The book Horrible Histories Vicious Vikings written by Terry Deary and Illustrated by Martin Brown is a secondary source that take a deep look into aspects of Viking life, including Viking invaders, timeline, legends, times, poems, vanquished, living like a Viking, women, children, food, historians, the savage Saxons, the suffering Saxons and King Alfred. The book is a modern interpretation with a creative and fun side to it, telling history through a summarised view and short stories of history engaging younger audiences.
The book is an easy read with an included quiz combining history and leaning, overall it is not a full historical book but I allows for a brief insight into Viking history. The book includes aspects like this timeline from page 11-14.
- 787: Three boatloads of Vikings land on the Dorset coast. A Saxon tax officer orders them to appear before the Saxon king. The Vikings kill him. Perhaps they only came to trade.
- 793: Whirlwinds, comets and fiery dragons are seen in the sky over northern England. Bad signs. Sure enough, the first Vikings attack on Lindisfarne Priory follows. Monks were taken as slaves or thrown in the sea. Vikings go home for the winter.
- 851: The Vikings stay for the winter in England for the first time.
- 865: The Vikings make the first demand for Danegeld – in other words, “pay us lots of money or we’ll do nasty things to you!”
- 870: The Vikings discover Iceland.
- 871: Alfred becomes King of Wessex. He batters the Vikings at Eddington. He ruled the South and let the Vikings Danes rule the north of England.
- 878: Alfred defeats the Danish King Guthrum – they make peace.
- 886: The Treaty of Chippenham divides England into two parts – Danelaw in the north – England in the south.
- 899: Alfred Dies.
- 982: Erik the Red discovers Greenland.
- 986: Vikings Bjarni spots America but doesn’t land.