Migration in Britain 800-1500

• Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Frisians were Germanic people who originated from modern-day Germany and Denmark.
• England was attractive to migrants because it had fertile land and natural resources.
• The Anglo-Saxons were skilled craftsmen, good at making bowls, beakers and jewellery.
• By 850 AD, three Anglo-Saxon kingdoms had been formed - Northumbria, Mercia and Wessex.
• Viking raids

  1. Made regular raids around the coasts of Europe

  2. Looted goods

  3. Captured people as slaves

  4. Targeted monasteries
• Monasteries targeted by Vikings

  • Contained precious gold chalices, plates, bowls and crucifixes
• Alfred: (849–99), king of Wessex 871–99. Created the Danelaw where Vikings could settle and rule because he knew they wouldn’t leave.
• The Vikings governed the Danelaw, creating their own laws, place names, customs, etc. They ruled over the Anglo-Saxons who lived there.
• The Vikings traded a lot so their presence in England made the country a greater trading nation.
• In 1016, King Cnut became the first Danish King of England.
• To assimilate, the Vikings converted to Christianity.
• In 1002, on St. Brice’s Day, King Aethelred ordered the massacre of all Danish people living in English Territory.
• Saxon rulers continued to fight the Danes in the south until 1016.
• Vikings' contribution to the English language


  Their influence can be seen in place names containing 'by' meaning 'homestead' or 'village' (for example, Grimsby), 'thorpe' meaning 'new village' (for example, Scunthorpe), 'thwaite' meaning 'meadow' or 'piece of land' (for example, Applethwaite). Common words, including 'husband', 'sister', 'bread', 'happy' and 'law', also have Viking origins
• Scandinavian fashions of dress and hair

  • Short at the back
  • Long at the front
• Scandinavian fashions of dress and hair were followed by both Anglo-Saxon men and women
• The Danelaw eliminated some of the small kingdoms that made England weak, uniting a large part of the country.
• The Vikings cooperated with the Christian Church after the creation of the Danelaw. People living in the Danelaw had the freedom to worship either Christianity or their own gods.
• The Vikings changed the laws in the areas they controlled. Viking laws were often more relaxed than Anglo-Saxon laws, eg. Peasant farmers could choose whom they worked for.

  The community gathered at a meeting called a Thing to vote on how to settle arguments.
• Towns grew and cities like York became major trading hubs that connected England with the rest of the known world.
• The Vikings had trade links all around the known world which increased the economy of England.
• Odin


  Norse god of war and battle
• Followers of Odin wanted to conquer the English to please their god
• England

  • Fertile land
  • Rich mineral deposits
  • Established trade links that the Viking migrants hoped to exploit
• England didn't really have strong central authority, which meant that the Viking raids were easier
• Great Heathen Army

  1. Arrived in East Anglia in 865

  2. Marched across the land

  3. City of York fell to the Vikings in 867

  4. Viking leader Haldfan had defeated every force sent against him by 871
• The places where the Vikings came from were not very hospitable (suitable for farming): Norway was very hilly; Sweden was covered in forests; and Denmark had a lot of sandy soil
• The Vikings established

  1. Parts of Mercia (an Anglo-Saxon kingdom stretching across most of modern-day England)

  2. This encouraged other Vikings to come and live in these places
• According to Norse beliefs

  People who fought and died in battle lived on in Odin's hall of Valhalla, feasting and drinking
• The Codex Aureus was richly decorated with gold, silver and expensive coloured ink. In the mid 9th century, Vikings seized the Codex, realising the opportunity to make money.
• One reason Vikings migrated was because of wealthy places in England - eg. Landisfarne was home to expensive gospel books and sculptures.
• In Norse belief, it was considered dishonourable for a warrior to murder men who were unarmed, but this did not apply to those who did not hold the same religious beliefs in other countries
• The Vikings discovered from their early raids that England offered lands that could be cultivated (or farmed) quite easily - led many Viking warriors to return to England with their families.
• In Viking culture, only the eldest son inherited the family farm. Younger brothers had to make a living for themselves, which drove many of them to migrate to England
• Reasons Vikings settled in York:

  • Good trading links
  • fertile land
  • had a mint
  • leaders weren’t getting along -easier to take over
• The Vikings attacked and captured York on 1 November 866 when the city leaders were gathered together in one place for All Saint’s Day
• When Vikings settled in a place with a Christian population, they usually adopted Christianity as their religion - this can be seen on their graves and coins
• Industries located in Viking York

  • Cup makers (Coppergate)
  • Shield makers (Skeldergate)
• Goods arriving in Viking York

  • Walrus ivory (from the Arctic regions)
  • Amber (a yellow-orange precious stone from the Baltic region)
  • Wine (from the Rhineland in modern day Germany)
  • Spices and perfumes
• York grew in size under the Vikings