Vikings and Anglo-Saxons
Year 5 · History
Discover people and events, follow clues and put the past in order.
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Take your time, try a game and collect stars.
Anglo-Saxons and Vikings: the struggle for England quiz game
Where did the Vikings come from? Who was Alfred the Great? A free KS2 history game about Lindisfarne, the Danelaw, Jorvik and Edward the Confessor.
Play Anglo-Saxons and Vikings: the struggle for England quiz game
Learning about vikings and anglo-saxons
In this Year 5 history collection, you can practise Anglo-Saxons and Vikings: the struggle for England quiz game. Choose a game above for a short activity, or explore the examples below before you play. The full guide for each game explains its controls, gives more examples and includes a free printable for practice away from the screen.
Talk it through
Use a simple timeline to connect people and events. Ask how we know about the past, and distinguish a source from a later retelling. A matching or ordering game helps recall; explaining causes and comparing evidence take further discussion.
Ask: “What happened before this, and what changed afterwards?” Give your child time to explain. Return to an example after playing and ask whether they would approach it differently.
Anglo-Saxons and Vikings: the struggle for England quiz game
After the Romans left Britain, Anglo-Saxon settlers built kingdoms such as Wessex, Mercia and Northumbria. From 793, when Vikings from Scandinavia raided the monastery at Lindisfarne, the two peoples fought, made deals and lived side by side for more than 250 years. The National Curriculum calls this the struggle for the Kingdom of England, and it runs up to the reign of Edward the Confessor, who died in 1066.
Try an example: Which monastery was raided in 793?
It is on Holy Island, off the coast of Northumbria, and the raid shocked people across Europe.
Show the answer
Lindisfarne.
What to look out for
Thinking Vikings wore horned helmets. There is no evidence for this. The idea comes from costumes made in the 1800s.
Read the full Anglo-Saxons and Vikings: the struggle for England quiz game guide
Practise away from the screen
- Look for Viking place-name endings near you, such as “-by” (Whitby, Derby) and “-thorpe”.
Curriculum connections
These games support selected practice connected to Vikings and Anglo-Saxons in the National Curriculum in England. The programme groups requirements by key stage; the year shown here is our suggested practice placement. A game covers selected examples, rather than assessing every requirement.
Questions families ask
Where should we start with vikings and anglo-saxons?
Start with Anglo-Saxons and Vikings: the struggle for England quiz game. Look at the worked example together, then try a round. If the task feels unfamiliar, use the full game guide or its free printable before trying again.
Does this cover everything taught at this level?
No. This collection brings together the games currently available for this learning area. It supports selected skills and does not replace the full programme of study or practical teaching.