Wessex was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom in the south of England

when you defend something, you resist an attack made against it

to stall means to stop something making progress

a bribe means to give someone money or something else of value, often illegally, to persuade that person to do something you want

Aethelred, Alfred the Great and Wessex

History

Early Viking raids

Seafaring Vikings

The Great Heathen Army

The Anglo-Saxon fightback

Why the Vikings came to Britain

In ‘The Vikings: why did they come to the British Isles?’ pupils learn about how and why the Vikings began to settle in Britain. In ‘The Great War: how did the Great War affect my local area?’ pupils momentarily leave their study of Viking Age Britain to consider the impact of the First World War on their local area at an appropriate time in the school year.

In 'The Anglo-Saxons: how do we know about life in Anglo-Saxon England?' pupils learnt about Anglo Saxon culture and society in more detail, and the evidence base for the claims that historians make about this period. In 'The Vikings: why did they come to the British Isles?' pupils learn about another wave of migration to Britain: the Vikings.

n this unit, pupils learn about the period in which Viking invaders first came to Britain. They learn about the Vikings themselves and the conflict that emerged between them and the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England. Pupils also learn about the roles of Aethelred and Alfred the Great in this period.

The Vikings: why did they come to the British Isles?

Depiction of war, threats of war, death or the aftermath of war.

Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

to resist an attack made against something

to give someone something to make them do what you want

Match the word to the correct description.

It was the first kingdom that the Vikings had successfully invaded.

It was the only kingdom the Vikings had not successfully invaded.

It was ruled by the young King Aethelred.

Which statements are correct about the kingdom of Wessex in 870 CE?

What was the outcome of the Battle of Reading in 871 CE?

Complete the sentence.  Shortly after King Aethelred died, {{ }} became king of Wessex.

Which kingdoms did the Vikings conquer after leaving Wessex in peace?

Which of the below were Anglo-Saxon kingdoms?

a person who is a leader of a widely held religion. 

a person who does not belong to a widely held religion.

a person who follows a widely held religion.

What is the correct definition of a 'heathen'?

What was the name of the Viking army that arrived in East Anglia in 865 CE?

True or false? The Vikings established camps over summer to continue raids.

A huge Viking force, called the Great Heathen Army, arrived in Kent. 

The Vikings set up winter camps to continue their raids.

The Great Heathen Army travelled north to East Anglia. 

Order these events, starting with the earliest.

What city in the kingdom of Northumbria did the Vikings invade and capture in 866 CE?

Aethelred, Alfred the Great and Wessex

Lesson outcome

Content guidance