Anglo-Saxon Kings & History Channel "Vikings" Quiz

Answer: Wessex

Very little is known about the reign of King Egbert (also spelled Ecgberht, Ecgbert, or Ecgbriht), however, it does appear that he was the leader of the Wessex army at the Battle of Ellendun, which was fought against King Beornwulf of Mercia. Considered to be an important turning point in Anglo-Saxon history, the battle ended the dominance of Mercia, and allowed Wessex to become a controlling force in southeastern England.

After the Battle of Ellendun, Egbert also successfully fought against the king of Northumbria. By that time the "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle" listed Egbert as the bretwalda (wide-ruler) of Anglo-Saxon lands.

As far as any contact with the Vikings is concerned, two battles were recorded; the Battle of Carhampton, which was a defeat for Egbert, and the Battle of Hingston Down, which was a victory.

By the time of Egbert's death, his son inherited Surrey, Sussex, and Kent, which eventually became part of the Kingdom of Wessex.

Answer: Charlemagne

After the death of his father, Egbert was not chosen to be the king. His kinsman, Beothric, was chosen to be king instead, as sons were not automatically chosen to succeed their fathers at the time. Egbert, after an unsuccessful attempt to assert his right, was forced to take shelter in the court of Offa of Mercia.

After Offa made an "deal" with Beothric, however. He banished Egbert, who ended up in exile in the kingdom of the great Charlemagne. Records indicate that he served in the Frankish army, and there is even the possibility, although not historically confirmed, that he married one of Charlemagne's sisters, with whom he had two sons and one daughter. Apparently Egbert spend his time with Charlemagne learning about his military campaigns and method of ruling such a divided area, which he successfully applied upon his return to England.

Some sources even claim that he was present when Charlemagne was crowned by the pope in Rome.

Answer: Æthelwulf

By the time Æthelwulf became King of Wessex, the Viking raids in England were becoming more frequent, and he spent a lot of time and energy in protecting his kingdom from invasion. As they had done with his father, the Vikings attacked Æthelwulf at Carhampton, which is believed to have been a royal estate belonging to the king, used while traveling and collecting taxes due from surrounding villages.

The "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle" recorded five different Danish raids, including ones in London and Canterbury, in the twelfth year of Æthelwulf's reign.

However, after the Battle of Aclea it was recorded that the combined Anglo-Saxon army "there made the greatest slaughter of a heathen raiding-army that we have heard tell of up to the present day, and there took the victory".

Answer: Alfred the Great

The Vikings first raided Lindisfarne in 793 and continued to raid England periodically after that. When they attacked England in 866, however, their intent was different; they came to conquer. It took three years for their army to make its way to Wessex, which Alfred, the youngest son of Æthelwulf inherited from his brother, Æthelred. One smart cookie, Alfred negotiated a payoff in 871 that seems to have temporarily appeased the Vikings. What Alfred really did was buy himself some time, so that he could build his army and erect fortifications in strategic areas.

By the time the Vikings returned to Wessex in 875, it was the only kingdom left unconquered - but Alfred was ready! After defeating the Vikings at the Battle of Edington in 878, Alfred's treaty contained them in an area called the Danelaw.

The Viking leader, Guthrum, had to convert to Christianity, after which he ruled the Danelaw until his death in 890.

Answer: Northumbria

Ælla or Ælle, mentioned in the "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle" as well as Norse sagas, was king of Northumbria for a very short time. He was embroiled in a civil war with Osberht, who some say was his brother, when the Viking army arrived. According to Symeon of Durham, who lived in the 11th century, Ælla was a tyrant and not a rightful king.

After both of the claimants to the throne were killed in battle with the Vikings, the other Northumbrians made peace with the Vikings as quickly as they could - an action that is quite understandable!

Answer: False

This is one place where the History Channel "Vikings" gives misleading information. King Egbert was born c.771, and ruled England from 802-839. The date of King Ælla's birth is unknown, as is information concerning much of his life, even though he was mentioned in Viking sagas and the "Anglo-Saxon Chronicles". Likewise, the date he became king is also unknown; it was recorded that he died 21 March 867, after being king only a few of years.

So the bottom line? The two kings who plotted and schemed together in the television series, NEVER knew each other, met each other, or even lived during the same era.

Answer: Ragnar Lothbrok

According to the saga, "The Tale of Ragnar's Sons", King Ælla captured Ragnar Lothbrok, and cast him into a pit of snakes. Modern sources question the possibility of such an action because England only has one snake species, the Common European Adder, that is known to be venomous, and the possibility of Ælla importing snakes from another location seems very unlikely. In addition, the Common European Adder is not a particularly aggressive snake, and would probably not have attacked unless cornered!

Ælla's snake pit has been recreated in the History Channel "Vikings". During Season 1, for his inability to stop the Viking invasion, King Ælla threw Wigea, one of his lieutenants, into the snake pit. Was it a bit of foreshadowing? In Season 4 he executed Ragnar Lothbrok in the same manner.

Answer: Great Heathen Army

Also called the Great Viking Army or Great Danish Army, the Great Heathen Army came to England with fury and vengeance on their minds in 865. Unlike their other forays into England that consisted of raiding parties that sometimes wintered over, this time the Vikings came with the intent to conquer. Aided by the king of East Anglia (later defeated and killed), who traded horses for peace, the Vikings were led by the sons of Ragnar Lothbrok, according to the "The Tale of Ragnar's Sons". By 875, Wessex was the only kingdom in England that hadn't been conquered.

After losing the Battle of Edington, the Vikings signed a treaty that allowed them to keep much of northern and eastern England.

Answer: York

Called Jórvík by the Vikings, York was captured in 866. Aided by a civil war between Ælla and Osberht, who were both fighting for the throne, the Vikings were able to take control of Jórvík the following year; during the ensuing battle, both Ælla and Osberht were killed. Jórvík's location on the River Ouse made it a busy river port during the period of Viking rule, and it was an important part of the Viking trading routes that covered northern Europe.

The first known Viking king of Jórvík was Halfdan Ragnarsson, who seized control of the in 875 with Guthrum, who is well-known for ruling the Danegeld after signing a treaty with the Anglo-Saxon king who had defeated him in 878. By that time, Halfdan had been killed in battle.

Answer: Blood Eagle

Viking skalds, or poets, recorded that the blood eagle was reserved as a form of execution for members of the nobility. In the "Tale of Ragnar's Sons", it was written that King Ælla was captured and executed in this manner. With a blood eagle, the ribs are severed from the spinal column with a knife or sharp instrument, and the lungs are pulled out, so as to give the appearance of a pair of wings. In one Viking saga, the ritual is described as a sacrifice to Odin, however, in the "Tale of Ragnar's Sons", Ælla was killed this way as a way to seek revenge for their father's death.

The blood eagle execution has been re-enacted on "Vikings"; in Season 2 Ragnar performed the ritual on Jarl Borg, who had betrayed him, and during Season 4 it was performed on King Ælla by one of Ragnar's sons.