Christianisation of Anglo-Saxon England
Adoption of Christianity

Despite the scarcity of evidence, a small number of baptised Scandinavians are attested to in the 9th century. In some cases, baptism happened for political reasons such for the East Anglian king Guðrum and 30 members of his army after defeat by King Alfred in 878. Hásteinn 's wife and sons are also recorded as being baptised in 893. Further examples include a man at Alfred's new foundation in Athelney during the 890s, recorded in Asser 's Life of King Alfred and a man named Oda, who came to England with Ubba and Ívarr who is also described as having been fostered by a man who was the bishop of Ramsbury and later the archbishop of Canterbury. The Historia de Sancto Cuthberto records the inauguration around 883 of Guðrøðr, a Danish king in Northumbria, in which he swore oaths on Cuthbert's relics and partook in ring giving, a practice central in Germanic heathen kingship. It has been suggested that the involvement of the Church in this event should necessarily be interpreted as meaning that the Danes converted at this time given the following of heathen practice as well, and may have been a means of acquiring support from an important institution during an unstable time. Similar cooperation with the Church and synchretism is seen in the minting of coins in Scandinavian areas such as Lincoln and York, which variously combine motifs such as crosses, Thor's hammers, and saints' names.
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