Top Medieval Historian Rates Viking TV Shows

[@irrumnaaz]

The Last Kingdom is just amazing. Favourite show hands down.

[@p_d16]

Have you read the books?

[@markmorris7123]

It is good and far more accurate than vikings.. But they make all the male saxon leaders appear as tyrants or weak.. And I don't like that they had Alfred completely reliant on Uthred..But I loved what they did with the lady of Mercia Aethelfled...A fine queen..I'm disappointed to see the movie has Athelstan as a tyrant.. Which we know he wasn't..

[@Rzarecteh]

My favourite made historical show. It may not be 1000% accurate about everything, but the setting, the stories and the general vibes of the show are amazing. Even stuff like the music makes it amazing.

[@MasterChiefBazzle]

@@markmorris7123we don’t know that yet

[@ilyaXshuffler]

@@markmorris7123 Vikings is so cheesy

[@BerserkerJay237]

In Vikings on the raid in lindisfarne I don’t think they were shocked that there was treasure they were just shocked that there was no one defending the treasure

[@LordIvor6]

Aye Rolo even goes maybe they have some magic/curses on them, no way it's so easy.

[@stephenconnolly3018]

They would never attack if defended. They only attacked unarm monks and isolated sites.

[@BerserkerJay237]

@@stephenconnolly3018 I did say “in Vikings” as in the show she’s watching, they were surprised no one was defending it.

[@RobbinBonds]

@@stephenconnolly3018 damn didnt king cnut from denmark become king of england and norway. wonder how that happen ? guess they killed the unarmed monks an became king. that easy lol u sound slow bud

[@acdragonrider]

I found her critiques very baseless because it seems like she didn’t do her homework at all and just watched individual clips rather than the whole show.

[@kevinnorwood8782]

It kinda blew my mind the first time I learned that the historical Uhtred lived three hundred years LATER than the events depicted in The Last Kingdom. But at the same time, I think that action by the show is somewhat forgivable, because if you think about it, the Uhtred on the show could easily be interpreted as the ancestor of the historical Uhtred (“I am Uhtred, son of Uhtred”).

[@mannyshergill6867]

There’s another uthred who was born like 50ish years after the movie. He was know as uthred the bold and was ruler of bamburgh/bebbanburg and ealdormen of northumbria like the show. He died in 1016.

[@wolf310ii]

Maybe read a book sometimes instead of just watching a movie. Uhtred wasnt a unique name, Uhtred wasnt just the son of Uhtred, his fathers father was also named Uhtred like his fathers fathers father, and Uhtred also named his first son Uhtred. There isnt also not just one Julius Caesar, there were generations of Julius Caesars befor him.

[@JudgeBreddUK]

It's the same with Ragnar in Vikings, there was a historical Ragnar but he wasn't taking part in all of the events from the show

[@austin8775]

@@wolf310ii hey smart guy nobody but nobody mentioned a movie here but you

[@wolf310ii]

@@austin8775 Seems like you arent that smart, otherwise you would had noticed that the shows the last kingdom and vikings is mentioned here.

[@frekitheravenous516]

The coffin scene in real life was actually done by Bjorn Ironside and it happened at the Italian city of Luna.

[@mattjones1776]

I think it was Hastein who is said to have done it, but you're close because Bjorn was there as they led the expedition together. This is where my memory gets a bit murky though, I think the inspiration was something to do with Vikings believing they had ancestry to Antenor of Troy and were adapting the idea of the horse from the Iliad.

[@rhzyo]

Yeah they through that it was Rome

[@bkolumban]

Sources people; don't just orate stuff.

[@alfredpaglinawan3835]

Yes its Bjorn in the Saga

[@OzzyCoop]

@@mattjones1776 but yeah who knows for real.

[@HellMongrel]

I used to ignore the last kingdom like most ppl than I gave it a chance and binge watched it in under a week hands down favorite Vikings tv show ever

[@bernard3303]

It's the best viking show 100%

[@travisstafford397]

Fans of The Last Kingdom who haven’t yet should read the books by Bernard Cornwell. The series kind of rushes through the books (I very much liked the show but wish it had followed the books more, it would have lasted many more seasons). Cornwell is my favorite author and creator of arguably the two most iconic characters in historical fiction: Uthred of Beddenburg and Richard Sharpe. If you enjoy historical show and movies you will very much his work.

[@VL-qy4fc]

Agreed. The actor who played Steapa must have been rather disappointed to have been killed off early, baring in mind that he was a vital part of the final battle and LIVED. Oh well...😕

[@wolf310ii]

Yeah, they rushed so fast and cut so much from the books, some scenes in the series doesnt even make sense anymore.

[@RP-ks6ly]

The books are great but depart from the show a little bit. In addition, the timelne in the books cover a much longer period than the shows....great entertainment overall. Cornwell has some great stuff

[@kellysowhat88]

The books are incredibly good!!

[@shaggjones4854]

Yeah each season was based on two books, which is why Uhtred never ages in the show lol

[@Pabst_Comandante_I.]

Norsemen is one of the best shows out there and also one of the most underrated ones. Absolutely hilarious. It feels alot like watching a mix of Monty Python and The Office but within a Vikings setting:D

[@hammerstoneartifacts4986]

Why do you look at your wrist? Sometimes l just like to look at my wrist... I tell you...These eyes will get some use! DONT PULL THEM OUT! Don't be ridiculous! How will you sleep on your stomach?!

[@Pabst_Comandante_I.]

@@hammerstoneartifacts4986 Have you ever heard of something called phantom pain ?…Me neither :D

[@BigHenFor]

It was probably written that to take the mick out of the Vikings show portentiousness. Not many jokes in that show.

[@PerfektFilms]

It's so perfect. I think what boggles my brains the most is that they films EVERY SINGLE SCENE twice. Once in Norwegian, once ALL OVER AGAIN in English. It speaks volumes to the dedication of the actors as well and their ability to deliver characters in two languages.

[@jb7483]

"All we can do is follow the sun - since the sun always points south, we just have to trust it." (continues walking in circles).

