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Danelaw

Type Object Region British Isles Time c. 865–1066

The Danelaw was a political-legal community formed in much of eastern and northern England under Viking settlement and rule from the 9th to 11th cent…

Timeline

  1. c. 865–878East Anglia and Mercia · EnglandAfter landing in 865, the Viking Great Heathen Army rapidly conquered East Anglia, York, and most of Mercia, establishing Scandinavian settlements and military rule that laid the territorial foundation of the Danelaw.
  2. c. 886Wessex-Danelaw border · EnglandAlfred, King of Wessex, made peace with the Viking leader Guthrum, recognizing the Danelaw's rule over eastern and northern England, with the Thames-Lea river line as the boundary; the name Danelaw as an independent legal region was thereby established.
  3. c. 890–900York (Jórvík) · YorkshireBy the late 9th century York had become the most important city of the Danelaw, where Viking rulers minted coins, developed trade, and applied Scandinavian customary law, maintaining close ties with the Irish Sea and Scandinavian sea routes.

Sources