Great Heathen Army Puns

I’m playing ass Alfred the Great and between Ivar and Halfdan they have 5K troops to my mere 3.5K. Any advice on how to destroy these Godless Heathens!

I mean we cant 100% know but i have seen some people say 1.000 men and others 3.000 so what's more accurate?

If the great heathen army didn’t split up after conquering Mercia and decided to take Wessex would they have had full control of England? If they did how would things be different?

Backgound

Today I would like to start off by covering the background of the Irish-Viking. Dr Patrick F. Wallace defines Irish-Vikings as Vikings that move between Britain and Ireland using Dublin as their main base of operation from 840-892. For example the movements of Olaf the White and Ivar the boneless from Dublin to Britain. This is not to call them Irish from birth or from a nationalinst point of view, but to monitor their development from Norse to Ostmen. As it can be difficult not to mix up the vikings going from Britian to Iceland, Norway and Denamark ect.

Ivar the Bonless is first mentioned in contemporary Irish annals in 857 called Ímar, four years after his brother Amlaíb Conung is recorded as arriving in Ireland. The later Fragmentary Annals of Ireland suggest Ivar may have come to Ireland shortly after his brother.

Also in this year, i.e. the sixth year of the reign of Máel Sechlainn, Amlaíb Conung, son of the king of Lochlann, came to Ireland, and he brought with him a proclamation of many tributes and taxes from his father, and he departed suddenly. Then his younger brother Ivar came after him to levy the same tribute.

Ivar and Amlaíb were joined in Ireland by another brother, Auisle, sometime before 863. From this date onwards the three brothers are described as "kings of the foreigners" by the annals, but in modern texts they are usually labelled as kings of Dublin, after the Viking settlement which was the base of their power.

The North

In late 865 the Great Heathen Army, led by Ivar, invades the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy.

The Great Heathen Army encamped in the Isle of Thanet and was promised by the people of Kent danegeld in exchange for peace. Regardless, the Vikings did not abide by this agreement and proceeded to rampage across eastern Kent.

The Vikings used East Anglia as a starting point for an invasion. The East Anglians made peace with the invaders by providing them with horses. The Vikings stayed in East Anglia for the winter before setting out for Northumbria towards the end of 866. The invasion according to the later sagas was organised by the sons of Ragnar Lodbrok, to wreak revenge against Ælla of Northumbria who had executed Ragnar in 865 by throwing him in a snake pit.

According to the saga, Ivar did not overcome Ælla and sought reconciliation. He asked for only as much land as he could cover with an ox's hide and swore never to wage war against Ælla. Then Ivar cut the ox's hide into such fine strands that he coul

So the Viking Army was defeated in 878, however the wiki says the game is set in 873. Yet some of the promo stuff shows you finding soldiers who were in that army however the army would still be roaming England. This also confused me as we are meant to be alone in England yet there would be a massive Viking Coalition? Can anyone clarify?

I've been reading up a lot on the two lately, and originally thought that the Mongolians would quite easily defeat the vikings. Now I'm not so sure. There is about two to four centuries between them so there would be a technological advantage, but the Mongolians didn't use shields and their armor may not keep up with the weaponry of the vikings. So I would like to know what you guys think.

Round One: On An Open Field Ned.- The battle takes place between the most well known versions of each. The Heathens led by Ragnar Lodbrok's four sons and The Mongolians led by Genghis Khan.

Round Two: A Siege.- This battle takes place at the height of the Mongolian Empire. We'll call it 1276 Kublai is having a good time in China and suddenly the Heathen Army attacks from the West. How far do the Vikings get?

EDIT: Changed Ragnar to the four of Ragnar's five sons.

how different would the present day look. Is there any chance paganism survives to the modern era?

I've been interested in this question for a while. I understand that there was wide spread raiding and a few Dublin style colonies (E.G. Swansea) but no major effort to annex the Welsh kingdoms.

All I've found is that "The Vikings, however, were not able to set up a Viking state or control Wales, owing to the powerful forces of Welsh kings", and that various Welsh kingdoms aided the Vikings in the conquest of Mercia.

