Vikings 

 

in Castle Bromwich?

 

 

There weren't any!

 

- as far as we know.

From about 800 AD Vikings began to make raids on Britain, stealing treasure, capturing people to sell as slaves and burning villages. However, after the raids they usually sailed back to their homes in Denmark and Norway. 

 

As the years went by, some Vikings began to settle in England, especially in the North and East, to farm the land. There is no known evidence of Vikings settling down in the Birmingham area.

 

In 870 the Vikings brought a Great Army to England and began to conquer much of the country. Soon England was divided along the ancient Roman road, Watling Street: north and east of it was the Danelaw controlled by the Vikings; south and west of it was Anglo-Saxon Mercia and Wessex.

 

However, on two occasions the Viking Great Army passed nearby. In 893 and in 895 they travelled from Essex to Shropshire along Watling Street near Tamworth. They were only 10 miles away from Castle Bromwich.

 

The fight back began under the Saxon king, Alfred the Great, then under his son Edward and grandson Athelstan, who took back the Viking lands and called himself 'King of the English'. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click on this map to take you to the British Museum website.

Here there is a map of Britain showing places with Viking names.

Enlarge the map to find Birmingham. 

Can you find any Viking placenames nearby?

 

 

 

So, no Vikings in Castle Bromwich!

 

Click on the picture to go to BBC Primary History.

There's lots of information here about the Vikings. The website will open a new page.