In episodes 7 and 8 of Season 2, rivalries harden and new alliances begin to reshape the balance of power on both sides of the sea. Ragnar and King Horik clash over the fate of Jarl Borg and over who should control their next expedition to England. While Horik argues that they still need Borg’s ships and warriors, Ragnar finds an unexpected new ally in Lagertha, now commanding warriors of her own. With that obstacle removed, Ragnar carries out one of the most terrifying punishments in Viking tradition: the blood eagle. At the same time, King Ecbert welcomes King Aelle to Wessex and seals an alliance between their kingdoms through marriage, preparing England for the Vikings’ inevitable return. The tension only increases when Aslaug’s dark prophecy appears to come true with the birth of Ragnar’s son Ivar, while the Viking fleet once again sails for Wessex. Ragnar wants negotiation and sees the possibility of something more lasting than simple plunder, but Horik is driven by revenge and increasingly resents Ragnar’s independence. Ecbert, meanwhile, prepares both for peace and war, using Athelstan as a link to the man he knows is unlike any other Viking leader. When Ragnar discovers that Athelstan is still alive and Ecbert offers talks under safe conduct, the possibility of a historic agreement suddenly emerges—but distrust, ambition and bloodshed threaten to destroy it before it can even begin.
In the final three episodes of Season 1, Ragnar's ambition drives him toward his boldest gamble yet as a daring raid strikes at the heart of one of England's most powerful kingdoms. While victory promises unimaginable wealth and lasting fame, every decision carries devastating consequences, forcing alliances to shift and loyalties to be tested in ways no one expects. As the Vikings make their sacred pilgrimage to Uppsala, faith, sacrifice, and destiny collide in an unforgettable journey that changes the lives of Ragnar, Lagertha, and Athelstan forever. Political intrigue soon follows when Ragnar is sent to negotiate with the dangerous Jarl Borg, where diplomacy hangs by a thread and a single mistake could ignite a brutal conflict. Filled with epic battles, emotional turning points, and unforgettable characters, these episodes deliver a gripping conclusion that leaves you eager for the next season.
Join us on an unforgettable voyage through one of the most desolate periods in human history as the rulers, conflicts, and cataclysmic societal breakdown of Early Middle Ages are brought to light. At its height in the second century A.D., the Roman Empire was the beacon of learning, trade, power and prosperity in the western world. But the once-powerful Rome--rotten to the core by the fifth century--lay open to barbarian warriors who came in wave after wave of invasion, slaughtering, stealing, and ultimately, settling. As chaos replaced culture, Europe was beset by famine, plague, persecutions, and a state of war that was so persistent it was only rarely interrupted by peace. The documentary profiles those who battled to shape the future, from the warlords whose armies threatened to case the demise of European society, like Alaric, Charles the Hammer, and Clovis; to the men and women who valiantly tended the flames of justice, knowledge, and innovation including Charlemagne, St. Benedict, Empress Theodora, and other brave souls who fought for peace and enlightenment. It was in the shadows of this turbulent millennium that the seeds of modern civilization were sown.
Dan Snow uncovers the lost Vikings in America with space archaeologist Dr Sarah Parcak. Sarah uses satellites 383 miles above the earth to spot ruins as small as 30cm buried beneath the surface. As Sarah searches for Viking sites from Britain to America, Dan explores how they voyaged thousands of miles when most ships never left the shoreline. He also tracks their expansion west, first as raiders and then as settlers and traders throughout Britain and beyond to Iceland and Greenland. In North America they excavate what could be the most westerly Viking settlement ever discovered.
Hundreds of years ago in faraway Iceland the Vikings began to write down dozens of stories called sagas - sweeping narratives based on real people and real events. But as Oxford University's Janina Ramirez discovers, these sagas are not just great works of art, they are also priceless historical documents which bring to life the Viking world. Dr Ramirez travels across glaciers and through the lava fields of Iceland to the far north west of the country to find out about one of the most compelling of these stories - the Laxdaela Saga.
Professor Robert Bartlett explores how the Normans developed from a band of marauding Vikings into the formidable warriors who conquered England in 1066. He tells how the Normans established their new province of Normandy -'land of the northmen' - in northern France. Under the leadership of Duke William, they conquered England. The Battle of Hastings marked the end of the Anglo-Saxon aristocracy and monarchy. The culture and politics of England would now be transformed by the Normans.
The tension only increases when Aslaug’s dark prophecy appears to come true with the birth of Ragnar’s son Ivar, while the Viking fleet once again sails for Wessex. Ragnar wants negotiation and sees the possibility of something more lasting than simple plunder, but Horik is driven by revenge and increasingly resents Ragnar’s independence. Ecbert, meanwhile, prepares both for peace and war, using Athelstan as a link to the man he knows is unlike any other Viking leader. When Ragnar discovers that Athelstan is still alive and Ecbert offers talks under safe conduct, the possibility of a historic agreement suddenly emerges—but distrust, ambition and bloodshed threaten to destroy it before it can even begin.