Multimedia Presentation
People invaded and settled - Vikings:
Answer Sheet
Where did the Vikings invade from?
Vikings were also known as the Norsemen. Norsemen means 'people
from the North'.
The Vikings came from the three countries of Scandinavia: Denmark,
Norway and Sweden.
Why were monasteries good places to raid?
Some Vikings were fierce pirate raiders: they stole treasure and
attacked local people.
In the year 793 Viking pirate raiders sailed across the North Sea to a
Christian monastery at Lindisfarne in north-east England. They stole
its treasures, murdered the monks and terrified everyone. This was
followed by other violent 'Viking raids' all over Britain.
Who where the Vikings?
Most Vikings were great travellers and sailed to other parts of
Europe, where they traded and often settled as farmers, fishermen
and trappers.
Viking craftsmen made beautiful objects out of wood, metal and bone;
Viking women were skilful weavers, produced fine, warm textiles.
When was the Viking invasion?
In 865 a 'Great Army' of Danish Vikings invaded England. There were
fierce battles for several years. In the end the Vikings conquered all
of northern, central and eastern England, and seized much of the
land for there farms. This area was called 'The Danelaw'.
Why did the Vikings invade and settle in Britain?
Most Vikings who sailed overseas were simply searching for better
land for their farms. Their land was not very good for farming. Norway
was very hilly, Sweden was covered in forests, and Denmark had a
lot of sandy home land.
Step: 1 of 2
Multimedia Presentation
People invaded and settled - Vikings:
Answer Sheet
What impact did King Alfred have on the Viking invasion?
Rather than face defeat, Alfred the Great, king of Wessex, paid the
Vikings (Danes) to leave his kingdom alone. He bought just five years
of peace. In that time the Vikings took over one third of England.
Then they returned to take Wessex. Alfred fought and defeated the
Vikings and their leader, King Guthrum, asked for peace. The Vikings
settled peacefully in an area of Britain which became known as
Danelaw.
What was special about the Viking longboats?
The Vikings were brilliant ship builders. Their ships were strong,
lightweight and beautifully shaped to skim quickly through the water.
Warships and raiding ships were designed to come right up on the
beach so that men could jump out and start fighting straight away.
Describe what the Viking longboats were like?
A big longship would be about 30m long and could travel at up to
32km per hour. It would have about 32 oars.
The ships had one large square sail. In bad weather it was lowered
over the ship and fastened down like a tent to protect the men inside.
The Vikings carved the prow of their ships into elaborate shapes such
as the head of a dragon or another animal.
The ships had names which reflected the shape of their prows, like
"Long Serpent", "Snake of the Sea" and "Horse of the Home of Ice".
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