The SPORT acronym for causes of Viking expansion
S — Ships (superior technology: shallow draft, speed, flexibility)
P — Population pressure (too many people, not enough land)
O — Opportunity (monasteries with treasure, fertile land, slave markets)
R — Routes (Varangian routes to silver and trade)
T — Tactical flexibility (raid, trade or settle depending on conditions)
Key dates to memorise
793 — Lindisfarne (start of Viking Age)
866 — Jorvik captured
878 — Danelaw established (Treaty of Wedmore)
911 — Normandy granted to Rollo
1016/1018/1028 — Cnut’s empire (England / Denmark / Norway)
This memory aid covers 🧠 Memory Aids: Viking Expansion within Viking Expansion, c.750-c.1050 for GCSE History. Revise Viking Expansion, c.750-c.1050 in Component Group 4 — Period Studies for GCSE History with 14 exam-style questions and 18 flashcards. This topic appears regularly enough that it should still be part of a steady revision cycle. It is section 11 of 14 in this topic. Use it for quick recall, then test yourself straight afterwards so the memory aid becomes usable in an answer.
Practice questions for Viking Expansion, c.750-c.1050
Describe two features of the Viking raid on Lindisfarne in 793.
Describe two features of Viking longships.