James Baquet “English” heritage starts with the fifth century migrations of the Anglo-Saxons, who met there the Romano-British culture, itself a fusion of Roman and Celtic-speaking culture. The last culture-building invasion is symbolized by the well-known Norman-French victory at the Battle of Hastings. Between these two events was the near-constant harrying of the British Isles during what has been called the Viking Age, which lasted from 793 to that fateful year, 1066. The starting date for this “age” is marked by a Viking raid on the holy island of Lindisfarne, where the raiders killed the monks in a monastery and looted its valuables. In 865, the four Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were attacked by the so-called “Great Heathen Army,” after which the Vikings became more than just hit-and-run marauders: they became settled farmers and craftsmen. Three of those four kingdoms — Northumbria, Mercia, and East Anglia — fell sooner or later to the Viking hordes. But one, Wessex —meaning “land of the West Saxons” — held firm under the leadership of King Alfred, the only English king to be called “the Great.” Alfred of Wessex ultimately became the first “King of All England,” uniting the four kingdoms into one realm: England. Meanwhile, the Vikings, who came from Scandinavian stock, had broadened their hold on English lands. One area in northern and eastern England came later to be called the “Danelaw,” because in that area Danish law was applied rather than Anglo-Saxon law. (Wessex and Mercia always used the Anglo-Saxon law codes.) A signature battle in these campaigns was the weeklong Battle of Edington in 878, in which Alfred’s forces defeated those of Guthrum. Alfred had been in hiding after a sudden attack in January of that year, a period in his life that has given rise to several legends of the king-in-disguise. But he returned in the spring to defeat Guthrum in early May. One of the terms of surrender after that victory was that Guthrum, whose people worshiped the Norse gods such as Thor and Odin, should be baptized a Christian — with Alfred serving as his godfather. Vocabulary: Which word or phrase above means: 1. place where monks live 2. racial or cultural origin 3. treated with water to join a church 4. one who raids for goods 5. something passed from one generation to the next 6. joining, blending 7. sponsor when one joins a church 8. costume, hiding of identity 9. attacking and then fleeing 10. large movements of people (or animals) | 