Vikings from Denmark launched raids on London during the 9th and 10th centuries. The Danish King Cnut became King of England in 1016 and Danish merchants came to London to trade.
Woman - back then the shield was stained with blood every day, when we set out on our expedition with the king. Now these hard battles are done with, we can settle down, lady, in beautiful London.Lithsmannaflokkr, 'The Lines of the Warband', about 1017
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Viking raiders from Denmark attacked London in 842, 851 and many times afterwards as part of a sustained campaign of plunder and settlement.
This led the Anglo-Saxons to retreat to the remains of the Roman walled city of London for protection. The Vikings spent the winter in London in 871-72.
By the 880s, Vikings were settling in eastern England. The English King Alfred made an agreement with the Viking leader Guthrum to partition the country. However, renewed attacks from the late 10th century resulted in the Danish leader Cnut becoming King of England in 1016.
Twenty five years of Danish rule followed, with Danish merchants trading in London. This period of Scandinavian influence on London life finished when Edward the Confessor was crowned king in 1042. The age of invasions ended in 1066 with his successor, William the Conqueror.