OCR Specification focus:
‘Definitions, origins (links with raids); organisation; growth; response from Anglo-Saxons (relationships between inhabitants and colonists).’
The Danelaw was a central feature of Viking and Anglo-Saxon history, emerging from Scandinavian incursions into England. It reflected conquest, settlement, cultural exchange, and resistance, shaping Anglo-Saxon and Viking identity.
Definitions and Origins
The Danelaw was the region of England under the control of Danish and other Scandinavian settlers during the late ninth and tenth centuries. It was established following Viking raids, conquests, and negotiated settlements.
Danelaw: The area of England where Danish law, customs, and authority held sway, distinct from Anglo-Saxon law.
The origins of the Danelaw are closely linked to the Viking raids beginning in the late eighth century, culminating in the campaigns of the Great Heathen Army (865 onwards). After years of conflict with Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, treaties such as the Treaty of Wedmore (878) and the Treaty of Alfred and Guthrum (c. 886) defined areas of Viking settlement and control.
Map of England and Wales at the time of the Alfred–Guthrum peace (AD 878). The area under Danish law and custom (Danelaw) is distinguished from West Saxon territory, clarifying the context in which Scandinavian legal practice prevailed. Source
Organisation of the Danelaw
The Danelaw was organised along Scandinavian lines, blending Viking traditions with Anglo-Saxon structures. It relied on both military power and settlement patterns to maintain control.
Key organisational features included:
Law and governance: The Danelaw was so named because it used Danish laws and customs rather than Anglo-Saxon ones.
Legal assemblies (Things): Public gatherings where disputes were settled and decisions were made, rooted in Scandinavian traditions.
Military presence: Strongholds and fortified towns (later known as burhs) ensured control and defence.
Economic systems: Scandinavian coinage and trade practices began to influence the region.
Thing: A Scandinavian legal and political assembly where free men gathered to decide laws, settle disputes, and uphold community order.
This system gave Viking settlers both a sense of identity and a practical means of ruling newly acquired territory.
The Five Boroughs—Derby, Leicester, Lincoln, Nottingham and Stamford—functioned as administrative centres within Danish Mercia.
Map of the Five Boroughs of the Danelaw (c. 912). These centres illustrate the administrative footprint of Danish rule in the East Midlands. The uncluttered layout focuses on borough locations without unnecessary detail. Source
Growth of the Danelaw
The Danelaw grew as Viking influence expanded during the late ninth and early tenth centuries. Key stages included:
865–878: Expansion through the conquests of the Great Heathen Army.
878–886: Consolidation under treaties, particularly with King Alfred of Wessex.
Late ninth–early tenth centuries: Settler communities expanded into farming regions, while urban centres such as York (Jórvik) became hubs of commerce and administration.
Continued migration: Danish settlers, along with Norwegians, established permanent communities, encouraging intermarriage and cultural exchange.
The expansion of settlements was not just military but also agricultural and economic, with Viking farmers adapting to and exploiting English land and resources.
Anglo-Saxon Responses
The Anglo-Saxon response to the Danelaw was complex, involving resistance, adaptation, and eventual reconquest.
Resistance and Diplomacy
Kings like Alfred the Great resisted Viking encroachment militarily while negotiating settlements.
Diplomacy was essential, with treaties defining borders and coexistence.
Cultural and Social Adaptation
Anglo-Saxons living within the Danelaw were influenced by Scandinavian customs, adopting elements of language, law, and culture.
Intermarriage blurred distinctions between colonists and locals, though tensions often remained.
Reconquest
By the early tenth century, Anglo-Saxon rulers, particularly Edward the Elder and Athelstan, began to reclaim lands from Viking control, gradually reducing the territory of the Danelaw.
Alfred and his successors organised a defensive system of burhs to counter Viking mobility and secure borders with the Danelaw.
Wallingford’s Saxon earthwork ramparts, part of the West Saxon burh network used to contain and eventually roll back Danish power. The image shows the surviving bank that formed the town’s defensive circuit. This real-world example illustrates how burhs underpinned policy and strategy referenced in the syllabus. Source
Relationships Between Inhabitants and Colonists
The Danelaw fostered a society where Anglo-Saxons and Scandinavians coexisted, sometimes in harmony, sometimes in conflict.
