Skip to content
Oak National Academy
Oak National Academy
Teachers
Pupils
New
New
Year 5

Why the Vikings came to Britain

I can retell the story of how the Vikings came to settle in large parts of Britain.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils
New
New
Year 5

Why the Vikings came to Britain

I can retell the story of how the Vikings came to settle in large parts of Britain.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The Vikings first came to Britain in small raids on monasteries and these grew more frequent.
  2. The Great Heathen Army came to Britain, bringing lots of Vikings who began to settle on Anglo-Saxon land.
  3. The Great Heathen Army overcame all of the Saxon kingdoms apart from Wessex, which came to be ruled by King Alfred.
  4. Fighting back against Guthrum and the Great Heathen Army, Alfred managed to confine the Vikings to the Danelaw.
  5. A good story of how the Vikings came to settle in large parts of Britain will use knowledge from across this unit.

Common misconception

Pupils may not understand that the Vikings came to Britain for different reasons over a long period of time.

The Vikings first came to Britain to raid monasteries; they then invaded and settled in some Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. Finally, they tried to capture all of Britain but were unsuccessful. However, they were able to stay and control the Danelaw.

Keywords

  • Raid - a raid is a rapid surprise attack, usually involving stealing something

  • Monastery - a monastery is a building lived in by a community of monks who follow religious vows

  • Settled - when you are settled you make a permanent home somewhere

  • Danelaw - the area that Alfred allowed the Vikings to rule was called the Danelaw

As you go through the lesson, give the pupils time to gather key words and draw quick sketches of the stages of the Vikings coming to settle in Britain.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of serious crime
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Video

Skip video

Loading...

Starter quiz

Download starter quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
Match the location with the correct description.
Correct Answer:Chippenham,a town where the Vikings almost captured Alfred

a town where the Vikings almost captured Alfred

Correct Answer:Edington,a town in southwestern England where Alfred defeated Guthrum

a town in southwestern England where Alfred defeated Guthrum

Correct Answer:Danelaw,the area that Alfred allowed the Vikings to rule

the area that Alfred allowed the Vikings to rule

Q2.
When did Guthrum begin to attack Wessex?
Correct answer: 877 CE
888 CE
878 CE
Q3.
True or false? King Alfred fled to the marshes and gave up.
True
Correct answer: False
Q4.
Order these events, starting with the earliest.
1 - Viking King Guthrum began to attack Wessex.
2 - Guthrum launched a surprise attack on Chippenham.
3 - Alfred rode out to challenge Guthrum and the Vikings at Edington.
4 - Alfred was victorious at Edington.
Q5.
What happened after King Alfred was victorious at Edington?
He drove the Vikings out of Northumbria.
Correct answer: He drove the Vikings out of London.
He drove the Vikings out of Britain.
He drove the Vikings out of East Anglia.
Q6.
Which statements accurately reflect some parts of the peace agreement between Alfred and Guthrum?
The Vikings had to leave Britain and return to their homeland.
Correct answer: Guthrum had to convert to Christianity.
Correct answer: The Vikings were given some areas of Britain to control.
Alfred had to convert to paganism.

Exit quiz

Download exit quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
What is the term given to a rapid surprise attack, usually involving stealing something.
Correct Answer: raid, Raid, rade
Q2.
What were the main reasons that Vikings raided monasteries?
Correct answer: Because they were near to the coastline.
Because they wanted to learn from the manuscripts.
Correct answer: Beause they contained valuable objects.
Because they wanted to kill monks.
Q3.
After raiding many places, what did the Vikings then decide to do?
Return to Scandinavia and stop exploring
Correct answer: Invade and settle in Anglo-Saxon kingdoms
Become farmers in their own country
Trade peacefully with other countries
Q4.
Which statements accurately describe The Great Heathen Army?
It first landed in Northumbria.
Correct answer: It was the biggest Viking army that had ever come to Britain.
It successfully invaded and settled in one of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.
Correct answer: It invaded and settled in three of the four Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.
Q5.
Order the attacks between King Alfred and the Viking King Guthrum, starting with the earliest.
1 - Viking King Guthrum began to attack Wessex.
2 - Guthrum launched a surprise attack on Chippenham.
3 - Alfred and the Vikings battled in Edington and Alfred was victorious.
Q6.
What were the areas that Alfred let the Vikings control called?
Correct Answer: Danelaw, danelaw, Dane Law, dane law

Additional material

Download additional material
We're sorry, but preview is not currently available. Download to see additional material.