[@Schizm1]

Vikings will always remind me how amazing it was with Travis Fimmel as Ragnar. After that it became GoT-wannabe

[@BionAvastar3000]

It never had dragons wdym

[@VinnieG-]

@@BionAvastar3000 ragnar is the dragon

[@louwaars]

​@@BionAvastar3000meaning drama and betrayal. Not literally the same amount of creatures

[@thatpunkcatte]

Yeah after Ragnar died it became very... Boring and irritating. His sons were the worst part of it and I could not stand Ivar's portrayal.

[@kn9300]

Damn I thought Ivar and Bjorn were the 2 redeeming parts of the later seasons ​@@thatpunkcatte

[@freyasheppard620]

The Last Kingdom has made such an impact on my life, i am forever grateful to Bernard Cornwell for creating the novels and for Alexander Dreymon for his amazing portrayal of Uhtred and the whole cast which is just brilliant!

[@mikamagnol8931]

The Last Kingdom changed my life.

[@lovelightjoy1868]

I adore all these inputs and shared knoledged in videos like this. Thank you to History Hit and Dr Cat Jarman for sharing her expertise and passion. Very appreciated.

[@brendamcdonall5798]

Knowledge!

[@dimitriofthedon3917]

Love how last kingdom finally shows anglo saxsons as competant warriors

[@Jack-xg1kg]

Yep. T.V and films always use a lazy shorthand to explain the success of the Vikings in this period; they're big, beefy, manly and cunning, whilst their enemies are weedy, stupid and generally made to look a bit like nerds wearing armour that they made in their dad's garage. This is part of the reason that, in the past decade or so, Vikings have acquired a bit of a chad, dude/bro incel following. To be fair, Last Kingdom does this too at the start. Go back and look at how they make Northumbrians look in Season 1.

[@dimitriofthedon3917]

@Jack-xg1kg nah you're not wrong at all mate hit that nail on the head, make em look weak while they make utrids dad the only decent one

[@jurrbandz6731]

@@Jack-xg1kgthey made vikings look alot more weak tho

[@sincenobodyasked3123]

A bit of missing context on the Lagertha scene. She is retired on a secluded farm and women whose husband's died on raids started flocking to her from the countryside because they are being attacked by skogamor repeatedly with no men folk in their lives to do something about it. She rallies the ones who were shieldmaidens before and tutored them back up to speed. This is the end of the second skogamor attack on her farm where she challenged their leader.

[@vippixel8942]

Missing context: she is also over 60years old in the show and she is wielding a sword like she is 30 and fighting a 6'5'' younger warrior

[@dustinarnold5569]

She really didn’t like the idea of shield maidens. All the evidence and she just kept saying “we don’t know” but that coffin scene from the sagas was just so realistic

[@TheBlackfall234]

@@vippixel8942 At this point, every show reviewd here could be called Fantasy, except for maybe the Last Kingdom - however the last Kingdom has also very serious historical flaws if you ask me.

[@ssu7653]

@@vippixel8942 NOT missing context: She were badly loosing the fight until she got lucky with the last attack. He went for a big show in the end, and it did not work...

[@vippixel8942]

@@ssu7653 she is 65 years old grandmother in a time where there wasn't any medical treatment for osteoporosis or others normal illnesses in women of her agem There is no way she could beat a 40 years old man warrior in a duel. My father is 65 years old man boxer and he could not beat a 40 years in a fight (he doesn't have the cardio or the strength of his youth)

[@TihetrisWeathersby]

She's amazing, Gone medieval is my favorite HistoryHit podcast

[@whitwhitsworld]

Mine too, it’s extra fun to put a face to the voice I listen to so often lol

[@markmorris7123]

She is good..But she did make a glaring mistake. She said Alfred didn't use the term English... But he does use that term..He just doesn't use the term England..She also implies that the saxons practiced slavery like the vikings.. Saxos hardly ever enslaved, especially the west saxons, they called it devils work..And so yes it happened...But on a completely different scale..

[@p_d16]

​@@markmorris7123 She said it happened, but didn't say it was in the same scale. So she remains correct.

[@welshman8954]

​@@markmorris7123 hate to tell you this but the saxons certainly enslaved people my ancestors for example they could never beat the welsh Britons in a war so they raided on the Welsh marches and enslaved them well as many as they could the vikings however never settled in Wales they were scared shirtless of us because unlike the saxons our women fought alongside the men some things never change

[@markmorris7123]

@@welshman8954 Please be objective..That was at the time of the pagan saxons..But like the Walsh the saxons also had some female warriors, although they were rare..The reason the Walsh had more was because it was their lands being invaded. I live in somerset.. which in history has always had strong ties to the Britains..And as you know the Britains would become the Walsh.. And it was the Britains whom invited the saxons over in the first place.. once Wales became a place and boarders were drawn up, wessex and the kingdoms of Wales very rarely fought. So I dont know where your getting your information.. It was the plantagenists who encroached on Walsh soil, and tried to destroy the Walsh language.. And of course they were of Norman decent, they didn't even speak English..So don't hate on the saxons..Both our ancestors were subdued. Why would the Vikings bother with any of the Walsh kingdoms.. There was nothing there to plunder..I'm not being hateful,, But at this time the Walsh were very tribal..They didnt have any cities, no monasteries, nothing of wealth..The vikings were raiders...Plunderers.

[@PerfektFilms]

New concept: a whole episode of Cat talking about Norsemen.

[@wendyHew]

new concept: your mum in a norse uniform running and screaming as she attacks the whole french army. Then she just craps herself and throws up before being dashed into a skip

[@daejavue69]

Reading Bernard Cornwells series is unforgetable & even better than the Tv series , I have reread the 12 novels 2/ 3 times & visited the places mentioned . The time of the Vikings who lost to Alfred the Greats Saxon Army was a close call period for England making our history one of conflict & growth to who we are now .

[@simonsmith1974]

Alfred, what a badass.

[@wendyHew]

Patricia cornwell is also his assumed name for writing. He has written many interesting books under that moniver, you should read

[@LadyThunderbird63]

​@@wendyHewim sorry but that is not true , i read Bernard Cornwall and Patricia Cornwall and have done for many years and they are 2 seperate people as well as differant sex. If you google you can find bios with pictures of each . I dont know where you got that info but its incorrect.

[@Alex-cw3rz]

Why do Vikings bascially dress like bikers in TV shows. Where did that come from?

[@eh1702]

Same place as the idea they all had sixpacks.