Key aspects included:
Legal pluralism: Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian law codes sometimes operated side by side.
Cultural blending: Scandinavian influence can be seen in English place-names (ending in -by, -thorpe, -toft), personal names, and even vocabulary.
Economic cooperation: Trade flourished between Viking settlers and Anglo-Saxon communities, especially in towns like York.
Religious differences: Initially pagan settlers lived among Christian populations, but conversion to Christianity gradually integrated them into Anglo-Saxon society.
Burh: A fortified town or settlement built for defence and administration, often used by both Anglo-Saxons and Vikings in contested regions.
These relationships shaped the unique identity of the Danelaw, which became both a zone of conflict and of cultural exchange.
Significance of the Danelaw
The Danelaw was significant for its lasting imprint on England:
It reinforced regional divisions between the Anglo-Saxon south and the Scandinavian-influenced north and east.
It introduced Scandinavian customs, language, and governance into English society.
It provided the framework for political unification under later English kings, who had to contend with and integrate Viking-held regions.
Ultimately, the Danelaw illustrates the profound impact of Viking raids, settlement, and governance on Anglo-Saxon England, highlighting both the resilience of Anglo-Saxon rulers and the adaptability of Scandinavian settlers.
FAQ
The Treaty of Alfred and Guthrum (c. 886) formally divided England into two spheres: Wessex and the Danelaw. It established borders along agreed rivers and roads, providing a framework for peaceful coexistence.
This treaty gave legal recognition to Viking control of eastern and northern England while allowing Alfred to consolidate Wessex. The borderlands remained contested, but it marked the first attempt to regulate Anglo-Saxon and Viking relations through written agreement.
Scandinavian settlers left a linguistic imprint across the Danelaw, especially in rural areas.
Place-names ending in -by (farm or village), -thorpe (outlying farmstead), and -toft (homestead) are strong indicators of Danish or Norse settlement.
These names often replaced or merged with older Anglo-Saxon names, illustrating patterns of land occupation.
They remain one of the most visible legacies of Viking colonisation in England today.
The Five Boroughs—Derby, Leicester, Lincoln, Nottingham, and Stamford—served as strongholds of Danish power in the East Midlands.
Each borough functioned as both a military garrison and an administrative centre, allowing the Danes to project control over surrounding countryside.
They also acted as rallying points during conflict with Anglo-Saxon kings, ensuring cohesion in Viking-controlled territory. Their capture by Anglo-Saxon rulers later symbolised the decline of the Danelaw.
Danish law was rooted in oral custom and collective decision-making.
Things (assemblies) allowed free men to settle disputes and enforce community standards, rather than relying solely on royal courts.
Compensation payments (known as wergild in Anglo-Saxon law) existed in both systems, but the values and procedures often varied.
The emphasis on community consensus meant that justice could appear less hierarchical than in Anglo-Saxon England, where royal authority was more dominant.
Initially, Viking settlers in the Danelaw were predominantly pagan, living alongside Christian Anglo-Saxon populations.
This created cultural tension, particularly as monasteries and churches had been frequent targets of raids. However, over time:
Missionary work and local influence encouraged gradual conversion to Christianity.
Intermarriage with Anglo-Saxons accelerated religious integration.
Shared faith eventually reduced divisions, helping Anglo-Saxon rulers incorporate former Viking areas into a unified English kingdom.
Practice Questions
Question 1 (2 marks)
What was the Danelaw, and how did it originate?
Mark scheme:
1 mark for identifying the Danelaw as the area of England under Danish/Scandinavian control and law.
1 mark for explaining that it originated through Viking raids and treaties such as that of Alfred and Guthrum.
Question 2 (6 marks)
Explain two ways in which the organisation of the Danelaw differed from Anglo-Saxon England.
Mark scheme:
Up to 3 marks for each explanation (maximum 6).
1 mark for a valid identification (e.g., use of Danish law; legal assemblies or Things; burh system; Scandinavian settlement patterns).
1 additional mark for providing detail about the feature (e.g., Things were assemblies where free men gathered to settle disputes).
1 further mark for explaining how this contrasted with Anglo-Saxon organisation (e.g., Anglo-Saxon England had its own shire courts rather than Scandinavian Things).
