What did the monasteries have that the Vikings stole?

People who went off raiding in longships were said to be going ‘a-Viking’. Britain was a good place to raid because its monasteries had many treasures in them to steal, such as gold coins and jewels. The Vikings weren’t Christians and because the monks living in the monasteries had no weapons, they were easy targets.

Why did Vikings raid monasteries?

From the point of view of the Vikings, these attacks were probably made where it was thought that they would pay and could reap great rewards. The monasteries often contained large amounts of ecclesiastical silver and were not as well defended as the trading towns.

What did Vikings do when they raided Lindisfarne?

Viking attack In A.D. 793, the Vikings attacked Lindisfarne, looting the monastery and killing or enslaving many of the monks. It was the first time the Vikings had attacked a monastic site in Britain, and the attack came as a major shock for medieval Christians.

Which monastery did the Vikings famously attack?

Lindisfarne
The devastating Viking attack on the church of St Cuthbert in 793 sent a shockwave through Europe. But a Christian community at Lindisfarne survived, and recorded the event on the famous ‘Domesday stone’.

Why did the Vikings raid Lindisfarne ks2?

Over a 1,000 years ago, on the 8 of June AD793, a small band of Vikings sailed down the eastern coast of England. Their target was a monastery called Lindisfarne, and they decided to launch a surprise attack. because these were Viking warriors. And they had come to kill the monks and steal the monastery’s treasure.

How did the Vikings invade Lindisfarne?

They came to the church of Lindisfarne, laid everything waste with grievous plundering, trampled the holy places with polluted steps, dug up the altars and seized all the treasures of the holy church.

Who were the Vikings that raided Lindisfarne?

The entry tells us the Danes had begun to eye the British Isles as early as six years before the raid at Lindisfarne. Given their proximity, and their relationship with Christendom, it would make sense the Danes attacked the monastery in 793.