Viking invasion of Britain

The **Viking invasion of Britain** in 865 AD is sometimes called 
the Great Heathen Army, or Great Danish Army or the Great Viking Army. Previous invasions were for loot, but this one led to semi-permanent settlement.

A large force of Danish Vikings attacked Anglo-Saxon England. This army appeared in East Anglia in 865. Unlike earlier Vikings who made brief raids on England, the Great army stayed for many years in an attempt to conquer all of England. 

## Early Viking raids 
The first recorded Viking attack in England was in 793 at Lindisfarne. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle reported " the havoc of  men miserably destroyed God's church at Lindesfarne." There were many reasons that Vikings began attacking England. The populations of Norway had been growing between the 7th and 9th centuries. The Vikings were pagans who often had several wives and many sons. These young men filled the ranks of armies and joined ship's crews to go on adventures. The beginning of trade between Europe and England had opened up great trading centers. 

The first raiders from the north who set foot in England were from Norway. They sacked and killed monks at Lindisfarne and at Jarrow the following year. The Norwegian Vikings then established colonies in the Shetland and Orkney Islands. They also settled in Ireland. The Vikings from Norway only came back to England in the 10th century and from their settlements in Ireland. For the next thirty years these attacks on England continued. In 850 Canterbury and London were attacked by a Danish band led by Rorik.

## The Great Army 
In 865 the Danish Vikings changed their tactics. A large army made up of many smaller bands landed in East Anglia. For over a decade they remained in England destroying entire kingdoms as they went. The Danes spent the winter in East Anglia. The local people bought peace with the Vikings by supplying them with horses. After a year they moved northwards to Northumbria, their army now a mounted army. They captured York and defeated two Northumbrian kings, Aella and Osbert, who joined forces to attack the Danes. Both kings were killed. The Danes made their winter camp at Nottingham. The Danes did not fight but allowed the Mercians to pay them for peace. The next year, 871, the great Viking army grew much larger. After twelve months in York, the great army moved south again into East Anglia. In the battle that followed, the Battle of Reading, both sides suffered many casualties. Athelred's army was defeated. The next battle was at a place called Merantun. After a day long battle which the English were winning, the Danes were able to regain their lost ground. Within a month, Alfred, who replaced his brother as king, was defeated at Wilton. There were nine more battles between the West Saxons and the Danes in the next year. Wessex finally paid the Vikings for peace which ended the fighting. Alfred remained on the throne. Of the two known leaders of the Danes, Ivar the Boneless disappeared from the records after 871. But there was little gain in raiding these poorer areas. The Danes had plundered the wealth of most of England and little was left. Halfdan began settling his men in the area of York. In 878 a new Danish army was camped at Fulham. But by 879 they had left England for the Low Countries.

The settling of a large part of conquered England by the Danes became known as the Danelaw. It became the part of England where the laws and customs were Danish not English. At this point England became divided into three parts. These were Wessex, English Mercia and the Danelaw.

## Notes
## Related pages
* Danelaw
* Viking Age
* History of England

## References