The Vikings

Raiders who attacked Britain from AD 789 and later settled in eastern England and Scotland.

Key facts

Raided Britain from AD 789, later settling in eastern England and Scotland.
King Alfred the Great united the Anglo-Saxons and defeated the Vikings.
Cnut (Canute) was the first Danish king of England.
Many Vikings settled in an area of eastern/northern England called the Danelaw — place names such as Grimsby and Scunthorpe come from Viking languages.
In the north, the threat of Viking attack united people under King Kenneth MacAlpin, and the term "Scotland" began to be used.

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