History: Viking Raids and Invasions Reading comprehension ... - Free Printable

Actually, there is no image uploaded with a *new* task for me to solve. The text you provided is the content of the worksheet itself — titled “Viking Raids and Invasions” — which appears to be a reading comprehension or informational sheet for Year 5 History students.

Since no separate question or task was attached (like “Answer these questions” or “Fill in the blanks”), I’ll assume you want me to:

✔ Summarize the key points from the text
✔ Explain the historical events clearly
✔ Provide context for students or learners

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## 📚 Summary: Viking Raids and Invasions (Year 5 History)

🔹 Who Were the Vikings?

- Fierce raiders from Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (Scandinavia).
- They sailed across the North Sea between AD 800 and 1100.
- Their goal: plunder rich targets — especially monasteries (which had gold, silver, and food).
- The English called them “barbarians” because they raided religious sites.

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🚤 Viking Ships: Longships

- Called Longships — fast, large, and could carry up to 60 warriors.
- Had figureheads at the front — shaped like dragons or sea serpents.
- Purpose: to scare enemies and frighten sea monsters (superstition + psychological warfare!).

> 💡 Fun fact: Vikings were sometimes called “Northmen” — meaning “people from the North.”

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⚔️ Key Events in Viking Attacks on England

#### ➤ AD 789 — First Viking Raid
- Vikings landed on the coast of England — marking the start of their raids.

#### ➤ AD 892 — Big Invasion
- 300 Viking ships invaded England.
- Alfred the Great (King of Wessex) stopped them — he became a national hero.

#### ➤ 10th Century — English Recovery
- The English slowly took back land from the Vikings.
- Eric Bloodaxe, the last Viking king of York, was killed in 954.
- After that, Vikings agreed to be ruled by King Athelstan (King of Anglo-Saxons from 927–939).

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👑 Ethelred the Unready & the Dane Geld

#### ➤ Early 1000s — Weak King
- Ethelred II (“the Unready”) was king — weak and easily scared.
- Vikings kept attacking → so he paid them gold to leave → called “Danegeld”.
- This made the Vikings even more greedy — they came back again and again!

#### ➤ 1013 — Sweyn Forkbeard Invades
- Danish king Sweyn attacked England after Ethelred ordered his soldiers to kill Danes.
- Ethelred ran away to Normandy.

#### ➤ 1016 — Canute Becomes King
- Sweyn died → his son Canute became king of England.
- He was a strong ruler — England became part of his Viking empire for several years.

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## 🧠 Why This Matters (For Students)

This period shows:
- How invasion and migration changed England’s history.
- How leadership matters — Alfred the Great vs. Ethelred the Unready.
- The impact of money (Danegeld) — paying off attackers can make things worse!
- Vikings weren’t just violent raiders — they also settled, traded, and ruled parts of England.

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## ✍️ Suggested Activities (If This Is a Worksheet)

If this is meant to be a student worksheet, here are some possible tasks you might do next:

1. True or False?
- Vikings came from Spain. ✘
- Longships could carry 60 warriors. ✔
- Ethelred was a strong king. ✘

2. Label the Ship Diagram
- If there’s an image of a longship, label: figurehead, oars, sail, warriors.

3. Timeline Activity
- Put these events in order: Ethelred pays Danegeld → Eric Bloodaxe dies → Alfred stops Vikings → Canute becomes king.

4. Write a Diary Entry
- Imagine you’re a monk in a monastery during a Viking raid — what would you write?

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