[@RegulareoldNorseBoy]

@@eh1702 tHE AMOUNT OF PHYSICAL LABOR ACTUAL VIKINGS DID MADE THEM EXCEPTIONALLY STRONG. you can't even comprehend with the amount of rowing, fighting lifting and infrastructure these guys had. Also. The first fact this so called expert have is false ! We know from the travels of Ahmad ibn Fadlan how vikings looked and how they did their hair

[@RegulareoldNorseBoy]

@@eh1702 Etter beskrivingen var ruserne et handelsfolk som oppretter en markedsplass i nærheten av volga-protobulgarenes leir. Deres kropper beskrives som like høye som palmer med rødmusset hud og blondt hår. Han beskriver også tatoveringer fra fingerneglene til halsen med mørkeblå eller grønne mønster som ligner tre eller andre figurer. Alle menn er bevæpnet med øks, kniv og sverd.

[@JudgeMad]

@@RegulareoldNorseBoy as opposed to the countless roman scriptures and accounts that prove otherwise? There is literally no point in having dreadlocks as a non-african, the hair structure is not made for this and you will ruin your hair. They would also not shave one side of the head, they would never shave their heads at all, since in most pagan societies, shaved heads were the sign of slaves. Scandinavians and Germanics were described by the Romans as "tall, well built with blonde/red, flowing hair, they would clean their hair regularly in limewater" amongst other things. Hollywood Vikings are a far cry to their IRL counterpart.

[@jd6069]

@@RegulareoldNorseBoy doesn’t mean they had six packs 😂. Extreme physical labour doesn’t guarantee an aesthetic physique. Vikings were probably more bulky, large backs from the rowing and big shoulders.

[@TihetrisWeathersby]

Absolutely love the Last Kingdom and Viking shows, Quality entertainment

[@Maazzzo]

Lots of fun, please bring Cat back for more!

[@L.P1403]

Cat is one of my favourite historians; she's so knowledgable and a pleasure to listen to. Great to see her featuring more on the channel!

[@littletweeter1327]

while none of them are terribly accurate, The Last Kingdom is the only bearable one imo. In fact, I actually really like the show.

[@MyCaio1997]

It's the most inaccurate one though, cause even if the big picture story is more historical, everything else looks ridiculous and false

[@awesomness36]

@@MyCaio1997 lol the costumes look way better than Vikings most of the time

[@Niobesnuppa]

Norsemen is pretty historically accurate, actually, even though it's an absurdist comedy show. They show makers actively worked with the Borre viking museum, and there are a lot of random little historical facts in it. Probably helps that it's the only one of these shows that's actually made by Scandinavians, as we tend to learn a lot more about Norse culture and history here since they're actually our ancestors, rather than just scary invaders from another culture.

[@beersmurff]

These shows either have leather wearing bikers or overuse of swords and heavy mail. 90% of a Anglo-Saxon levy or Norse fylk would be linen clad spearmen with maybe a helmet. Swords and heavy mail is something very valuable back then. A good sword or mail would be worth a small farm and would go down to sons and grandsons etc. The square shields also made my eyes bleed but I accepted it like she did as it was done to distinguish Anglo-Saxons from Norsemen and bring a "Roman" testudo effect for entertainmaint. Those shield walls were also never used like that, not even by the romans themselves. Bunch up behind your shields ssitting and proning and the enemy spearmen can just stand slowly and poke you to death :-)

[@bjorno7573]

@@NiobesnuppaNorsemen is not only one of the best historical TVseries… it’s also the best and funniest. … I have seen all the seasons twice now and Still I can’t get enough of it. Maybe it’s. Scandinavian thing (I’m Swedish)… but that’s my kind of humour , should attract brits as well I guess… we have quite similar humour .

[@kenaustinardenol1338]

I like those history shows, know of course they are romanticised, otherwise it would be a documentary, wouldn't it? But watching always goes together with Wikipedia, looking for what really happened, which characters really exist and what is known generally about the era and people the show is covering. That is what makes it way more interesting for me

[@dmpdagamer]

This is me every historical TV show and movie, even if I know the history or person it's about.

[@Lol-worldlol]

Yes, always, every episode with a phone in my hand

[@TorvusVae]

I think it's really important to understand that Vikings is a mythology/fantasy show. They use historical characters, but they're clearly not really trying to represent reality. It's made pretty explicit when Odin himself shows up, like, this is a fantasy show.

[@thorrby]

I'd love to see someone break down just the show Vikings who's actually watched it from beginning to end because that show alone is filled with historical inaccuracies from top to bottom. Just from her first comments it's obvious she has no context from the shows perspective that this raid was indeed "supposed to" be there very first time in England

[@dmpdagamer]

Exactly she not getting context from the producers or nothing even if she did watch it. She wasn't paying attention probably debated and commented on the whole show with a colleague as they "watched"

[@thomasmorsing9052]

Yep this was depicted as the first ever raid of england for the vikings so ofc thay did not know what thay had in store DOH =P ! Vikings has so many inaccuracies that is to laugh at ! Ofc the series never said it was a historical reinactment! but the armors really pisses me off to see so heavy use of leather even it was not common use ! VIkings used linen since it was way more agile then leather ! leather kinda makes your body stiff in movement ! and ofc thay did not care about death since death ment valhal

[@medichitrakar8164]

Last Kingdom just gets better and better each season, Vikings kindda lost me after Ragner’s death but Ivar the boneless dragged me back. And Floki’s character played by Gustaf Skarsgård was outstanding.

[@anthonystevens8683]

Many thanks Dr Cat Jarman and the History Hit team for this one. It's nice to get some insight into what was likely, unlikely and what is currently not known from these shows. Very well presented. Thankyou for sharing.

[@jessiewestbrooks]

You really surprised me with Norsemen. I mean I know it's a parody, but it was neat to learn that it was also kinda factual!

[@nessiesiler1844]

Absolutely love The Last Kingdom series. And the show. It just draws you in and doesn’t stop.🥰

[@hansdevriesvonmengden3639]

bit of an odd choice to discuss authenticity, the entire scene of Lagertha fighting. Surely there were many more interesting scenes to analyse in the series

[@Killerwale-hk4wy]

In fantasy people like to compare orcs to vikings, but when you know viking's little schemes and tactics, they're at least equally similar to goblins.

[@peterl5804]

The Viking age really started 50 years before Lindisfarne in the Baltic, which out Anglocentric view of history often ignores.

