levo

Y101: Alfred and the Making of England 871–1016

Enquiry: Alfred and the Vikings — Alfred’s position in 871 and return of the Vikings in the 890s

  • 2 things to know
  • Unit group 1

Overview

Recall questions on Alfred’s position in 871, the defence of Wessex, the threat of the Great Heathen Army, reorganisation of the army and navy, reasons for and extent of military success, return of the Vikings in the 890s.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started
Key term

What part did chance play in Alfred's survival?

Key term

State the terms of peace agreed with Guthrum after Edington.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    Describe Alfred's position when he became king in 871.

    Model answer

    He succeeded his brother in the middle of a year of repeated battles against the Great Heathen Army, and had to buy peace because Wessex could not sustain the fighting.

  2. 2

    What was the Great Heathen Army?

    Model answer

    It was the large combined Scandinavian force that arrived in 865 and conquered Northumbria, East Anglia and much of Mercia before turning on Wessex.

  3. 3

    Why did the Great Heathen Army pose a different kind of threat from earlier Viking raids?

    Model answer

    It overwintered in England, campaigned as a single large force under several kings, and set out to seize and settle land rather than plunder and leave.

  4. 4

    Where did Alfred take refuge in 878, and why was the site well chosen?

    Model answer

    He withdrew to Athelney in the Somerset marshes, which was almost inaccessible to a mounted army and allowed him to raid out while remaining safe.

  5. 5

    Where did Alfred defeat the Great Heathen Army in 878?

    Model answer

    He defeated Guthrum's army at Edington and then besieged the survivors until they surrendered.

  6. 6

    State the terms of peace agreed with Guthrum after Edington.

    Model answer

    Guthrum accepted baptism with Alfred as his godfather and withdrew from Wessex to settle in East Anglia.

Other ways to work this

The same content, four other ways.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

1Closed book
2Open book
3Closed book

See a huge jump in your memorisation

Answer cold, learn it, then prove it stuck. Levo tracks the jump between your first attempt and your last.

Y101: Alfred and the Making of England 871–1016
Y102: Anglo-Saxon England and the Norman Conquest 1035–1107
Y103: England 1199–1272
Y104: England 1377–1455

Cram a whole paper in one sitting

Sort every topic into what you know and what you do not, then drill only the weak ones.

Franz Ferdinand was shot at in June.
SarajevoBelgradeVienna

Blank Blitz consolidates the facts

Rapid timed gap-fills on the terms and numbers you need to recall without thinking.

AA republic replaced the sultanate.
BThe caliphate was abolished in 1924.
CThe Latin alphabet was adopted.

Build It trains answer structure

Assemble a full-mark answer from its marking points, in the order an examiner wants them.

Simony means the buying and selling of Church office.
TrueFalse

Test It catches misconceptions

Spot the fault in a statement. The traps are the mistakes students actually make.

721941163128510

Brain Breaks between sessions

Short focus games to reset attention, so the next set lands better than the last.

Every question in Y101: Alfred and the Making of England 871–1016, on a schedule.

Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.

Or £46 a year, about £3.83 a month. Cancel anytime.