A first book in American history with European beginnings . ere distant kinsmenof the German tribes, but they came from the cold north—Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. They were bold,sturdy, pagan warriors, who sailed the seas in long, swift ships. Courage and en-durance were their greatvirtues and savage crueltytheir worst fault. Theyworshiped the old Norsegods Odin and Thor, andbelieved that beautifulmaidens on fiery steedsrode from the shining hallsof Valhalla to carry bravewarriors back to the songs or sagas tellwonderful stories of greatdaring. These Vikings madesudden raids on Eng
A first book in American history with European beginnings . ere distant kinsmenof the German tribes, but they came from the cold north—Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. They were bold,sturdy, pagan warriors, who sailed the seas in long, swift ships. Courage and en-durance were their greatvirtues and savage crueltytheir worst fault. Theyworshiped the old Norsegods Odin and Thor, andbelieved that beautifulmaidens on fiery steedsrode from the shining hallsof Valhalla to carry bravewarriors back to the songs or sagas tellwonderful stories of greatdaring. These Vikings madesudden raids on Englishtowns and were far awayagain toward their ownLand of the MidnightSun before any thing couldbe done. As they foundhow helpless the English were, their visits became morefrequent, and the whole land lived in constant terror ofthese fierce sea kings. The Danes especially grew bolderand bolder and pushed their way farther and farther in-land until at last they seized the whole country northeastof the Thames and threatened to push on across the river. 38. King Alfred. BRITAIN, OR ENGLAND Then in 871 a Saxon king, Alfred the Great, came tothe throne of Wessex, which was the most important ofthe seven kingdoms into which England was at thattime divided. Alfred was different from former only was he a brave and able soldier, but he laterproved to be a wise and just ruler. Before he could makehis country prosperous he knew he must check the ad-vance of the Danes. He fought many battles againstthem and each time he was defeated, until his army wasalmost discouraged. At last, however, Alfred was vic-torious. The Danes were too numerous for him to drivethem out of the land, but he forced them to make anagreement, whereby they were to receive the north-eastern part of England on condition that they leave therest of the country in peace. The Thames was to be theboundary. The Danes tried often to break the treaty,but Alfred was strong enough to keep them under control. Having w
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