Viking Dates: Raiders And Invaders

Front 1

Lindisfarne, off the coast of Northumberland raided by ships from Norway

Back 1

8th June 793

Front 2

Viking attack on monastery at Jarrow

Back 2

794

Front 3

Holy sites raided at Iona, west coast of Scotland and Rathlin, Irish coast

Back 3

795

Front 4

Raid on monastery at Noirmoutier, Frankish Empire

Back 4

799

Front 5

Vikings launched a full scale invasion of England

Back 5

865

Front 6

The scale and nature of Viking raids changed in Western Europe - 30 or 40 ships

Back 6

From about 830

Front 7

Raids could involve as many as 100 ships and groups travelled far inland down rivers to attack trading towns as well as monasteries

Back 7

By 850

Front 8

Vikings began over-wintering

Back 8

From around 850

Front 9

Over-wintered at Thanet in the Thames estuary

Back 9

850 - 51

Front 10

Vikings formed a camp on the River Seine near Rouen

Back 10

Winter of 852-53

Front 11

King Charlemagne ruled the Frankish Empire

Back 11

768 - 814

Front 12

King Louis the Pious ruled the Frankish Empire

Back 12

814 - 840

Front 13

Vikings began to settle in the Orkney and Shetland islands

Back 13

From about 800

Front 14

Further raids on the Island of Iona

Back 14

802 and 806

Front 15

Viking attack driven off after Frisians paid tribute

Back 15

810

Front 16

Raid at Cork, Ireland

Back 16

822

Front 17

Raid on monastery at Skellig Michael, west coast of Ireland and attack on Bangor, Ireland

Back 17

824

Front 18

Nature of attacks on Ireland began to change

Back 18

830

Front 19

Armagh raided 3 times

Back 19

832

Front 20

Important Frankish trading town Dorestad raided every year for 4 years

Back 20

834, 35, 36, 37

Front 21

A serious raid on Sheppey in the Thames estuary marked the start of nearly 200 years of attacks from Scandinavia (especially Denmark)

Back 21

835

Front 22

Charles the Bald ruled the Frankish Empire

Back 22

840 - 877

Front 23

Vikings established a longphort on the River Liffey which would later become Dublin

Back 23

841

Front 24

Vikings sailed up the River Seine and burnt the town of Rouen

Back 24

841

Front 25

Vikings sailed up the River Loire and attacked the trading town of Nantes during a feast day and over-wintered for the first time at Noirmoutier

Back 25

843 (- 44)

Front 26

Further raids along the River Seine

Back 26

845

Front 27

Prosperous port Hamwic (Southampton) raided several times

Back 27

840s

Front 28

Raid on Christ Church, Canterbury

Back 28

851

Front 29

The king paid a random of £40 to free the Bishop of Archenfield captured in a raid on South Wales

Back 29

914

Front 30

Half Dan and Ivar the Boneless landed in East Anglia - East Anglian King bought them off by supplying horses

Back 30

865

Front 31

Danes advances from Thetford base through Mercia and into Northumbria

Back 31

866

Front 32

Vikings captured York

Back 32

All Saints Day, Nov 1 866

Front 33

Northumbrian King Aelle put to death - Halfdan and Ivar performed the blood eagle ritual on him

Back 33

867

Front 34

Great Heathen Army returned to Thetford camp. In autumn they attacked East Anglian heartlands, killed King Edmund and took over his lands

Back 34

869

Front 35

Great Heathen Army crosses the Thames at Reading and fought the West Saxons in a series of battles across north Wessex

Back 35

870 - 71

Front 36

Great Heathen Army attacked Mercia, overwintered at Repton, Mercian King Burgred fled to Rome and Danes seizes the eastern half of his kingdom

Back 36

873 - 74

Front 37

Army split: Halfdan went north to take full control of Northumbria, Guthrum went south to conquer Wessex

Back 37

875

Front 38

Guthrum captured Wareham, Exeter, Gloucester and Chippenham, Alfred fled to Somerset marshes

Back 38

875 - 78

Front 39

Alfred gathered huge force of men from Somerset, Wiltshire and Hampshire - they defeated Guthrum at the Battle of Edington

Back 39

(Easter) 878

Front 40

Alfred and Guthrum reached peace agreement at Wedmore, Somerset, later made formal with the Treaty of Wedmore (Danelaw)

Back 40

878