[@wendyHew]

nope.

[@wendyHew]

The whole thing would be anglo centric as the vikings in part became anglo with several waves of settlement invluding 1066 in rality. The baltic is just a bit of side information as a few raids happened there, unfortunately in that area there were viking leaders but no large scandinavian settlements so the area remained slavic.

[@maryellencook9528]

As my Uncle Ivarr Runmagi likes to say: Old age and cunning will always outwit youth and exuberance every time.

[@13thcentury]

My problem with these is that they only get clips to judge. Personally, I'd rather they watch the entire movie and really go to town. You know what. I might just do that.

[@durthacht]

Love Dr Cat Jarman. She always seems so happy when talking about the medieval period.

[@nigeh5326]

She reminds me a bit of Carenza Lewis who used to be on Time Team

[@xSirDudex]

Norseman was such an underrated Viking show. It was the only funny one. Though Last Kingdom had some funny bits.

[@ChuckJansenII]

Great analysis. For fun, how accurate was Njorl's Saga featuring North Malden Icelandic Saga Society? Originally aired on 19 October 1972.

[@SKUIZZZ1]

Netflix is ruining vikings valhalla (and many other shows), by putting a random black viking queen in for an ACTUAL male viking chief that truly existed. Glad this lady knew enough to just ignore how ridiculous it truly is. 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@wendyHew]

yes it is offensive and ridiculous. The left wing are ruining tv and ebtertainment with their drive to get rid of white europeans. This will only get worse if the Labour party is elected

[@Femmeagainstthemachine]

There was also no place called Kattegat. Who cares ? Also Non-white Vikings existed. Archeological evidence suggests this. 🫠 It was an occupation not dependent on race as there was no concept of race during the Viking age. Gtfo with the weird-ass covert racism.

[@LadyThunderbird63]

Apollo 13 was remade in 2020 and Fred Haise who still alive was replaced with a black man with a back story of civil rights and confronting each other on civil rights issue , so disrespectful to Mr Haise and his experiance on the Apollo 13 flight. And the actor , to agree to twist the story to the extent they reinvent a historical event, has no integrity.

[@chrisar2252]

When did someone sneak in another "great" king of England. Alfred deserves this because of the scope of his military, social, legal and educational actions. He didn't just envisage a united England he put everything in place to achieve that goal,including educating Edward and Aetheflaed so that they would continue his work to consolidate power across the country. That eventually led to his grandson Aethelstan, educated by Aetheflaed, unifying England for the first time. I don't see that anyone else comes close, I assume that the the reference refers to Cnut. Cnut is hardly in the same league as an english king.

[@wPatrickSF]

Well, Cnut was King of England, and Denmark, and Norway at the same time. So.. as the leader of the "North Sea Empire" Several historians, have given him the title 'The Great'.

[@TheRedHaze3]

@@wPatrickSF To be fair to Alfred, what he laid the foundation for has lasted for over a thousand years. The country of England. What Cnut created ended with his death. The North Sea Empire was broken up and never recreated.

[@simonsmith1974]

@@wPatrickSF Cnut was good, but if what you created ends when you died, then you can't be that great. Alfred took what were 4 seperate and disparate kingdoms and pretty much made England something.

[@Hollero71]

@@simonsmith1974 4 petty kingdoms and it was not all Alfred. Alfred’s legacy is greater than Cnut’s but conquering two actual kingdoms is more impressive imo. They both deserve the epithet “the great”

[@simonsmith1974]

@@Hollero71 perhaps they do. But unfortunately for Cnut (autocorrect doesn't like that name) he doesn't get it and Alfred does. History is fascinating isn't it?

[@OutLawJosey77]

Wait till she sees how in season 2 Lagertha says to King Horiks wife Gunhild that she heard that Gunhild had killed Sweyn forkbeard. Then she watches vikings Valhalla, which is supposed to be 100 yrs after the death of Ragnor, and she sees Forkbeard as one of the main characters. Both series written by Michael Hirst.

[@BertPreast]

Why does she keep saying Vikings came from the north? Especially in the case of Lindisfarne, it's more accurate to say they came from the east.

[@simonsmith1974]

Or to be really pedantic the northeast. 🤣🤣🤣

[@Jokesonyou123]

What a weird thing to moan about

[@BertPreast]

@@Jokesonyou123 Just trying to keep shit real, dude.

[@Jokesonyou123]

@@BertPreast love to see you give a talk about anything historical I’m sure there wouldn’t be any tiny detailed mishaps also look up the definition of a Northman so her saying north is correct as they were from the north ….

[@BertPreast]

@@Jokesonyou123 Like the Northmen who came in 1066 from the err... south? Tosser.

[@vippixel8942]

Funny how she doesn't says a word about lagertha being over 60 years old and 5foot fighting a 40years 6'5'' warrior.

[@thecage2580]

Why would she?

[@vippixel8942]

@@thecage2580 when the show stars she already has a son of 12 years old (if she got pregnant at 16). She is already 28 years old. When ubba is Born she at least 31. At the end of the show Ubba is at least 30 to 35 years meaning lagertha is over 60

[@thecage2580]

@@vippixel8942 ok??

[@marinesinspace6253]

@@thecage2580 60 year olds don't exactly fight a lot. And given that life expectancy in the Viking age was around 45, she's probably in pretty rough shape.

[@carrie5490]

I’m not sure why she would?

[@Trecesolotienesdos]

The Romans built London Bridge, but it was re-built and expanded by the Anglo-Saxons, Normans and Angevins.

[@amyw6808]

There have been many different ‘London Bridge’ rebuilds. The current one from the late 1960s is probably the least interesting.

[@texdillinger6173]

Pretty sure that in the sagas it was Björn Ironside who faked death and it was in Italy instead of Paris (vikings thought it was Rome but it actually was Luna)

[@Callest]

I like to see her take on Assassin’s Creed Valhalla on accuracy. Obviously not the assassin part, but rest of the story

[@HarryFlashmanVC]

What, the Gay bit😂? Ubisoft were once brilliant at recreating the past. Especially AC2. But it's got ridiculous Especially the one in London... 'Nice' Mr Marx (the rapey racist) repackaged as a 21st C woke hero!

[@asellandrofacchio7263]

🤢🤮

[@hardgainer7396]

I like how she completely ignores the ridiculousness of the black viking queen....

