Why did the vikings and the Anglo-Saxons fight?

Answer 1

It wasn't so much "fighting" as in waging war. It was more like mass mugging. The Vikings would pillage and raid Anglo saxon villages, stealing gold, goods and slaves. The Anglo Saxons would quite reasonably try to resist them. That was really all that was to it.

AnswerThey fought initially for loot; the Vikings to take it, the Anglo-Saxons to keep their property. Later they fought for land as the Vikings sought to take land to live on from the Anglo-Saxons.

Answer 2

Time line for the occupation of Britain.

Various wandering early humans walk in from the continent (sea level being lower) following rivers, only to be wiped out by successive ice ages.

Eventually groups gain a longer foothold and are cut off by the rising sea.

Later, what we now call Celtic tribes (although not a homogeneous group) arrived bringing arrows and technology, dominating and changing the lifestyle of inhabitants.

There are further arrivals of slightly different Celtic groups battling for territory with the earlier groups around 300BC

Still arguing amongst themselves the Romans are gaining influence in the southern tribes before arriving in 50BC with force, bringing much of the island into their empire.

All of these groups have believed in various 'pagan' gods up to this point, but new single deities offering an afterlife and forgiveness begin to circulate. In Britain this includes Christianity, although Mithraism is popular amongst the centurion ranks.

The later Roman generals in Britain throw their hats into the ring in bids to become Emperor, even if only for a small part of the empire, each time taking garrisons of soldiers back to the continent.

By 450AD with weakened defenses, marauding tribes from the undefeated north, and continental raiders attacking the coastal settlements, the British leaders (mainly the old ruling Celtic families who became Romanised rather than fight) asked Rome to return some of the legions.

This was refused and the leadership began to split. The old-guard who favoured remaining true to their Roman nature hoping to hold out until the empire settles down, and the newer blood seeing this Roman Provinces future in it's own hands.

It was common for the Romans to hire troops from the continental tribes when needing extra manpower so the old-guard did just that by hiring Jutes to help defend the south-east.

Unfortunately the Jutes realise they're the only defence and decide to take over what land they can for themselves. Angles soon get a foothold in the West Midlands, and Saxons in the south and far north.

The more independent leaders have begun to defend their own territories and only unite to attack these new invaders.

Some of the defenders may be Christian, but the invaders are most certainly not.

Slowly the various Angle groups, and Saxon Groups dominate what we now call England and Christianity dies out.

The various groups are not united and battle with each other for territory over many years. Sometimes settling under a few kings, usually under many.

It's not until the 5th and 6th Centuries that Christianity makes a return, and slowly the groups revert to Christianity off and on, still battling one another as before. So again, you have battles between Angles, Saxons and Christians.

The Angles and Saxons are very similar in outlook so are usually lumped together as Anglo-Saxons. It isn't until later that they mostly unite under one king again, and then the term Angle dominates until becoming 'English'.