![]() Eventually the Danelaw, the lands taken over by Danish Vikings, extended across the entire northeastern portion of England. The remaining unconquered kingdom, Wessex, escaped Viking rule, but engaged in years of fighting. Though referred to in military terms at the time, the raiders also included traders, women, and children. Known as the “Great Heathen Army,” the pagan soldiers attacked and took over three of England's four Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. Starting in 865, the Vikings began a massive invasion of England. The reasons behind the incursions are still debated by historians, but may have related to a lack of marriageable women, a desire for slave labor, or a desire to expand trade networks. It heralded the beginning of a new era of Swedish, Norse, and Danish exploration. Beginning in the 790s, Scandinavian pirates sailed south and attacked largely defenseless monasteries in England, Scotland, and Ireland. ![]() ![]() Those raiding journeys were expansive and often violent. ![]()
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