March 28, 845. The day the Vikings of the legendary Ragnar Lodbrok (or Lothbrok) occupied Paris.
In fact, in order to leave, the king of the Franks, Charles the Bald, gave them the huge sum for the era of three tons of silver, 7,000 French pounds.
The first attack had taken place in 799 and forced Charlemagne to develop a defense system along the northern coast, which was completed in 810. The defense system repelled the attack of 820, after Charlemagne's death, but failed to hold back the Viking hordes in the battles in the regions of Frisia and Dorestad in 834.
After the previous depredations, in March 845, 120 Viking ships with 5,000 men entered the Seine led by Ragnar. Ragnar's warriors invaded Rouen, captured 111 Frankish army soldiers and hanged them on an island in the Seine as a sacrifice to the god Odin, but also to terrorize their opponents.
Finally, the Vikings entered the city on March 28 and plundered everything in their path. They left only when they received the ransom they demanded. Thirteen more repayments followed in order not to attack. Although he agreed to withdraw from Paris, Ragnar burned many areas on his way out.
In the same year, a Viking fleet also captured Hamburg.
The Vikings came from the Northern Peoples of Europe. During the Middle Ages they appeared as explorers, pirates, traders, mercenaries (or all four together) in a large part of Europe. Their birthplace was Scandinavia, and four present-day nations trace their origins to them:Norwegians, Swedes, Danes, Icelanders. They reached their peak under Ragnar Lothbrok.
Ragnar Lothbrok is a legend in history.
This is a hero of the era described in old stories of the North. According to tradition, Ragnar was the scourge of France and England during the 9th century and the father of many famous sons, including Ivar the Spineless, Bjorn the Iron Side, Halfdan Ragnarsson, Sigurd and Ubba.
The men above are historical figures, yet historians have not yet been able to identify Ragnar himself with a specific, real person.
According to legend, Ragnar married three times:Lagertha, Thora Townheart and Ashlag. He is said to be related to the Danish King Gudfred and son of the Swedish King Sigurd Ring.
He is said to have declared himself king and became famous through his raids and conquests.
His death is also disputed. One version states that he was captured by his enemy, King Aela of Northumbria and executed in a pit of snakes.
The second is connected to the siege and conquest of Paris, as it is alleged that he died of cholera during the raid.
The unknown father of the Viking leaders who invaded England with the Great Pagan Army in 865:
The... "candidates" for the historical Ragnar are:
-King Horic I
-King Reginfrid
-A king who ruled part of Denmark and came into conflict with Harald Klak
-A Renjin, a hero who attacked Paris in the middle of the 9th century
-Rognvald of the Chronicles of Ireland
In any case, the name Ragnar is recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles and is associated with a leader who caused chaos in Europe in the mid-9th century.
And Ragnar's eldest son, Ivar the Spineless was the leader of the Viking army in the period 865 - 870 but after 870 he disappeared from the historical records of England. Under the leadership of Ivar, and together with his brothers, the Great Dane army attacked England also in 865 to avenge the death of their father by Aela of Northumbria.