[@amyparker9816]

Perhaps she ignored because, and I know this will be a great shock to you, it's not actually that big of a deal.

[@terrencechess1695]

@@amyparker9816 she was supposed to judge the shows historical accuracy, the ethnicity of the people is a pretty big deal

[@georgelane6350]

The vast majority of the actors are not Scandinavian. There are also many ethnic Scandinavians with quite dark skin. Vikings spent several months each season sailing, and would have developed deep tans, even on the North Sea.

[@joshsatchell1415]

@@georgelane6350 there’s a difference between having a tan and having an African play a a northern Scandinavian king, she lost all credibility

[@mattg6574]

It’s a fiction show and she’s not nitpicking every little thing

[@merrymachiavelli2041]

IDK if I agree with the the inferences on gender. Very often, I think there is a lot of revisionism that goes on in this topic, where modern scholars (especially in the last 30 years) look at the scant historical record or myths and project on a more permissive society than necessarily existed. In this instance, I'm not really sure the gods being occasionally 'fluid' in their gender means anything. Yeah, Loki turns into a woman. He also turns into a salmon. Yeah, Thor gets dressed up as Freyja to trick a jotunn, but to me that whole story reads as 'zany hijincks'. To say that means gender is fluid is like saying the film White Chicks is evidence our culture thinks race is fluid. Evidence would be references to normal humans living as the opposite gender and being socially accepted within that role.

[@midwestmenace9636]

I feel like the lack of evidence for Edington just shows how determined people were back then. Swarms of Alfred's subjects probably cleaned up the battlefield in the days to come after. (Not to mention scavengers.)

[@markmorris7123]

They were called shield maidens because they stayed at home whilst the men raided..I'm pretty sure that of all the warrior graves, Only one woman was proven to be a warrior And we dont know for sure if she was a warrior or not. I'm sure there was the odd female warrior, but definitely not in groups like the Vikings show portrayed.

[@JohnDoe-tx8lq]

yer, based purely on the name, I've always thought 'shield maidens' sounds more like they would be behind the shield, supporting the men, protecting the home and children rather than actively going out to fight as warriors. Not politically correct today, but makes more sense.

[@markmorris7123]

@@JohnDoe-tx8lq political correctness is so odd.. I don't understand what difference it makes.. I mean why would they want to promote woman in the role of a looter, slaver and pirate anyway..Its so weird... We actually have more DNA sites with female saxon warriors than we do female Vikings..

[@ssu7653]

@@JohnDoe-tx8lq It do make more sense that they were behind the shield of men fighting. There are alot of task that needs done, and woman would have been trained for other activities than fighting (keeping the house in order, treating inguries and so on). In todays world these things are considered almost like a slight to woman, but in a time where any injury could mean a slow painfull death you NEED someone to treat wounds. Its equally important as winning the battle.

[@wendyHew]

what about jarl Hakkon? Do you think there was really a black woman ruling a xity in Norway during the viking period? I would be interested to find out if they found any overweight african women buried in a royal garve

[@iverwa]

Excellent walkthrough. Most probable candidates for "Kattegat" in Norway I humbly guess: Tunsberg: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C3%B8nsberg Avaldsnes: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avaldsnes

[@gentlemanbrain5829]

I love how she barely addresses the laughably bad costume design in Vikings.

[@thomasmorsing9052]

Yep i totaly agree ! look at lagathas armor FFS its way over detailed for any viking to even make that happen IRL ! look at belt buckels from H&M so shiny new ! the way over the top shoulder pads with bumps sticking out everywhere even with chainmail attached to em even if chain mail was not even common use ! the carved in patterns ! She might be a historian but dont like to adress the non real parts only the semi real parts of it !

[@Apillis124]

@@thomasmorsing9052 The armor in the Vikings is absolutely silly, but a chainmail hauberk or the equivalent of wouldn't be difficult for a "viking" after a successful raid, so it wasn't too uncommon, toward the end of the Viking era it'd be something closer to what would later become known as a brigandine--but still more chainmail reliant. But what's especially utterly wrong is the muddy and dirty. scummy look they continuously give them and everything always being brown. It's known that the peoples of that time, especially in Scandinavia loved bright, vivid colors and even among the lower classes wore colorful clothing--they were also fairly hygienic for their time, so this constant wallowing in mud, especially among the more wealthy just wasn't so. I don't begrudge her not getting into minutiae of those minor details compared to the much larger ones she was pointing out, which were battles being in the wrong places, locations portrayed not even actually existing or being there, unrealistic fortifications and/or architecture, accurate portrayal of what's told in the sagas; these are much bigger things she was bringing up compared the inaccurate armors--if she were to get into the inaccuracy of all that in the films and shows displayed it'd have to been a much longer video. Instead she's just bullet pointing the major things within each subject as its displayed before her and has quite a bit to go, through. Basically, it's clear, she's picking her battles here.

[@thomasmorsing9052]

@@Apillis124 i tend to agree =) but ppl think viking had ingraved leathers and so forth! it was not common for viking to have much leather since it would not be flexable enough for the fighthing style they had ! vikings series took alot of freedom to create sagas that never happens ! if ppl watch vikings the series and think tiktok vikings looked like that then hell no ! they used linen in colors woven by the females ! and they did not have all that braided hair since they wore it down or in small braids behind the ears if you look at rollo that was normal ! look at bjørn when he was young that haircut was normal the bald back so it was not easy to grap you by it ! this has nothing really to do with vikings ! even ragnar is danish decent ! and when it comes to chain mail it was only late period it was common not around ragnars time since that was mosly for high officials among the ranks like a earl ! sure later viking age it was more common ! it pisses me of as a Dane to watch ppl go this is viking well it aint ! only some of the sagas are portayed in the series and alot of freedom of creation taken account ! to say vikings series are accurate its not really =) you would find a viking kinda borring looking if you think vikings series thats how they look like =P rollo would never be ragnars brother its diffrent time period =) sure some sagas are in the series but there is tons of sagas but then the series would never end =P ! And we all know who raided the most its was us the danes that did that along side norway ! sweden was the hippies of the time only pray to the gods and did alot more sacrefices to em ! sweden never wanted to go raid with us =P

[@thomasmorsing9052]

