The beginning of the 11th century was overshadowed by renewed Viking raids, which began early in King Æthelred's reign (979-1016). No match for the Vikings, the English started buying them off to prevent attacks. The strain on royal power showed in 1002 when the king ordered all Danish living in England slayed. The killings prompted the Danish invasion under King Swein himself the following year, who finally triumphed over the English armies in 1013. Swein was soon accepted as king by the English, tired of Æthelred's inept rule, now exile in Normandy. After Swein, his son Cnut was pronounced as king of all England in 1016.

 Upon Cnut's death, he was succeeded by his sons Harold in 1037 and Harthacnut in 1040. When Harthacnut died, the English wanted the ancient Wessex rule reinstated, so Æthelred's son Edward, who had grown up at the Norman court, became king in 1042. Edward's death in 1066 left Harold, Earl of Wessex, Harold Hardrada of Norway, and William of Normandy all claiming the English throne. Harold defeated Hardrada but lost against William in the famous battle of Hastings: The battle and the events leading up to the Norman Conquest are depicted on the Bayeux Tapestry.

One accomplishment under William the Conqueror is the compilation of the Domesday Book, a thorough record of land-holdings in England that served as assessment of tax obligations to the king, which provides us with the first comprehensive statistics of English society.

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