What made the Welsh kingdoms stronger than their English counterparts? Was there any major effort by the norse to annex Wales fully? Any sources would appreciated.

Just curious as to size wise. Both armies looked massive. Which one was bigger?

I have enjoyed the old tales and sagas, but when it comes to modern, well researched studies on campaigns during this era, I’m having a hard time finding good sources. I’m primarily looking for information on

1. What were the major tactics used in battles and raids during this era? Major arms and armor, and how they were employed. Was the shield wall and it’s ebb and flow predominant, or did we see more major maneuver and positioning of troops.

2. Logistics are huge for me. From “Feeding Nelson’s Navy” to “Alexander and the logistics of the Macedonian Army”, I am obsessed with military logistics, and how it absolutely drives the strategy employed in campaigning. Are there any good studies on the logistics used to supply armies in the field during this time? Were armies raised around fighting seasons, keeping men home during harvests, or year round?

Just like the topic suggests, the Muslims invaded from the south a bit before the Great Heathen Army invaded England, but what if they took a detour south, and weren't so easily appeased? I believe many English lords bought them off with horses and gold. Give them a bit more power to hold their conquests. What would medieval Spain look like? Architecture? Learning? Advance it to the Reconquista? What would that war look like? Thanks in advance!

I always presumed that training a man to fight, equipping him and keeping him fed/paid would have required many times his number to pay for his service. Thus, a large army would require a large population of farmers and manufacturers, right? This makes me wonder how Denmark in the Dark Ages, if so lacking in agricultural output, was able to train and equip the thousands of 'professional' soldiers.

The impression I'm working off is mostly based on Bernard Cornwell's Saxon novels, if that helps explain any incorrect assumptions I've made.

Thanks in advance!

Backgound
Today I would like to start off by covering the background of the Irish-Viking. Dr Patrick F. Wallace defines Irish-Vikings as Vikings that move between Britain and Ireland using Dublin as their main base of operation from 840-892. For example the movements of Olaf the White and Ivar the boneless from Dublin to Britain. This is not to call them Irish from birth or from a nationalinst point of view, but to monitor their development from Norse to Ostmen. As it can be difficult not to mix up the vikings going from Britian to Iceland, Norway and Denamark ect.
Ivar the Bonless is first mentioned in contemporary Irish annals in 857 called Ímar, four years after his brother Amlaíb Conung is recorded as arriving in Ireland. The later Fragmentary Annals of Ireland suggest Ivar may have come to Ireland shortly after his brother.

Also in this year, i.e. the sixth year of the reign of Máel Sechlainn, Amlaíb Conung, son of the king of Lochlann, came to Ireland, and he brought with him a proclamation of many tributes and taxes from his father, and he departed suddenly. Then his younger brother Ivar came after him to levy the same tribute.

Ivar and Amlaíb were joined in Ireland by another brother, Auisle, sometime before 863. From this date onwards the three brothers are described as "kings of the foreigners" by the annals, but in modern texts they are usually labelled as kings of Dublin, after the Viking settlement which was the base of their power.

The North
In late 865 the Great Heathen Army, led by Ivar, invades the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy.
The Great Heathen Army encamped in the Isle of Thanet and was promised by the people of Kent danegeld in exchange for peace. Regardless, the Vikings did not abide by this agreement and proceeded to rampage across eastern Kent.
The Vikings used East Anglia as a starting point for an invasion. The East Anglians made peace with the invaders by providing them with horses. The Vikings stayed in East Anglia for the winter before setting out for Northumbria towards the end of 866. The invasion according to the later sagas was organised by the sons of Ragnar Lodbrok, to wreak revenge against Ælla of Northumbria who had executed Ragnar in 865 by throwing him in a snake pit.
According to the saga, Ivar did not overcome Ælla and sought reconciliation. He asked for only as much land as he could cover with an ox's hide and swore never to wage war against Ælla. Then Ivar cut the ox's hide into such fine strands tha