Vikings vs Anglo-Saxons
Viking raids and conquests in Anglo-Saxon England; Alfred of Wessex's resistance; the Danelaw, where Danish laws and customs took hold; Athelstan becoming king of England
What a learner can do afterwards
- Describe the Viking raids on Anglo-Saxon England and their impact
- Explain who Alfred the Great was and why he was important
- Describe the Danelaw as areas of northern and eastern England where Danish laws and customs took hold, with Anglo-Saxon people living there too
1 · Read
You have learned about Viking longships and Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. Viking crews raided villages and monasteries in England. During raids, crews took goods and harmed people. Some Viking armies later conquered land and settled there. Raiding for goods and ruling land were different aims.
Alfred ruled Wessex. In 878, a Viking attack forced him to retreat into marshland. He gathered an army and won the Battle of Edington. Peace followed with the Viking leader Guthrum. A later legend says Alfred burned cakes while hiding. The cake tale is not a proven event.
Alfred's victory did not remove all Viking settlers. A later agreement set a boundary between Alfred's lands and Guthrum's. Danish laws and customs took hold in areas of northern and eastern England called the Danelaw. Anglo-Saxon people lived there too. Borders and rulers changed over time. England was not permanently split into two neat halves.
Alfred's grandson Athelstan became king of England in 927 after taking control of York. He is often called the first king of England. England was not all of Britain. Scotland and Wales were outside his English kingdom.
Alfred defended Wessex and won at Edington. Danish laws took hold in the Danelaw. Later, his grandson Athelstan became king of England.
These readings were written for this learning dataset.
More to read
Different journeys, different aims
Seeing a ship does not tell us why its crew is travelling. Traders might carry goods to sell. Raiders might attack to take goods. Settlers might travel to make a home.
These activities could overlap. To understand a particular journey, historians need evidence about it.
In England, some Viking armies conquered land as well as raiding. Anglo-Saxon rulers fought to defend their kingdoms. Alfred's resistance in Wessex was part of this longer struggle.
A story stitched into cloth
The Bayeux Tapestry shows events leading to the Battle of Hastings in 1066. William of Normandy defeated King Harold and became king of England. The conquest ended Anglo-Saxon rule in England.
The work is embroidery. Pictures and words were stitched onto linen with wool thread. Its scenes include ships, meals and battles.
It presents the Normans favourably. Historians compare it with other sources. A picture from the past can give useful evidence while telling the story from one side's viewpoint.
2 · Watch
Take it off screen
Where it sits
Learn first
This opens up
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.