HistoryExtra
type: channel
link: https://www.historyextra.com
description: The official website for BBC History Magazine
date: 2024-09-09T14:24:18.000Z
update period: hourly
update frequency: 1
update base: 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00
items: "A Viking wedding involved a bed and eight people", plus four other facts about the Vikings you might not know...
items: Daily life, with Professor Ryan Lavelle
items: Trading and exploring, with Professor Ryan Lavelle
items: Viking raiders, with Professor Ryan Lavelle
items: Ælfweard and Æthelstan: were they rivals for the throne of Wessex?
items: The real Uhtred of Bebbanburg: the historical inspirations for The Last Kingdom’s hero
items: How England rode the Viking storm
items: Fighting the Vikings

"A Viking wedding involved a bed and eight people", plus four other facts about the Vikings you might not know...
type: item
date: 2024-03-05T17:18:24.000Z
creator: Professor Ryan Lavelle
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: Viking
subject: Evergreen
subject: Viking life and culture
description: Ryan Lavelle, who is teaching our new HistoryExtra Academy course, shares five surprising facts about the raiders, pirates and traders from medieval Scandinavia
encoded: A Viking wedding involved a bed and eight people The people of medieval Iceland are best known for their sagas – vivid stories written about their Viking ancestors. Yet they also possessed a lawcode, and these laws reveal a curious marriage custom that shines a light on gender relations in Icelandic society. For a marriage to be legitimate, a groom had to be seen by six witnesses entering the same bed as his new wife, “without concealment”. The idea that marriage was witnessed ensured that children from the union were seen as legitimate – an important matter for the descent of property and for family honour. After all, the keeping of mistresses was far from uncommon and the sexual mistreatment of female slaves so widespread it appears that it was barely worth recording in sagas. Read more | Viking gods, goddesses & tricksters: 12 figures from Norse mythology All this is worth bearing in mind when considering the Viking cemetery in Birka, Sweden – in which a skeleton buried with an array of weapons turned out to be biologically female. Many Viking women enjoyed greater freedoms than their counterparts across Europe. But there were still limits to their power. Did the person buried at Birka express their identity like that of a male warrior because of such limits? The Vikings with Ryan Lavelle In this four-week short course, you'll discover everything you need to know about the Viking period, guided by Ryan Lavelle, Professor in Early Medieval History at the University of Winchester. Find out more Vikings converted to Christianity earlier than we thought In c965 AD, King Harald Bluetooth made a bold – and striking – claim. On a runestone erected at Jelling on the Jutland peninsula, the Danish monarch declared that he had “made all the Danes Christian”. It was the earliest ‘official’ statement on Christianity made in Viking Scandinavia. So does that mean that Christianity didn’t gain much traction in the Viking lands until the late 10th century? Perhaps not. For, in 20…

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Daily life, with Professor Ryan Lavelle
type: item
date: 2024-02-19T14:11:11.000Z
creator: Professor Ryan Lavelle
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: Viking
subject: HistoryExtra Academy
subject: HistoryExtra Academy Vikings Course
subject: Viking life and culture
description: In week three of the HistoryExtra Academy Vikings course, Professor Ryan Lavelle explores how people lived, loved, worked and worshipped throughout the Viking world
encoded: View Green Video on the source website Discover more learning from week three of the HistoryExtra Academy Vikings course What was life like for Viking women? – reading time 7 mins Inside the Viking mind – reading time 10 mins Viking gods, goddesses & tricksters: 12 figures from Norse mythology – reading time 8 mins Podcast: What Norse poetry reveals about the Viking Age – listening time 48 mins Viking women: raiders, traders and settlers – reading time 7 mins How England rode the Viking storm – reading time 12 mins Viking ‘warrior women’ – reading time 3 mins

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Trading and exploring, with Professor Ryan Lavelle
type: item
date: 2024-02-11T22:57:46.000Z
creator: Professor Ryan Lavelle
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: Viking
subject: HistoryExtra Academy
subject: HistoryExtra Academy Vikings Course
description: In week two of our HistoryExtra Academy Vikings course, Professor Ryan Lavelle traces the global reach of the Vikings – from the North Atlantic across to the edges of Asia
encoded: View Green Video on the source website Explore more content from week two of the HistoryExtra Academy Vikings course: The Vikings at home – reading time 17 mins How the Vikings ruled the waves – reading time 15 mins Russia, North America and the Middle East: where did the Vikings visit to trade and raid? – reading time 13 mins Alternate history: what if the Vikings had never left their homelands? – reading time 5 mins Podcast: The Vikings’ global connections – listening time 42 mins Leif Erikson’s voyage to Vinland – reading time 12 mins Video: Cat Jarman on the Vikings from Scandinavia to the Silk Road – watching time 1hr, 8 mins The amazing life of a great female Viking explorer – reading time 4 mins

