The Vikings in England Denmark - Danelaw

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1. The Vikings in England The impact of Danelaw on the People of England

2. Background The first Viking invasion in England occurred in 793CE when the monastery at Lindisfarne was raided. Raids frequently occurred over the following decades. Initially voyages to Britain were raiding expeditions, but later on, more and more Vikings decided to stay in the new land to the west, cultivate land, and “proceeded to plough and to support themselves,” according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle of 876. During the 9 th century CE the Danish Vikings voyaged across the North Sea to England and established the Danelaw , a region in eastern England where the laws of the Scandinavian settlers ruled over those of the Anglo-Saxons. Between 20,000 and 35,000 Danish Vikings chose to uproot and migrate to England between the 9 th  and 10 th  century . Think back the beginning of the unit. Why did the Vikings left their homelands?

3. The Viking migrations to England, Scotland and Ireland.

4. The Great Viking Army When the Viking’s Great Army arrived in 865, England was a number of separate kingdoms. Between 866 and 876 CE most of the migrations occurred as Danes found: “In eastern England the Vikings discovered a milder climate and a rich agricultural landscape, similar to the one they knew back home. Faced with a lack of good farming land in Denmark, many families decided to try their luck on the other side of the North Sea,” says arachnologist and researchers Jane Kershaw. However King Alfred (the Great), who ruled the kingdom of Wessex, resisted attacks from Danish Vikings. By 878, he had defeated attacks, reclaimed and fortified London and forced the Viking leader Guthrum to accept a truce. Guthrum the Dane submits to Alfred the Great. Macmillan posters.

5. Danelaw The Vikings agreed to convert to Christianity and Alfred in return gave them an area in England . This area of land became known as the Danelaw – meaning ‘the area where the law of the Danes is enforced’. The Danelaw was established as a result of King Alfred the Great’s efforts to avoid further Viking raids in the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Wessex. He proceeded by ceding lands to the Danes who then engaged primarily in trade and built settlements. Vikings who settled here became farmers and traders. Over the next 100 years Vikings and Anglo-Saxons intermarried and mingled as they were brought together through trade and commerce.

6. Danelaw

7. Danegeld Between the 9th and 11th centuries, the Danish Vikings were also paid a ‘The Danish tax’ as a tribute for not waging war in either England or France. In 991 AD the Danes acquired 4,500 kg of silver in return for going home. By 1012, payments to the Danes, known as ' Danegeld ', had increased to 22,000 kg.

8. King Cnut (Canute) England was to have four Viking kings between 1013 and 1042.  The greatest of these was King Cnut, who was king of Denmark as well as of England. A Christian, he did not force the English to obey Danish law; instead he recognised Anglo-Saxon law and customs.  In 1016, Cnut became king of England, and after further campaigns in Scandinavia he could claim in 1027 to be 'king of the whole of England and Denmark and Norway and of parts of Sweden'. Cnut was a strong and effective king. He introduced some Danish customs to England, but England also influenced Denmark. For instance, Cnut appointed several Englishmen as bishops in Denmark, and even today most of the ordinary Danish words of church organisation are English in origin.

9. The end of the Viking Age in England The Viking influence and rule of England ended in 1066CE when Viking King Harold Hadradra was defeated by English King Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. Not only did this battle mark the end of Viking influence in England, but also ended what is known as the Viking Period/Age and within a few years, Norse society as Viking raiders became a thing of the past.

10. Questions: Why did the Danes and other Norsemen migrate to England during the 9 th to 11 th centuries? What was ‘Danelaw’ and ‘ Dangeld ’ Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of giving the Vikings Dangeld for the English. To what extent was Alfred a successful King?

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