@@Apillis124 but i would say to call her self a historian and not point out the obivous like the over the top leather use and saying nice armor to lagatha when its belt buckle from H&M engraved leather armor with odd patterns kinda takes point from her in my eyes ! she goes into some of the locations was not the right spot then why not the armors =P ! for me i would lose interrest in her tellings since she goes into the locations but not the most eye popping thing the clothe they have on in the series =) maybe she was on a timer to get the video done who knows ! but ppl please stop the tiktok BS with viking looks and playing that stupid song my mother told me saying this is viking =P it drives me nutts that my ancestors gets potrayed as some emo viking =P

[@Apillis124]

@@thomasmorsing9052 Well, she has a doctorate and archeologist specializing in the Viking era, so she's a literal historian--she's not calling herself a historian--her degrees and literal profession is. As I said before, which is more important to note that someone got something wrong--the typical dress code people had or that they didn't even have the location right? And factoring that with the understanding you only have a limited time to speak on them. Personally, like her, I'd focus on the largest and most egregious thing they had wrong, which is, never mind the inaccurate armor they even had the damn locations themselves utterly wrong.

[@florencejefferies2303]

Last Kingdom is the Best movie hands down

[@Sarge80]

Sorry but everything you said about vikings shows that you did not watch the show, Ragnar definatly aged when he is at paris, ragnar was also the first viking to sail west and find land which turned out to be england, the reason he only had 1 boat with him was because he went against the orders of his local chief who told him not to sail west.

[@dmpdagamer]

She didn't watch the show then she definitely did in the video she could've at least waited after the scene or paused the scene before talking.

[@mrdarren1045]

'Find land'. He didn't discover England.

[@Sarge80]

@@mrdarren1045 I never said he discovered england, saxon and angles people already got there before them, not to mention the romans, ragnar was the first however to sail against orders to the west and he found to them new lands, which they always said wouldnt be there. He proved them wrong.

[@Demandroid]

Around 4:30 - Isn't there abundant evidence that Old Norse and Old English at this time were very close and likely mutually intelligible, meaning that it's not at all odd that the Vikings and Monks could understand each other?

[@kek7320]

No

[@estupidelavida]

Not even close yo

[@TheRedHaze3]

Yep, I'm pretty sure there's a video where Jackson Crawford and a guy who speaks Old English have a conversation with each other, although there is some communication issues.

[@Niobesnuppa]

Yep, they were. Unless the monks spoke primarily Latin, which I suppose is a possibility (although unlikely), they shouldn't have had too much trouble understanding each other.

[@classyboy6245]

If you were watching Vikings you’d know that, it was their first time going anywhere besides the west, the Viking show shows it all, in the show Ragnar was the first to sail that way and got famous because of it he was smart enough to know it was all gonna get confiscated and built a new boat with the gold he hid

[@TheRabadish]

My biggest pet peeve about vikings is that they clearly portay kattegatt as being in Norway, but Kattegatt is no where near

[@ricardas16]

yup, and ragnar was a dane.

[@jorgemoreno8191]

The first scene is supposed to be their first trip to Britain, which means they knew there were riches but they hadn't seen them yet, hence the expressions when they finally see what they are? Maybe I am getting it wrong, I watched it ages ago

[@whitelightning2100]

Nah, the first season of Vikings pretty much implies that the Vikings did not fully know that there were lands to the west even though, historically, they definitely did

[@richardwaring8613]

It is the same as nowadays, farmers having to diversify. Then it was murdering monks, now it is glamping.

[@Etäinshewölf007]

I enjoyed the series and would like to thank the lady for taking her time telling me how accurate it was compared to what we know it to be in history. It clearly shows that the series made some attempt to be true to life

[@leovirgo4538]

Norsemen is my absolute favorite. I howled.

[@GavTatu]

just binged the last kingdom, again... and the movie again...... guess i'm gonna have to start vikings....again !

[@Charlieandersali]

The Alfred Uthred scenes in The Last Kingdom was 10/10.

[@cowsharkdefin6376]

David Dawson absolutely killed it. In my mind, he was Alfred, period.

[@awesomness36]

How Dawson and Dreymon never got Emmys I’ll never understand

[@HarryFlashmanVC]

What's with the leather biker's kit? Why do art directors insist on it? Well a friend of mine was Art Director on the Last Kingdom, they were essentially told by the commercial people that historically accurate dosent sell TV series to the far east or America..they want biker gear, huge swords, snazzy action scenes... which is why thats what they do.

[@danyf.1442]

I read somewhere that the scene where Ragnar comes out of the coffin is taken from something that actually happened in Italy, I'd love to learn the details.

[@patlambert2296]

No it was an actual event in Paris recorded by the French and Norman’s so I don’t get it when she says it was in the sagas and it was halfdan who lead the assault

[@martinmylius1576]

Frankish, Norman, Arab, Skandinavien and Irish sources tells that an expedition lead by Bjørn Ironside and his foster-father Hastein went to the Mediterranean in the years 859-861. Among others they took the town of Luna which they believed to be Rome. They where unable to breach the townwalls and came up with a sneaky plan. To gain entry Hastein pretended to be deathly ill and wished to recieve Christian sacraments, he was brought into Luna with a small honor guard. Their plan was a succes but they where disapointed when they learned that the town was not Rome, as for the vikings no goal was to great and Hastein wanted Bjørn to become the new Roman Emperereur.

[@shaggjones4854]

Bjorn did it in Italy in a city called Luna

[@TheBlackfall234]

@@patlambert2296 KZbin Historians are a dangerous bet, especially when they seem to be knowledgable about such a broad topic. I dont theres there are actually "medieval historians" because that would include a timespan of roughly 1000 years. Usually "Medieval Historians" are focusing on a specific time or area.

[@scottjohnstone5551]

Go learn it then.

[@kitamcguire2509]

A lot of the comments she’s making about Vikings could be answered if she really watch the show. Like the reason, Ragnar’s coffin is being carried, and has shields on it. 😂

[@donnyskinglongliveme]

i can't believe this historian mentioned how unrealistic the town of Kattegat is, but failed to mention that Jarl Hakkon is an African woman ruling in Scandanavia!

[@wendyHew]

Exactly, that is the single most unrealistic thing in the entirety of both the vikings and valhalla series. It is ridiculous and offensive seeing as Hakkon was a real scandinavian man.

