Kings on the Move: The case of the Viking Great Army

Shane McLeod

Kings on the Move: The case of the Viking Great Army

Shane McLeod

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review

Abstract

Between AD 865 and 879, the viking great army campaigned extensively across England, eventually conquering three of the four Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. As different members of the army permanently settled these kingdoms, their leaders became their kings. Yet before this, the leaders of the army were sometimes named as kings in the written sources, suggesting that the great army was recognised by its adversaries as a mobile kingdom led by one or more kings. This paper explores the validity of this notion through an examination of the written sources, the use of client kings, the evidence for the non-combative aspects of the army’s activities, and the monumental burial at Repton

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Ritual and Power
Subtitle of host publication	The landscape of power in early medieval Scotland and Europe
Editors	Alexandra Sanmark, Mark Hall, Jane Geddes, Oisin Plumb
Place of Publication	Leiden
Publisher	Sidestone Press, Leiden
Chapter	14
Pages	159-166
Number of pages	7
ISBN (Electronic)	978-94-6427-155-3
ISBN (Print)	978-94-6427-153-9, 978-94-6427-154-6
Publication status	Published - 21 Jul 2026

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https://www.sidestone.com/books/royalty-and-ritualLicence: Unspecified

Cite this

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AB - Between AD 865 and 879, the viking great army campaigned extensively across England, eventually conquering three of the four Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. As different members of the army permanently settled these kingdoms, their leaders became their kings. Yet before this, the leaders of the army were sometimes named as kings in the written sources, suggesting that the great army was recognised by its adversaries as a mobile kingdom led by one or more kings. This paper explores the validity of this notion through an examination of the written sources, the use of client kings, the evidence for the non-combative aspects of the army’s activities, and the monumental burial at Repton

M3 - Chapter (peer-reviewed)

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EP - 166

BT - Ritual and Power

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A2 - Hall, Mark

A2 - Geddes, Jane

A2 - Plumb, Oisin

PB - Sidestone Press, Leiden

CY - Leiden

ER -

Kings on the Move: The case of the Viking Great Army

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