London
the town of Lundenwic. The area of the old Roman city became a landing-place for ships and
a centre for trade.The first English King to convert to Christianity, King Ethelbert, founded St
Paul's Cathedral in 604.
The Vikings 8th and 9th century
By the 9th century, London was a very prosperous trading centre, and its wealth attracted the
attention of Danish Vikings. The Danes periodically sailed up the Thames and attacked
London. In 851 some 350 longboats full of Danes attacked and burned London to the ground.
King Alfred the Great totally defeated the Danes in 878 and they split the country between
them. The Danes took eastern England including London while Alfred took the South and
West. Alfred's men took London in 886 and repaired the walls of the old Roman city. In 1016
the Vikings attacked London again but the Saxons fought them off.
The attacks ceased when the Danish king Cnut came to power in 1017. Cnut managed to unite
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