| Our second session in July shifts the focus to the Viking invaders and their territory in England known as “The Danelaw”. We will see how they added to the English language and how they became part of the ruling class. By the time the Danish kings came to rule England had embraced Christianity. The Danish principality became a stable kingdom from the mid tenth century when King Harold Bluetooth (930-988) became a Christian convert. He and his son Sven Forkbeard (988-1014) established an empire that included parts of England and Scotland. The city of Jorvik (York) had been captured in in 867 and became a major Viking trading post, whilst Dublin and parts of Ireland were also added to their empire. In 1016 the Viking King Cnut (Canute) became the ruler of England, setting the scene for the final Viking invasion in the form of the Normans. |  King Alfred who negotiated a treaty with the Vikings restricting them to the Danelaw territory whilst preserving his besieged kingdom of Wessex. (878 AD) . |
Below: Map and timeline showing Anglo Saxon kingdoms prior to Viking’s establishing the kingdom of Danelaw.
