{"id":4058,"date":"2022-03-02T12:22:59","date_gmt":"2022-03-02T12:22:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonducklings.co.uk\/?p=4058"},"modified":"2023-05-08T16:12:59","modified_gmt":"2023-05-08T15:12:59","slug":"vikings-sites-medieval-london","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/londonducklings.co.uk\/vikings-sites-medieval-london\/","title":{"rendered":"Vikings in London: Discover the real story"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Discover the real story behind the Vikings in London and how the Norse impacted the city during medieval times through war, trade, and religious influence. We have also compared the fictional Netflix series Vikings: Valhalla with the actual historical events. <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The stained glass window in St Olave Hart Street Church in present-day London. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What did Netflix get wrong about King Edmund and the Vikings?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the 2022 series Vikings: Valhalla, King Edmund is one of the main characters standing up against the Vikings attacking London Bridge. While the portrayal of Edmund is not entirely fictional in the Netflix series, they got quite a lot of it wrong. According to the Saga historian Snorri, Olav Haraldsson (later King of Norway) was actually on the same side as King \u00c6thelred helping him retake London from King Cnut and the Danes in 1014. This makes sense since Olav and Cnut were enemies both competing for the Norwegian crown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From the series Vikings: Valhalla when the Vikings attached ropes to a weak point in London Bridge Photo: Netflix<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

However, King Cnut returned to England with a large army in 1016 and defeated the English. By this time, Olav had become King of Norway and \u00c6thelred was on his own. Cnut tried to capture London by laying siege to the city but didn’t succeed to capture London by combat. After losing several battles, the wounded King Edmund eventually agreed to give King Cnut all of England north of the Thames (including London) and the whole of England upon his death. Edmund died later that year in 1016, so in 1017 King Cnut could be crowned King of all of England in Westminster Abbey. For the next two decades, England had a Danish king. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In many ways the Netflix series Vikings: Valhalla is a mix of the historical events from the years 1014-1017, with the filmmakers picking and choosing from history in order to form a dramatic fictional story within a short time span. While some of the “mistakes” are irritating (like the fact that Olav actually sided with the English and not the Danes), the series is entertaining and well worth watching. Here is a well-summarised review of Vikings: Valhalla<\/a> in The Guardian:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It\u2019s fun, no more, no less. Bit of history, bit of gore, bit of sex, bit of plot, lots of hair. As mindless distraction at a gruelling time, it will be hard to beat. Wrap yourself in a direwolf rug \u2013 I may be crossing streams here \u2013 pour yourself a hornful of strong ale and enjoy. Skaal!<\/p>\nLucy Mangan, The Guardian<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Vikings: Valhalla – things they got wrong:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n