The Viking Raids in Britain
The new invaders were Scandinavians from Norway and Denmark. The English called them the Danes.
Summer after summer these pirates rowed up rivers in their longboats, plundered the rich monasteries, and
went home with the gold and gems.
The Viking raids and subsequent settlements define the period known as the Viking Age in Britain
which had profound consequences on the development of the culture and language. The raids started in 793
A.D. when three ships docked at the shore by the abbey of Lindisfarne. The abbey’s reeve believed he
recognized them as those of traders and, thinking they had lost their way, went out to direct them up the
coast to the estate he thought they had been aiming for. Upon approaching the ships, however, he was
instantly killed by the sailors who then sacked the abbey and murdered everyone they found inside or on the
grounds; this was only the beginning.
The raids continued in 794 CE when Viking ships sacked monasteries in Northumbria and Scotland and,
in the same year, attacked sites in Ireland. Raids and military incursions continued in Britain through c.
1066 CE, ending with the invasion by the great Norwegian king Harald Hardrada, known as “the last of
the Vikings”.
The Vikings were all from Scandinavia but the term referred to one who joined an expedition expressly
for the purpose of raiding others for personal gain. It is understood as meaning something closer to piracy
and robbery than legitimate trade.
Level : 1st year Bachelor Module : History Student : Mr. HANNACHI
