The Lindisfarne Raid: The Beginning of the Viking Age (793 AD)
The Viking Age began on June 8, 793 AD, with a terrifying and significant raid on the monastery at Lindisfarne, an island off the northeast coast of England. The monastery at Lindisfarne was a center of Christian learning and culture, and its attack marked the first recorded Viking raid on the British Isles. The Vikings, coming from Scandinavia, launched a swift and brutal assault, looting treasures, killing monks, and burning the monastery to the ground. This shocking event sent shockwaves throughout Europe, as it was not just a simple raid, but a symbol of the arrival of a new and fearsome force. The Vikings had arrived, and they would reshape the future of Europe.
The Lindisfarne raid was not a one-off attack but part of a series of early Viking raids on the British Isles. Over the next several decades, Viking ships would continue to terrorize the coastlines of Britain, Ireland, and beyond, paving the way for what would become one of the most defining periods in European history.
The Viking Great Army: A New Era of Conquest (865 AD)
By the 860s, the Vikings, now united under a large military force known as the Viking Great Army, were embarking on a far more ambitious campaign of conquest. In 865, this army, led by the sons of Ragnar Lodbrok—one of the most famous Viking warriors—arrived in England. They had already ravaged much of Scotland and Ireland, but now their sights were set on the kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England.
The Great Army's arrival marked the beginning of a long series of conflicts, most notably with King Ælla of Northumbria, who would be defeated by the Vikings at York in 867. The Viking influence continued to spread, leading to the establishment of the Danelaw, a region of England controlled by the Vikings, further securing their dominance. shutdown123