Once you pay the Danegeld, you nevÂer get rid of the Dane. So disÂcovÂered the rulers of the kings of the Anglo-SaxÂon era, durÂing which EngÂland became subÂject to the threat of Viking invaÂsions. It wasÂn’t, of course, the EngÂland we know today, but it wasÂn’t exactÂly not the EngÂland we know today either. The fact of the matÂter, accordÂing to the aniÂmatÂed KnowlÂedÂgia video above, is that EngÂland didÂn’t take its full form until 927 A.D.. In ten minÂutes, it goes on to encapÂsuÂlate what hapÂpened in the foreÂgoÂing cenÂtuÂry and a half to make EngÂland as we know it a viable geoÂgraphÂiÂcal and politÂiÂcal entiÂty — a process that wasÂn’t withÂout its comÂpliÂcaÂtions.
“As the Roman Empire began to fade from the British isles,” explains the video’s narÂraÂtor, “the area of modÂern-day EngÂland startÂed to see a wave of migraÂtion from Anglo-SaxÂon GerÂmanÂic tribes.” Then came attacks from the othÂer direcÂtion, mountÂed by the Picts and Scots, whom the GerÂmanÂic peoÂples evenÂtuÂalÂly expelled — before takÂing powÂer from the native Britons themÂselves. After a few cenÂturies of diviÂsion into varÂiÂous Anglo-SaxÂon kingÂdoms, along came the Vikings. By the year 875, only the kingÂdom of WesÂsex hadÂn’t been overÂtakÂen by the Danes. Its king, Alfred, startÂed the cusÂtom of payÂing them off before engagÂing and finalÂly defeatÂing them in the BatÂtle of EdingÂton.
The folÂlowÂing genÂerÂaÂtions of rulers of WesÂsex and the retakÂen kingÂdom of MerÂcia pushed north, takÂing back terÂriÂtoÂry from the Danes a piece at at time. It was ÆthelÂstan, who ruled from 925 to 939, who finalÂly made it all the way up through NorthumÂbria. “This is genÂerÂalÂly the time that most hisÂtoÂriÂans view the KingÂdom of EngÂland as havÂing been creÂatÂed,” but ÆthelÂstan’s domain “was still not quite what we know as EngÂland today.” The king’s 937 invaÂsion of ScotÂland, culÂmiÂnatÂing in his vicÂtoÂry in the BatÂtle of BrunanÂburh, “may have truÂly solidÂiÂfied the uniÂty of EngÂland, and stirred up a new sense of nationÂalÂism and pride amongst the EngÂlish peoÂple.”
Not that the trouÂbles endÂed there. After ÆthelÂstan’s death, the Vikings returned to do a bit of reconÂquerÂing, subÂseÂquentÂly un-reconÂquered by the EngÂlish under Edmund. LatÂer came Eric BloodÂaxe of NorÂway, who made inroads into EngÂland as fearÂsomeÂly as his name would sugÂgest, only to lose his conÂquered terÂriÂtoÂries to the locals. The bloody conÂflicts involved in all this didÂn’t come to a pause until the reign of the aptÂly named Edgar the PeaceÂful, which began in late 959. Under Edgar “the true founÂdaÂtions of the EngÂlish kingÂdoms could finalÂly be estabÂlished,” and he passed many reforms — but made sure to uphold the DanÂish law where it had been estabÂlished. If recent hisÂtoÂry had offered any lesÂson, it was that one should nevÂer upset the Danes.
RelatÂed ConÂtent:
The Entire HisÂtoÂry of the British Isles AniÂmatÂed: 42,000 BCE to Today
The Roman Roads of Britain VisuÂalÂized as a SubÂway Map
The EvoÂluÂtion of LonÂdon: 2,000 Years of Change AniÂmatÂed in 7 MinÂutes
The HisÂtoÂry of the EngÂlish LanÂguage in Ten AniÂmatÂed MinÂutes
Based in Seoul, ColÂin MarÂshall writes and broadÂcasts on cities, lanÂguage, and culÂture. His projects include the SubÂstack newsletÂter Books on Cities, the book The StateÂless City: a Walk through 21st-CenÂtuÂry Los AngeÂles and the video series The City in CinÂeÂma. FolÂlow him on TwitÂter at @colinmarshall or on FaceÂbook.
