I was curious what would be the effects of Danelaw not existing. I know this is bound to have already been discussed so if there is a forum or timeline a link would be greatly appricated.
-E.N
-E.N
You need to be more precise in your question.
Five different types of POD can butterfly away Danelaw:
1) The vikings dont come to England.
2) The vikings raids England but dont try to mount a huge invasion.
3) The vikings did invade but got beaten back by northumbria.
4) The vikings do beat Northumbria but got smashed by Mercia and arent able to establish.
5) The vikings do beat Northumbria and Mercia but got smashed bad enough by Wessex that they arent able to establish.
Each of these five types POD will have tremendous but very different consequences.
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Finally, preventing the Danish settlement certainly butterflies away the future Norman invasion, because we get rid of any Norse monarchs on English throne (Canute, Sweyn Forkbeard, etc.).
Does it?
If England were still divided, perhaps the Normans would be MORE likely to grab some or all of it.
If I can grab Cornwall and the lowlands from its 'local' kings and leave the rest alone until 'next time', maybe William is MORE likely to try.
This could be an interesting timeline where the Norman conquest was a piecemeal affair, maybe occurring sooner and lasting longer.
Well, if we have a POD with the Great Heathen Army or earlier, we have a latest date of POD at or around 880. Rollo, the Viking who took control of what we consider Normandy, did not receive Normandy as a territory until about 911 A.D.. Thus with butterflies and all, this could get rid of the entire concept of Normandy as we know it (Vikings mixed with Franks).
So we are looking at a totally different view of Northwestern Europe than we had OTL.
That's what I was trying to point out.
Anyways, I recall some discussions that forecast England without the Norman Conquest, but I've never seen one regarding the Anglo-Saxon realm without Danish interference. To this day there are some traces of the Danish conquest in mid-north England (specially referring to place names, like York/Jorvik).
Also, once England unites I don't think it remains isolated in the scope of European affairs, but it would be probably out of the Scandinavian sphere of influence.