England was invaded by the Great Heathen Army
In 865 AD, England was invaded by the Great Heathen Army. The viking army was made up of a coalition of Scandinavian warriors mainly from Denmark and, legend has it, four of the five sons of Ragnar Lothbrok, including Halfdan Ragnarsson, Ivar the Boneless, Bjorn Ironeside and Ubba.
This was an army that would change Britain forever. It would lay siege to towns, attack monasteries and kill kings – the most famous of course being St Edmund, who was brutally beheaded by the Norse warriors in 869 AD.
Dan Snow was recently joined by bioarchaeologist and Viking specialist Cat Jarman on a road trip across England to retrace the path of this conquering Viking Army.
In this clip from documentary, Dan and Cat visit Repton in Derbyshire, which was one a royal and religious centre in the kingdom of Mercia. But several high profile viking burials on the site suggest it was almost extremely important to the invading northmen.
Credit to : History Hit