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| In
793 AD, the destruction of Lindisfarne on the northeast coast
of England signalled the start of the Norse raids and a mass
migration of Scandinavians, which continued until 1050 AD.
What started as expeditions to plunder the possessions of the
native British ended in conquest and settlement. These raiders
became known as Vikings, possibly from the Norse 'vik', meaning
a bay and thus one who frequents bays, or from the Old English
'wic' - a camp, from the Viking habit of setting up temporary
encampments.
By the middle of the ninth century, almost half the country
was in the hands of the Norse-speaking Vikings. It was only
the uprising of Alfred, King of Wessex, who used English as
a political tool to weld his forces and kingdom together, that
saved the language. |
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Your questions answered by our Message Board users. Post a question too. |
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Do you know where the word 'avocado' came from? |
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Thanks for joining in the chat, why not read the transcript. |
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With series producers, Simon Elmes and Tony Phillips. |
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