[@theidiotsarewinning2868]

Viking Valhalla is pure fantasy. I found it pretty abysmal . The first few seasons of original Vikings show was fantastic and Last Kingdom is fun and well written.

[@Stilesda]

Norsemen and The Last Kingdom are 10/10 shows

[@eliseivanica]

even if they’re inaccurate, vikings and the last kingdom are peak tv shows.

[@zoemaliya6408]

I want to see them to rate vinland saga next

[@bengreen9967]

I wish you'd give the people reviewing the scenes the context of the scene in the episode

[@dmpdagamer]

I watched all these already, but I was trying to re-listen/watch. They should've paused it when she started talking.😕

[@kevindoherty7895]

I'd be curious to see your assessment of Vinland Saga.

[@melbournesurvivor]

was about to comment the same

[@AndriaBieberDesigns]

Love these videos! Signed up for her podcast

[@fakeeru6783]

Vikings is my favorite among these because... its the first one I seen. Couldn't stand TLK...

[@shuaguin5446]

The Viking law about not losing honor and being legal if for the "active party"in homosexual sex had quite chilling implication, espcially in the light of th vinking being a slavery culture.

[@eisirt55]

They weren't left in peace in Ireland . More monasteries in Ireland were ravaged by the Irish themselves than be the Vikings in these times .

[@amyw6808]

And Dublin was one of the biggest Viking cities

[@acgorrell]

The shields used in that Last Kingdom battle were hilariously stupid, who the hell signed off on that decision?

[@juliaforsyth8332]

They said it was incorrect but they needed to, to show the different sides.

[@MyCaio1997]

​@@juliaforsyth8332 that's just bad writing and production at it's peak

[@MyCaio1997]

I read all the books and loved them and then I went super happy to see the show and couldn't get past the first episode. Everything in this show look stupid. The hair and make-up, the armour, weapons, shields... They couldn't even get a blonde actor or dye his hair and being blonde is a major plot point in Uhtred's life

[@Heatwave9000]

​@@MyCaio1997 Lol they could have just cast ragnar as uhtred instead if they wanted a tall blonde 😂

[@MyCaio1997]

@@Heatwave9000 exactly

[@jonestrm252]

The raid on Lindisfarne is in one interpretation a message to Alcuin from nearby York, the counselor to emperor Charlemagne who just recently slaughtered some thousands saxons nearby the Danish border. Alcuin wrote a letter to Charlemagne about going further north.

[@Trecesolotienesdos]

Vikings was great storytelling but weak history. Last Kingdom is way better onthe actual history.

[@TheFatalT]

Why do none of the Vikings wear Viking helmets? 😅

[@Theturtleowl]

In Vikings it looks like the raiding party is looking for the doorbell. Such nice men to do so.

[@MrsDarcie]

Just because a woman was buried with weapons does not prove she was a warrior in life. I think historians of today really want it to be true because it fits the narrative of today. We want female warriors like Lagertha, but in reality, women stayed at home because they were more valuable than the men that went abroad. They were the ones who carried the children and kept the household stable. Stop trying to make the role of women less valuable because they weren't fighters. See their roles as valuable in itself.

[@missingno6216]

sourcess about that woman not being a warrior? im assuming youre talking about that one birka grave at gotland. everything ive read makes out a consenus that she definetly was a warrior but if you have scholarly sources that say otherwise id be very interested to read those

[@ssu7653]

@@missingno6216 The sources i could find (limited research i admit) indicate that she was found with "weapons ued in conflict" but states nothing that indicate she was the one to wield them. A warrior would be expect to have some indication of prior damage, in life/death battles its unlikely to never get hit in a way to cause damage. She would have to be a rare specimen to take hits that would damage the bones of a man with no evidence. What i find most likely, is that she was the daughter, wife or mother to a warrior that decided to honer her in death the best he could

[@missingno6216]

@@ssu7653 why doesn’t anyone want to cite their sources anymore😒. I WANT TO READ IT THATS WHY IM ASKING FOR A CITATON.

[@ssu7653]

​@@missingno6216 Cant be of much help there, jsut found a wiki article about the one you mentioned. Assume you already have some sources on that one :P

[@missingno6216]

@@ssu7653 well yeah that’s why I would like sources that oppose the ones I’ve read, thanks though

[@PerfektFilms]

SHE'S BACK!!! YES!!!!

[@Gustaf_V]

It feels like the historian is missing context for some scenes. The Lindisfarne one is especailly perplexing since this woman asks why they're seemingly unprepared and so forth, if she knew what particular raid it was, she could probably critique is more accurately.

[@dmpdagamer]

She talking over the scenes instead of letting them play out. 😂 I bet she did take ot out of context. Watch/listen then comment. Or pause and comment Luke regular reaction videos.

[@HistoryMovieCritic]

Wow, she went so easy on The Vikings TV series! There were hundreds of historical errors that she didn’t even touch on. The armor, the weapons, the chronology, the clothing, the characters who were misrepresented or could not have been together at the same time, the tactics, the use of fire in warfare, the misrepresentation of the conflict as a religious war, and much, much more. Oh, and let’s not forget hot air balloons!

[@SvenElven]

For me, the killer was the “Kattegat” location which is obviously filmed at a mountain lake…

[@nordicsailor2694]

The "coffin trick" is actually attributed to Harald Hardrada and can be found in Snorre Sturlasson's Heimskringla. It's been a while since I last read that book. But I believe the incident happened on Sicily. It was one of several castles on Sicily that Harald defeated according to Harald Hardrada's saga in Heimskringla. The trick of using captured birds and the attaching burning pitch tar to them was also used by Harald as described in his saga in Heimskringla. The idea was that the birds flew back into the castle and started fires in the thatched roofs of buildings inside the castle walls. I believe this idea was also incorporated into an episode of Vikings but with Ragnar Lothbrok using this strategy! Harald Hardrada served in the Varangian guard of the Byzantine Empire but also campaigned in various places on behalf of the Byzantine emperor throughout the Mediterranean Sea. It was through these campaigns that Harald amassed enormous wealth as his share of bounty from looted cities.

[@norbitcleaverhook5040]

Olga of Kiev also broke a siege against the Drevlians by using the same flaming bird tactic. Apparently she told the Drevlians she would lift the siege if they gave her one of the birds of each household and returned them with burning tar attached to their feet and burned the city. Check out her story on Biographics.