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Viking raiders, with Professor Ryan Lavelle
type: item
date: 2024-02-01T16:43:58.000Z
creator: Professor Ryan Lavelle
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: Viking
subject: Viking Britain
subject: Viking warfare
description: In the first mini-lecture of the HistoryExtra Academy Vikings course, Professor Ryan Lavelle introduces us to the Viking age, and explores the Vikings' reputation as fearsome raiders
encoded: In the first mini-lecture of the HistoryExtra Academy Vikings course, Professor Ryan Lavelle introduces us to the Viking Age, and explores the Vikings' reputation as fearsome raiders View Green Video on the source website More content from week one of the HistoryExtra Academy Vikings course: Fighting the Vikings – read time 13 mins History explorer: Alfred and the Vikings – read time 13 mins Your guide to the Viking raid of Lindisfarne – read time 3 mins The great Viking terror: how Norse warriors conquered the Anglo-Saxons – read time 12 mins Slaves in the Viking Age: how prevalent were enslaved people in Viking societies – read time 3 mins Why did the Vikings' violent raids begin? – read time 12 mins Viking ships: 5 lesser-known facts – read time 6 mins

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Ælfweard and Æthelstan: were they rivals for the throne of Wessex?
type: item
date: 2023-04-14T16:30:35.000Z
creator: Professor Ryan Lavelle
subject: Anglo-Saxon
subject: Period
subject: Seven Kings Must Die
subject: The Last Kingdom
subject: TV interest
description: Seven Kings Must Die pits half-brothers Æthelstan and Ælfweard against each other in its opening act: but how true to history is their clash for the crown? Historical consultant Ryan Lavelle considers what real history tells us about Ælfweard, and why Æthelstan may not have been first choice for king of Wessex…
encoded: Seven Kings Must Die, the eagerly awaited successor film to The Last Kingdom, sees conflicted hero Uhtred of Bebbanburg encountering a new generation of England’s history. It begins with King Edward the Elder’s death, a character whose somewhat tempestuous relationship with Uhtred dominated season 5 of the show, allowing the focus to shift to the reign of Aethelstan. The film depicts Æthelstan as rightful heir to the thrones of his father, whose first concern is fending off a challenge from his “traitor” half-brother and rival claimant Ælfweard. In the show, Æthelstan is the presumed and rightful king, and that Ælfweard’s claim is that of an upstart. Real history, though, suggests that the succession might not have been quite so clear cut. Might Edward have wanted to carve up his dominions between his eldest sons? On the podcast | Michael Wood introduces listeners to the fascinating life of 10th-century ruler Æthelstan How did Edward of Wessex die? It is the fallout from Edward’s death – off-screen, in the opening minutes of the film – that reverberates through Seven Kings Must Die, though no detail is given as to how he meets his end. Real history offers us a few clues, but not many. Edward is known to have died in July AD 924 near Chester, during or shortly after fighting a Mercian rebellion. He was buried in New Minster in Winchester – a monastery he himself had commissioned – close to his father, Alfred the Great, and mother, Ealhswith. Read more | Who was Edward the Elder? A brief guide to the Anglo-Saxon king Ælfweard and Æthelstan: who were the candidates to succeed Edward the Elder? The real Æthelstan (ruled AD 924-39) has been hailed by some historians as the first king who could credibly claim to rule ‘England’. He was Edward’s eldest son, born to Ecgwynn around AD 894. From his father’s ‘Kingdom of the Anglo-Saxons’, Æthelstan conquered Northumbria and pushed his authority across the island of Britain. He proved able to match the political aspirations tha…

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The real Uhtred of Bebbanburg: the historical inspirations for The Last Kingdom’s hero
type: item
date: 2022-03-09T14:07:43.000Z
creator: Professor Ryan Lavelle
subject: Anglo-Saxon
subject: Period
subject: Viking
subject: Seven Kings Must Die
subject: The Last Kingdom
subject: Trends-Entertainment
subject: TV interest
description: The Last Kingdom draws a great deal from history, but is the character of Uhtred of Bebbanburg among them? The formidable warrior of the TV series may be a fiction but, writes Professor Ryan Lavelle, he has parallels in real history – not least an 11th-century ealdorman named Uhtred, who fought the Vikings and married the daughter of King Æthelred II…
encoded: Uhtred of Bebbanburg, the hero of Netflix’s The Last Kingdom and it's fimale film Seven Kings Must Die (not to mention Bernard Cornwell’s novels of the same name) is a fierce and cunning warrior. Born a Saxon and raised a Dane, “Uhtred, son of Uhtred” (so the show calls him) is a man of conflicting loyalties, bound by the many (often inadvisable) oaths he makes, and driven by a desire to regain his lost birth right – the Northumbrian coastal fortress of Bebbanburg. It’s a real place: today we know Bebbanburg better by its medieval name, Bamburgh Castle. Seven Kings Must Die: everything you need to know Catch-up on real history that underpins the fictional adventures of Uhtred, son of Uhtred Plus, who are the seven kings? Find out and learn what's next in store for Anglo-Saxon in our explainer of Seven Kings Must Die's ending Uhtred’s adventures in The Last Kingdom are set against the great events of the Viking Age. Through him, we’ve witnessed the bloody activities of the 9th-century Great Heathen Army, the defence of the kingdom of Wessex under Alfred the Great (who reigned from AD 871 to AD 899), and the political turbulence in the different kingdoms across England following Alfred’s death. We’ve seen the ascension of Edward the Elder in Wessex, the triumphs of Æthelflæd in Mercia, the failed rebellion of Alfred’s nephew, Æthelwold, and now, in Seven Kings Must Die, the rise of the man to fulfil Alfred's dream of England, Æthelstan Read more | Who were the key players in the struggle to succeed Alfred the Great? Though this fictional Uhtred moves deftly throughout these events, even in exile from Bebbanburg he remains linked to the great fortress, to Northumbria at large, and to the Vikings who settled in northern England. His interests sometimes lie with Wessex and Mercia, but Uhtred’s loyalties remain conflicted throughout the series, and it is often in these conflicts, including within Uhtred himself, that the heart of the drama lies. Is Uhtred of Bebbanburg re…

