ASPECTS OF BRITISH HISTORY
plundering churches and monasteries along the
coasts of Britain and Ireland. In 865 the Vikings
invaded the islands. This time they came to
conquer and to settle. The Vikings from Denmark
(Danes) went mostly to England and Wales, and
those from Norway (Norsemen) went mainly to
Scotland and Ireland. By 875, Danish Vikings had
conquered every English kingdom except Wessex.
The Division
Their conquest of England was halted when King Alfred of Wessex2 defeated the
Danes in a decisive battle and made a treaty with them in 878. By the terms of the
treaty, the Danes accepted Christianity. They also agreed to live in the north and east
of England – the area which was called the Danelaw3. In the rest of the country Alfred
was recognised as king.
One Kingdom Again
By 954, Wessex had conquered the Danelaw. But new Danish raiders came in the
late tenth century
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