The Vikings in Britain AngloSaxon Kingdoms Vikings Also

The Vikings in Britain

Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms

Vikings • • • Also called Norsemen The word „Viking“ means „Pirate raid“ Great seafarers Skillful craftsmen Their expansion ended with Christianization Fierce warriors

Earliest raids • 787 - First raid in Dorset • 793 - Monastery of Lindisfarne • Small raids common since • 865 - Large army of Danes invaded East Anglia • Northumbria conquered and settled by the Danes • Invasion of Wessex repelled by Alfred the Great

Map of Viking attack routes

Viking Invasion continues… • Most of occupied lands captured back by the army of Wessex • Danelaw established • 947 - New wave of viking attacks • Norwegian king Eric Bloodaxe captured York • Sweyn I (1013 -1014) • Canute the Great (1016 -1035)

Danelaw Map

Kingdom of Canute the Great

What happened next? • Troubles with inheritance • Harthacanute vs. Harold Harefoot • Return of Edward the Confessor from exile in Normandy • 1042 - Restoration of Saxon Wessex dynasty • 1066 – Last attempt of Norwegians to invade England, defeated by Anglo-Saxons who were in turn defeated by William of Normandy

Vikings in Scotland • Scotland – Norwegians defeated Picts who lost their power and Kingdom of Scotland was found • Islands off Scotland coast were part of Norway until 1468

Vikings in Wales and Cornwall • Of all parts of nowadays Great Britain Wales was least settled by Vikings • Vikings were not able control Wales for longer period • Cornwall became an ally of Vikings and helped them conquer Wessex, remained independent of Vikings

Vikings in Ireland • Ireland was devided into many small kingdoms • Heavily settled by the Vikings • Norsemen could not conquer whole island were finally defeated by Irish allied forces • High Kingdom of Ireland was founded though after danger was overthrown it felt apart

Areas settled by Vikings

Ships • Longship - „Drakkar“ • Merchantship – „Knarr“

Famous Misconceptions • Horned helms were used only for ritual ceremonies not in combat • Vikings were not savage marauders, they had advanced trade and culture • They did not use sculls of their enemies as cups • Uncleanliness? No way, look at the Anglo. Saxons instead