Welcome back, time travellers!
Yesterday we met the Anglo-Saxons with their seven kingdoms and the king buried at Sutton Hoo.
Today, we hear a scary noise. Splash, splash, splash. Long ships with dragon heads are landing on the British coast.
The Vikings have arrived!
Who were the Vikings?
The Vikings came from three countries:
- Norway
- Denmark
- Sweden
These three countries are in the far north, where the winters are long and cold. We call this area Scandinavia.
Vikings were brilliant sailors. They built long, thin wooden ships called longships. A longship had:
- One big square sail
- Oars for rowing
- A dragon’s head at the front (to scare enemies)
- Space for about 30 to 60 warriors
A longship could cross the sea AND go up rivers. So Vikings could attack almost anywhere with water.
793 AD — the attack on Lindisfarne
The first big Viking attack on Britain happened in 793 AD.
The Vikings sailed to a tiny island called Lindisfarne, off the north-east coast of England. There was a monastery there with monks living quietly. They were praying and writing books — like the famous Lindisfarne Gospels.
The Vikings did not come to pray. They came to raid.
- They stole gold and silver from the church
- They took the monks’ food
- They killed some monks and took others away as slaves
- They burned the monastery
People in England were terrified. They wrote in old books: “Never before has such terror appeared in Britain.”
After Lindisfarne, the Vikings came back again and again. They attacked towns and monasteries all along the coast.
Why did the Vikings come?
There were many reasons:
- Land — Scandinavia had cold land, hard for farming. Britain was green.
- Treasure — Monasteries had lots of gold and silver.
- Adventure — Vikings loved to explore!
- Slaves — Sad but true. Vikings often took people away.
At first, the Vikings just raided and went home. Later, they started to stay in Britain. They brought their families. They built villages. Many Viking towns are still here today!
| Place name | What “by”, “thorpe”, “thwaite” mean in Viking words |
|---|---|
| Whitby (Yorkshire) | “by” = village |
| Scunthorpe (Lincolnshire) | “thorpe” = small village |
| Bassenthwaite (Cumbria) | “thwaite” = clearing in a forest |
If a town’s name ends in -by, -thorpe or -thwaite, the Vikings probably lived there!
The Vikings take over half of England
By the year 870 AD, Vikings had taken over much of England. They had captured:
- Northumbria (the north)
- East Anglia
- Most of Mercia
Only one Anglo-Saxon kingdom was left: Wessex, in the south-west.
The king of Wessex was a young man called Alfred.
Alfred the Great
Alfred became king of Wessex in 871 AD, when he was about 22 years old. The Vikings were very strong. Many people thought England was finished.
But Alfred was clever and brave. Here is his story.
Alfred hides in the marshes
In 878 AD, the Vikings attacked Wessex too. Alfred had to run away and hide in some wet, muddy marshes called the Somerset Levels.
There is a famous story (maybe a legend, maybe true) about Alfred and the cakes:
While Alfred was hiding, a kind woman gave him shelter in her hut. She asked him to watch some cakes baking on the fire. Alfred was so worried about Wessex that he forgot. The cakes burned! The woman shouted at him. He said sorry. He didn’t tell her he was the king.
Alfred wins!
Alfred got his army back together. In 878 AD, he won a huge battle at Edington in Wiltshire.
The Viking leader, Guthrum, was so impressed that he made peace. He even became a Christian and was baptised by Alfred.
The Danelaw
Alfred and Guthrum made a deal. They drew a line across England.
- South and west of the line: Anglo-Saxon land (Alfred’s England)
- North and east of the line: Viking land, called the Danelaw
In the Danelaw, people followed Viking laws and lived Viking-style.
What did Alfred do next?
Alfred did many great things:
- Built walled towns (called “burhs”) so people had safe places
- Built a fleet of ships to fight off new Viking raids
- Started schools so children could learn to read
- Translated important books into English
Alfred is the only English king with the title “the Great”. He died in 899 AD.
After Alfred — one England
Alfred’s son and grandsons kept fighting the Vikings. Slowly, they took back the Danelaw too.
By around 954 AD, all of England was one country with one king. He was Alfred’s great-grandson, Edgar the Peaceful.
More Viking troubles
But the Vikings were not done! In 1016, a Viking king called Cnut took over England. He was actually a good king. He ruled England, Denmark and Norway all at once. People called it Cnut’s “North Sea Empire”.
After Cnut, things got messy again. The next big king was Edward the Confessor.
Edward the Confessor (king from 1042 to 1066)
Edward was an Anglo-Saxon king with a strong Christian faith. People called him “the Confessor” because he was so religious.
Edward did one VERY famous thing. He built a huge new church in London called Westminster Abbey. You can still visit it today. Almost every English king and queen since then has been crowned there.
Edward died in January 1066. He had no children. So who was the next king?
That question started a big fight — but that’s tomorrow’s adventure!
Daily life for a Viking child
A Viking child in Britain might:
- Wake up in a longhouse with the family
- Help feed the chickens and milk the cow
- Help mum bake bread or weave cloth
- Help dad fix the boat or sharpen tools
- Eat fish, meat, bread, butter, milk
- Play with wooden swords or a carved wooden duck on wheels
- Learn to read runes (Viking letters)
- Listen to sagas (long stories) at night
Vikings loved stories about heroes, gods like Thor and Odin, and giant monsters.
Fun facts
- The Vikings never wore horns on their helmets! That is a myth from old plays. Real Viking helmets had no horns.
- A Viking warrior who was very brave was called a “berserker”. That is where our word “bezerk” comes from.
- Viking boys could marry at 16 and girls at 13 in those days. So young!
- Vikings made beautiful silver brooches to hold their cloaks together. Many have been found buried in fields.
Words to remember
- Viking: a person from Scandinavia (Norway, Denmark, Sweden) in this time
- Longship: a Viking ship with a dragon head
- Raid: a quick attack to steal things
- Lindisfarne: a small island where Vikings first attacked in 793 AD
- Wessex: the only Anglo-Saxon kingdom that did not fall
- Alfred the Great: king of Wessex who saved England from the Vikings
- Danelaw: the part of England where Vikings lived and ruled
- Edward the Confessor: the last Anglo-Saxon king, builder of Westminster Abbey
Talk about it
- The Vikings burned monasteries. The monks were very upset. How would you feel?
- Alfred hid in the marshes. Then he won. What does that teach us about not giving up?
- Many places in England have Viking names. Look up your town or city. Is it Viking?
- Edward the Confessor had no children. What happens when a king has no son or daughter?
Quick summary
- The Vikings came from Norway, Denmark and Sweden.
- They first attacked Lindisfarne in 793 AD.
- They took over much of England.
- Alfred the Great of Wessex beat them in 878 AD.
- A line was drawn — the Danelaw was the Viking part.
- Edward the Confessor built Westminster Abbey and died in 1066.
Next article
Tomorrow we look at YOUR local history. Every town has a story. We will learn how to find it. See you then!