The Vikings

At this time … The Vikings found it easy to steal from monasteries and convents. The riches they took back home encouraged further raids and this became a serious problem for the Anglo-Saxon kings. Not every British kingdom fought back – some tried to pay the Vikings to go away and some even teamed up with the Vikings against other kingdoms.

In 787 AD, three Viking ships became lost at sea and drifted around the coast of England, finally coming ashore far from home on the south coast in Dorset. The local tax collector thought they had come peacefully to trade – but they killed him and sailed away.

Back home, in the Vikings’ homeland, tales spread of the wealth of England, even though the journey west was still considered a dangerous or foolish journey. Eventually, six years later, the first big Viking raid was on the monastery of Lindisfarne, in the north west of England in 793 AD.

Wealthy Christians who wanted to prove how much they loved God would give silver and gold candlesticks, bowls and cups to be used at church services. Monks and nuns were peaceful people, who were not trained to fight and did not carry weapons. This made it very easy for Viking raiders to kill or capture them.

Monks had valuable skills too - they could read and write, and make medicines. Vikings realised that as well as treasure, they could take prisoners and sell them as slaves.

Christian riches

Why were monasteries seen as an easy target?

Exploring and Raiding - Viking Raids on Britain

The Vikings

Most Viking raids took place in the summer. The sea was calmer, and the days were longer, so it was safer to sail. At home, Vikings planted their crops in spring and harvested in autumn. In the summer, many men (and some women) sailed abroad looking for wealth and glory.

Those too old or young to go stayed at home to tend the crops and look after their settlement. Some Vikings started to take their whole families away, looking for land to make small settlements – at first in Scotland, Orkney, the Shetland Islands and Ireland.

Like the monasteries, a lot of the small Anglo-Saxon towns on the English coast didn’t have any defences against the Vikings either.

The Anglo-Saxons didn’t have an organised army. When they faced trouble and needed soldiers, they had to call on ordinary people to fight, such as farm labourers or blacksmiths (this was called raising the fyrd). This type of army was usually hopeless against a serious foe – the men weren’t trained or paid, and their weapons were often only knives or farm implements. They stood no chance of beating the well-trained, battle-hardened Viking warriors.

No defence

Exploring and Raiding - Viking Raids on Britain

Why did the Vikings often raid in summer?

Instead of fighting, some of the Anglo-Saxon kings tried paying the Vikings to go away, offering them slaves, horses and money. Often the Vikings were happy to take these bribes – but then they came back, again and again, demanding more and more. It was easy for them!

By 850 AD, most monasteries and churches had been raided many times over. The Vikings were so sure that the Anglo-Saxons couldn’t chase them off that they were taking land from Anglo-Saxon farmers and settling in England over the winter.