wessex and the Vikings. 886 The Treaty of Wedmore is signed, giving the