The Legend of Vikings

 In the 8th century, Scandinavians, who still remained heathens on the European continent, began to provoke provocations in various parts of Europe. Looking at their route of invasion, one group of Swedes headed for Russia and reached Constantinople. The other army, mainly Norwegian, advanced to Spain and the Mediterranean via northern and western Wales and Scotland of England. The Vikings, which we call the Danes, bothered the French coast and the eastern and southern coasts of England (mainly East Midland and Yorkshire). We call them Vikings by the name we are familiar with. The etymology of the word Vikings meant "creek-dwellers." In the ancient North Korean language, vik refers to "creek, fire." Vikings' primary invasion: Early on, they were primarily for plunder, but by the middle of the eighth century, they had clearly begun to take over Britain. At this time, the English living on the east coast of England often witnessed large-scale pirate ships appearing in the sea. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle written by Bead, three Danes ships first came in 787, followed by a 793 and 794 Dane raids that robbed the monastery in Lindispanner and Wemouth. Looking at the next chronicle in 832, we can see that Britain has been thoroughly ravaged by pagan Northern European pirates for nearly 40 years. Their attacks have become frequent, and in 851 there is a record that they finally winter in mainland England. Until now, he had returned home by boat in winter, but since then, he has settled in British soil. As such, the period of Dane invasion, looting, and colonization from the middle of the 8th century to the end of the 10th century is called the Viking Age. Alfred the Great's Achievement: The disaster caused by the Danes is severe, and British culture is seriously threatened. York fell in 867, and this unfavorable situation gradually moved south and spread throughout the country. Fortunately, however, King Alfred (811-900) of the Kingdom of Wesex was able to prevent the Dane from going south. The Seven Kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon entered the ninth century and unified into one kingdom of Wesxes. The kingdom became powerful during Alfred's grandfather, Egbert, called Britain's first unified king, and he formed a unified kingdom by integrating the sovereignty of Mercia and Northumbria. Alfred was born the fourth son of Ethelwulf, the predecessor, but became king when all his brothers were killed in the battle against Vikings. From the year he ascended to the throne, he fought against the Danes. At last, the fate of Anglo-Saxon is on the verge of turning into a storm when the new invasion forces of Guthrum, the Dane king, attacked Wesax on a large scale. His army, which was inferior in numbers, also gradually retreated as he lost, and in 878, King Alfred was pushed to the point of being pushed to a part of Somerset. However, in the same year, his army launched a surprise attack and succeeded in defeating the Danes in the battle of Edington (Ethandune), which will remain in history. He promises to withdraw Wessex and convert to Christianity, and he becomes his godfather. Winchester, the city where he worked, was created by Roman soldiers, as the mother of -chester, but it makes him proud as a city that defended Britain from the Danes' invasion. Winchester is the eternal home of King Alfred, and on High Street stands a statue of King Alfred. Danero: Wex was saved in this way, but by allowing the Vikings to live freely in British territory, most of the land of central and northern England was actually taken by the Danes. This is a kind of extraterritorial area that allowed the Danes to live in accordance with their laws, and it makes us feel how powerful Vikings were at that time. Thus the Vikings were able to settle peacefully in the land to the Tees River north of the Thames, called Danelaw, and in what is now Norfolk, Linconshire, Yorkshire, and its neighboring areas. Vikings' Second Invasion: From the 10th century until the Norman invasion, the Kingdom of England was at a turning point before the new millennium. This period was an era of constant change and flow, and it was also a time when England was crowded with multiple races, including Anglo-Danes, Norse, Viking invaders, and even Norman mercenaries. In the meantime, the Dane invasion, which had been quiet from the continent, resumed, followed by the invasion of Vikings led by Norwegian King Olaf Tryggvason and Danish King Svein. The Battle of Maldon, which is also shown in the ancient English poem, took place in 991, and was greatly defeated despite the British fighting. At this time, Wexaxon's king was Ethereum, the most incompetent king among Alfred's descendants, and he used to collect taxes called Danegeld to buy the Dane people, but it only bothered the people and did not have much effect. When he died in 1016, London was also occupied. After much consideration, the British Wise Men's Association (Witan) chose Knut, the younger brother of the Danish king, as the king of 1017-1035. Although he was a Dane, Knut converted to Christianity and tried to become a true king of England, accepting Emma of Normandy as his wife. Eventually, until he died at the age of 40, England became a country ruled by the king of Vikings.