History glossary
Danelaw
the Viking-influenced region of eastern and northern England under Danish law and settlement.
- Category
- Region
- Region
- Northern and eastern England
- Date range
- ninth-eleventh centuries
What it means
The Danelaw was the part of England where Scandinavian settlement and law were especially strong after Viking conquest and treaties with Anglo-Saxon rulers. It covered much of northern and eastern England and left marks on language, place names, trade, and politics.
Related terms
Stories using this term
The Anglo-Saxons
The Anglo-Saxons were the peoples and kingdoms that shaped Anglo-Saxon England after the end of Roman rule in Britain. From migration and settlement in Anglo-Saxon Britain to Christian conversion, Viking attacks, Alfred the Great, and the road to 1066, Anglo-Saxon history explains how early medieval England took form. Their language, laws, kingdoms, monasteries, and political traditions left a lasting mark on English identity before the Norman Conquest transformed the realm.
The Viking Age
From raiders to traders, Vikings built kingdoms and networks that reshaped Europe and beyond.
