Blood of the Vikings
Blood of the Vikings is a five-part BBC documentary series presented by Julian Richards, which examines the story of the Vikings in Britain, from their first raids, to the settlement of the British Isles. The series also traces the legacy of the Vikings in British Isles through archaeology, history and a genetics survey of Britain's current inhabitants. The research confirmed that the Vikings did not just raid and retreat to Scandinavia, but settled in Britain for years. They left their genetic pattern in some parts of the UK population. Concentrations of Norwegian genetic heritage were found in part of Cumbria in northwest England, the area around Penrith, the Shetland and Orkney Islands and the far north of the Scottish mainland.
| Episode 1 - First Blood |
Episode 1 - First Blood
Loot found secreted in pagan graves in Norway provides some major clues that point to Viking perpetrators following the discovery of murder victims in Wales and a monastery razed to the ground in Scotland.
Episode 2 - Invasion
In AD 856, a massive fleet of Viking ships appeared off the coast of East Anglia, heralding a change in Viking tactics - from raiding to invasion. Richards charts the years of attempted conquest that followed.
Episode 3 - The Sea Road
This episode focuses on the archaeological trail left by the Vikings as they travelled from Norway along the sea road to Dublin. Settlements, a boat burial and evidence of trading have been discovered on the Scottish isles, and silver hoards found in Ireland suggest that Dublin was not only wealthy and important, but also a centre for trade in slaves.
Episode 4 - Rulers
Julian Richards recalls how, after years of raiding, England's resistance was so weakened that, in the early 11th century, the Vikings were finally able to seize the throne. In other parts of the British Isles, however, they gained and maintained power by integration.
Episode 5 - Last of the Vikings
Julian Richards uncovers new information from the battle in 1066 between Viking warlord Harald Hardrada and King Harold of England that marked the end of the Viking age in Britain.
| Related Links |
| Viking - wikipedia The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century. |
| The Vikings History, culture, and religion of Vikings from their Indo-European roots and migration to Scandinavia through their invasions of Europe, excursions to North America, and trade with the Byzantine and Muslim worlds: state-building and impact on world history. |
| Barbarians - The Vikings This is a History Channel documentary series, telling the intriguing story of four barbaric tribes - Goths, Mongols, Huns and Vikings - which once became powerful and fell again in the Middle Ages. |
| Ancient Warriors - The Vikings The Vikings were remembered by their contemporaries as fierce, pagan raiders who threatened the Christian world. |