[@frekitheravenous516]

HOW is this person a "Top Medieval Historian" ??? My 16 yr old knows more than she does about that era and place and he is being raised in NY, USA. Lol. She is literally "in country" so to speak and knows nothing. WTF.

[@mahogany_honey]

I've only watched Vikings, and absolutely loved it... reading these comments I'm realizing ANY viking show is good lol...I'll be looking into The Last Kingdom and Norsemen

[@lojosmom7949]

This was so interesting. Thank you.

[@dr.sergeykutzofykock9720]

No mention of the black woman leading a Norse army..ok

[@LifeSavingDefense]

You need to actually watch the whole thing instead of a short blurb. Yes it’s fake but it’s interesting

[@jamesgardner6707]

Vikings, although highly non historical, was the best show concerning vikings

[@MyCaio1997]

At least it look good, instead of some others who don't even try (looking at you, TLK)

[@awesomness36]

Lol Last Kingdom was a thousand times better

[@PalmelaHanderson]

Vikings started off with at least some level of hisorical authenticity, but it just turned into pulp as the seasons went on.

[@UkrainianPaulie]

As a historian, it irks me that real Norse are never depicted correctly. No woolen trousers, wrapped lower legs, helmets, chainmail etc. Every show is a damn leather fetish. Costume designers are clueless. Leather is not good for ones heath in combat when pointy objects are being swung or poked everywhere.

[@marinesinspace6253]

Leather is cheaper and easier than making something that looks like chainmail, these shows budgets are not that high.

[@alangilbert8627]

Of all the things that could be criticised in these shows she neglects the most obvious, the black viking queen!!!!!!

[@lindoriel7286]

I've never seen that Vikings show, but it seems to be incredibly slow, boring and not a little bit stupid just from the clips shown. That scene in the monastery - like what? You can see them taking the coffin past armed spearmen and guards inside the church. They'd just be bum-rushed the minute that weirdo came out of coffin. Nobody seemed to react like a normal person. Also, it managed to make even such a big bombastic moment massively anticlimactic. Everyone in the scene just looks vaguely bored. I'm kinda glad I've seen it on here rather than wasting my time watching it irl.

[@alasdairmacleod3411]

You couldn't be more wrong with your assumptions

[@marinesinspace6253]

So, it's depicting the Siege of Paris, and it is almost completely ahistorical. The scene you mentioned is actually something Bjorn Ironside may have done in Italy. The tv show justification is that the siege has gone on for a while and both sides are tired, the Viking king is dead and had converted to Christianity to honor a friend of his. So when the French offered the Vikings tribute to bugger off, one of their conditions was a Christian burial for their king, unfolding like we see here, and the girl he takes hostage is the King's daughter. It's complete nonsense, as much of the Vikings tv show was. The main character is an apocryphal Viking, Ragnar Lothbrok, and in the show his brother is apparently Rollo, or Rollon, a real historical figure, and the ancestor of William the Conqueror.

[@obcl8569]

To address some comments regarding The Last Kingdom & Uhtred of Bebbanburg, Bernard Cornwell has always been clear who it’s Baer one. Newsweek article & Bernard Cornwell’s Wikipedia pages below: Is Uhtred of Bebbanburg Based On A Real-Life Person? - Newsweek, March 10, 2022: Uhtred of Bebbanburg is loosely based on Uhtred the Bold, an ealdorman of all Northumbria from 1006 to 1016. Cornwell was inspired to write the novels after he discovered he was a descendant of the real-life Uhtred the Bold. Wikipedia: Is Bernard Cornwell a descendant of Uhtred? The idea for the series took shape in his mind after meeting his real father in Canada in his fifties, learning his own ancestry back to that era, to the real-life Uhtred of Bebbanburg, who became Uhtred, the protagonist of the series.

[@Hallands.]

2:25 „Twenty men and nothing else“ would be regarded as more than enough for a monastery. Remember the Vikings counted one Viking as ten ordinary men and didn’t expect any resistance from monks… In their reckoning 200 men (20 X 10) would be overkill…

[@mrdarren1045]

10 ordinary men? Where did you get that from? And they would hardly need to be great warriors against a bunch of unarmed monks. Very brave and warrior like.

[@Hallands.]

@@mrdarren1045 If you knew anything, you’d know this, too… That was how the Vikings counted when they lay siege to cities like Paris or Lyon and extracted Danegeld from Kings so often that they ended up getting land to settle on. (Danelagen, Normandy)

[@mrdarren1045]

@@Hallands. what's that got to do with it? But yes of course I know all about Normandy and Rollo the ganger. I knew about all that 40 plus years ago, and probably long before you were born. I just don't see how any of what you just said is relevant or where you cite any sources for your 10 men claim, which is obviously nonsense, as if the vikings were the only ppl who knew how to fight. Funny how ppl always forget that they were defeated in England. And by the time of Stamford Bridge it was stamped out forever. So I guess ppl caught up with those 10 men eh.

[@Hallands.]

@@mrdarren1045 There’s plenty of instances mentioning the way they counted, both in the monastery chronicles from France and Britain and from the Sagas, of course. The Stamford bridge incident were a successful ambush where the Vikings never had time to don their armor. Defeated? It never really felt like that what with Wilhelm the Conqueror being the 8th grandchild of Rollo and coming from the Viking territory of Normandy to take the crown…

[@crimscrimz5977]

The whale oil, Iron & Fur traders, Warrior kings of the north living in their great wooden halls.. To appear quite poor, they are very well dressed 😉The vendel period dates back to early iron age 540-790y during that period trade routes was set up and booming seting the stage for the viking age, A swedish historian suggested that raid on lindisfarne in 793 was done by pirates (vikings) because it was a easy target compared to intercept the trade and thats probably when the more powerful forces the trade kings joined in on the raids.

[@herb2078]

Vikings Valhalla very historically inaccurate and we all know why. Ridiculous

[@samanthal133]

got one show to watch with my spouse & it was the last kingdom. We are waiting to watch the movie because we kinda had to rewatch the last season(kinda all over the place) but all around epic show!!!! Wanted to start Vikings next.

[@LAWLSIFICATION]

I am Uhtrred! Son of Uhtred! and his father before him, Uhtred!