Fact and Fiction: Both (Viking) Sieges of Paris 845 / 885

In this video we will ask which historical events inspired the part of the show Vikings. The Vikings stood at the gates of Paris many times and Paris was attacked by Vikings at least five times. Ragnar, or rather the Viking leader Reginherus, was the first to reach the city, while Rollo was one of the leaders of the last Viking siege of Paris. It was this final assault that inspired many of the epic elements in the series. So, let’s take a look at what the Vikings were actually up to in the Frankish Empire, how they came to advance to Paris, into the heart of the empire, and what role the historical Ragnar and Rollo played in these events.

Some must read mlitary history books:

Bibliography
Abbo Cernuus, Viking Attacks on Paris: The Bella Parisiacae Urbis of Abbo of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, ed. N. Dass, Leuven 2007.
Annales Xantenses, In: Bernhard von Simson (Ed.), Scriptores rerum Germanicarum in usum scholarum separatim editi 12. Annales Xantenses et Annales Vedastini, Hannover 1909.
Chronicon Engolismense (Pertz, MGH, SS XVI, 486).
Chronicon Aquatamcon (Pertz, II, 253).
DeVries, K./ Smith, R. D., Medieval Military Technology, Toronto 2012.
Donvito, Filippo, The Viking Siege of Paris 885/886, in: Medieval Warfare 5 (2015), pp. 29-35.
Gillmor, Carroll M., The logistics of fortified bridge building on the Seine under Charles the Bald, in: Anglo-Norman Studies 11 (1989), pp. 88-90.
Griffith, P., The Viking Art of War, London 1995.
Logan, F. Donald, The Vikings in history, London 1991.
McTurk, Rory, Ragnarr Lodbrok in the Irish Annals? In: Proceedings of the Seventh Viking Congress, Dublin 1976, pp. 93-123.
McTurk, Rory, Studies in "Ragnars saga loðbrókar" and Its Major Scandinavian Analogues, Oxford 1991.
Price, N.S., Viking armies and fleets in Brittany: a case study for some general problems, in: H. Bekker-Nielson and H.F. Nielsen (eds) Tiende tværfaglige Vikingesymposium, Hikuin 1991.
Reuter, T., Plunder and tribute in the Carolingian Empire, in: Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, 5.35 (1985), p. 75-94.
Williams, G./Pentz, P./Wemhoff, M. (eds), The Vikings, Berlin 2014.

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:30 Shout-out
03:03 Chapter 1: The Norsemen in the Frankish Empire
06:53 Chapter 2: "Ragnar" The Siege of Paris 845
13:13 Chapter 3: Rolle: The Siege of Paris 885
23:40 Epilogue

[SandRhomanHistory]

Some must read mlitary history books:

[tatarcavalry]

Telling the events while comparing it with the series is a very good idea rather than just saying the wrongs of it much more smooth content

[jimpena]

One of the best history channels. I’m sure it is difficult dealing with the algorithm but I want to thank you for not giving up. I have been watching you since the beginning. Cheers

[bknwuzheer]

I thoroughly enjoy the nicknames for the various French rulers that are completely unfounded and serve only as a way to differentiate them.

[andreydragomirov]

William The Conqueror wasn't the only Norman who changed history: another faction of Normans migrated and settled in Southern Italy and, under the leadership of the Hauteville brothers Robert Guiscard and Roger, eventually conquered it from Lombards and Byzantines, defeated Papal and Holy Roman Imperial forces, Roger conquered Sicily from the Arabs, while Robert and his son, Bohemond of Taranto, invaded the Balkans and inflicted some devastating defeats to the Byzantines.

And later Bohemond would be one of the main leaders of the First Crusade and due to his previous experience in fighting against the Seljuk Turks (in Byzantine service) he played the decisive role in defeating the Seljuks at Nicaea, Dorylaeum, and Antioch.

[andreweden]

The illustration of Odo, with his period-correct sword, is very nice!

[SB-qmwg]

The Bald wasn't bald and The Fat wasn't fat 😆

[VinnieG-]

the guy who plays Ragnarr made the tv show so much better. I got hooked on viking history after that

[AurelianusRestitutorOrbis]

Watching this instead of studying for exams

Update: I got a 9.4 for history

[MineIsHuge]

I am like Charles The Simple.
I see a SandRhoman upload, I click.

[KristianKumpula]

I hadn't realised how tiny Paris was back then

[sdhflkjshdfskdhfskljdhf]

Thank you for always being a channel that respects the intelligence of its audience.

[wiktorberski]

It was a real pleasure to watch this episode. So thank you very much

[ciuyr]

We need a simple video about the simple life of Charles the Simple.

[TheGoudaGoblin]

“They faced very sophisticated traps, such as:
Massive fucking crossbow
And
Pot of oil”😂

[rsnaadille]

Keep doing what you're doing. Most interesting channel on this site, when I start watching a video, I just cannot stop. Kudos!

[ConstantineJoseph]

This is the reason why as Emperor, you have to have your sons be acquainted in military matters and even some military experience.

He may not be in the thick of the action but in the rear but it's important that they get to see the reality of it, the difficulties and challenges, the mindset of the troops and civilians.

Charles the Fat showed he has little to no experience and the sight of a fearsome Vikings made him capitulate. However little did he know that the Frankish army despite no longer at the height of their powers can still defeat them if lead by an able commander.

[lionheart]

Small mistake at the timestamp of 23:48. I think that you meant 891, instead of 991. But that's just a nitpick. Great work on the video!

[MrKconnell]

Thank you for your professionalism. I’ve been watching for years, this is probably my first comment/like.

[ilimes]

thank you for not being greedy and bombing your audience with irrelevant nonsense sponsors. shows a lot of character.