# St Brice's Day massacre (1002)

URL: https://english-history.com/timeline/1002-st-brice-s-day-massacre
Categories: main-event

Æthelred ordered the killing of Danes in England, though the scale and reach of the order are debated. Within the broader Vikings & Unification period, Scandinavian invasion and settlement transformed the political map while Wessex and its allies built the institutions of a unified English kingdom. This event is placed at AD 1002 in the chronology so it can be read alongside the political, military, social and cultural changes around it. The violence intensified hostility with Scandinavian rulers and became part of the background to later invasions.

## Why it matters
The violence intensified hostility with Scandinavian rulers and became part of the background to later invasions.

Ruler at the time: [Æthelred the Unready](https://english-history.com/rulers/aethelred-the-unready)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — St Brice's Day massacre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=St+Brice%27s+Day+massacre&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — St Brice's Day massacre](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=St+Brice%27s+Day+massacre)
- [Wikipedia — Timeline of British history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_British_history_%281000%E2%80%931499%29)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica — Viking Britain topic search](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Viking%20Britain)