Alfred the Great, King Cnut and Kenneth MacAlpin

Study note

The Anglo-Saxon kingdoms united under King Alfred the Great, who defeated the Vikings. Many Vikings stayed and mixed with local people, some becoming Christian. Anglo-Saxon kings continued to rule England apart from a short period of Danish kings, the first being Cnut, also called Canute. In the north, the threat of Viking attack encouraged people to unite under one king, Kenneth MacAlpin, and the name Scotland began to be used.

Memory tip: Alfred the Great beat the Vikings; Cnut = first Danish king; MacAlpin = the name 'Scotland'.