Passionate storytelling that brings adventure, exploration, culture and natural wonders to life.

National Geographic

The mid-10th-century reign of Harald Bluetooth as king of a newly unified, powerful and Christianized Denmark marked the beginning of a second Viking age. But the reign was not to last with the Normans finally winning the English Kingdom in 1066. We look at the final days of the Viking empire.

Vikings: The Rise and Fall

The Second Viking Age

Passionate storytelling that brings adventure, exploration, culture, and natural wonders to life. Programs with environmental, educational, and entertaining twists.

National Geographic HD

Political turmoil in Norway leads a voyage of discovery west. The Vikings discover Iceland where they established lasting settlement. Further exploration from Iceland leads to the discovery of Greenland and to the shores of Newfoundland, making them the first Europeans to discover America.

The Wild West

The siege of Paris in 885 was the culmination of the Viking invasions of Francia; looking at the persistent Viking attacks on Francia and the enduring presence of the Scandinavians on the Frankish Empire and beyond.

The Fall of Francia

The Silk Road opened up a world of trade for the Scandinavians in the East; seeking further wealth, the Vikings known in the East as "the Rus" attacked Constantinople in 860.

As Far East as Baghdad

The Siege of York occurred from 866 when the Great Heathen army laid claim to the Northumbrian capital of York; looking at the major battles, players and strongholds in ninth-century England.

The Great Heathen Army

An attack on a small religious community on the holy island of Lindisfarne in A.D. 793 heralded the start of the Viking age of conquest and expansion; the Vikings' beginnings in Scandinavia.

The Road to Lindisfarne

Vikings waged war from the seas, notoriously ruthless and with their own set of rules; the Viking expansion was unprecedented in the veracity of its spread; known for merciless bloodshed, the Norsemen became the most feared people in history.

S1 E6 | The Second Viking Age

E6 | The Second Viking Age

E5 | The Wild West

E4 | The Fall of Francia

E3 | As Far East as Baghdad

E2 | The Great Heathen Army

E1 | The Road to Lindisfarne