THE AGE OF THE VIKINGS

AD c787

FIRST CONTACT

Viking longships are seen for the first time, lurking with intent off the Wessex coast.

AD 792

THREATENED COAST

Mercian king Offa records in a charter of the need to prepare defences in Kent against the “pagan sailors”.

AD 793

HORRORS ON HOLY ISLAND

The tidal island monastery of Lindisfarne in Northumbria becomes the first known site of a Viking raid. News of the invaders spreads across Europe; many Christians view their arrival as a sign of the Apocalypse.

AD 838

MY ENEMY’S ENEMY

The Battle of Hingston Down in Cornwall sees an alliance of Vikings