The Thret From Scandinavian Raids

The battle of malden is the first time in living memory that the english have been defeated in a major battle. The vikings had previously attacked england particuarly in the late ninth into the early tenth century, but there'd now been a period of about 50 years or so of relative peace. So this something that ethelred an, indeed england at large, seems to be ill prepared for. It's not something that anybody's expected, and it's coming pretty hard and fast.