The Swiftness of the Vikings
One of the secrets of the Vikings’ success was the speed at which they moved. Their longships were probably the fastest things on earth over long distances and they could land and witthdraw their raiding bands far more quickly than their more settled adversaries could mount defences against them.
When the Great Heathen Army landed in England they decided to combine the speed and flexibilty of their ships with the ability to move fast across land. Within a year they had demanded a vast tribute of horses from the kingdom of East Anglia and proceeded to journey across the country to attack every English kingdom.
Within ten years they had conquered Northumbria, East Anglia and Mercia. Their only remaining foe was Wessex. King Alfred has his back to the wall.
The movements of the army at this time were swift and complex as they criss-crossed England in pursuit of treasure and lordship. This map, which you can find on Wikipedia, is the best I’ve yet come across.
I hope you find it as interesting and useful as I did. Just search Wikipedia for the Great Heathen Army to find it.
If you’d like to take a look at Wolves of War, my book about the Viking invasion of England please click, tap or paste here:
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