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How England rode the Viking storm
type: item
date: 2020-04-23T08:30:10.000Z
subject: Anglo-Saxon
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: Viking
subject: HistoryExtra Academy
subject: HistoryExtra Academy Vikings Course
subject: TV interest
subject: Viking Britain
subject: Viking life and culture
subject: Viking warfare
description: Ryan Lavelle, historical consultant to The Last Kingdom and professor of early medieval history at the University of Winchester, argues that King Alfred's relationship with the Danes was defined by compromise as well as the power of the sword...
encoded: An early scene in series one of the BBC TV series The Last Kingdom sees the hero (or anti-hero) Uhtred, dispossessed claimant to the Northumbrian fortress of Bamburgh, entering the city of Winchester for the first time. Uhtred and his companion, both raised in a Danish household and in many ways more habituated to Danish customs than Anglo-Saxon ones, gain rapid access to the royal court of King Alfred of Wessex. At the heart of the court, the pagan Uhtred is granted an audience with the Christian prince – and their discussions range from knowledge of the world to military strategies. From this, we get an insight into Alfred’s relationship with Uhtred, how each sees the other – and, crucially, how each intends to use the other. Could such a scene have played out in ninth-century Winchester? Why was a prince of the West Saxons extending the hand of friendship to a pagan – a Dane, no less – at some point in the early 870s? The stereotypes dictate that a Danish Viking was too intent on pillaging to engage in any communication but violence. Received opinion also has it that the West Saxons were far too pious to accept Scandinavians as anything but the scourge of God, to be resisted by warriors and suffered by holy men. Viking onslaught In many ways, the West Saxons’ attempts to defend their realm in the face of the Viking onslaught – particularly under Alfred ‘the Great’ in the final decades of the ninth century – is a story of conflict, of battles and stratagems, peace treaties made and broken, and of military leaders straining for victory in the direst of circumstances. The Last Kingdom: everything you need to know Find out how and where to watch season 5 of The Last Kingdom, catch-up on seasons 1–4, and explore the real history that underpins the fictional adventures of Uhtred, son of Uhtred | Read more According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and Life of King Alfred – the West Saxons’ main courtly products telling the story of these years – that military leadership wa…

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Fighting the Vikings
type: item
date: 2011-01-19T16:42:50.000Z
creator: Professor Ryan Lavelle
subject: Anglo-Saxon
subject: Membership
subject: Viking
subject: Period
subject: HistoryExtra Academy
subject: HistoryExtra Academy Vikings Course
subject: The Last Kingdom
subject: Viking Britain
subject: Viking warfare
description: Ryan Lavelle examines the experience of warfare, in all its many and varied forms, in Britain during the Viking age
encoded: The Old English (Anglo-Saxon) poem known as The Battle of Maldon is perhaps the most famous account of warfare before the Norman Conquest known to an Englishspeaking audience. It gives us a taste of the drama of a battle fought outside the town of Maldon, Essex, against a Viking army in August 991. The tension builds as the leader of the English force, Ealdorman Byrhtnoth, orders his warriors to dismount ready for battle, instructing them to hold their shields firmly against their enemies, then takes his place in the line with his best men. Determination is in the air: the Vikings' messenger is told that their demand for tribute will be met, not in silver but as spears and swords, delivered with hard blows. The poem conveys the blood and fury of the ensuing battle. Many warriors’ wooden shields hold fast against iron weapons; others, including Byrhtnoth, are less lucky. Some of the English then turn to flee; the more loyal, the poem tells us, remain. The poem reports the speeches of those who, having seen that their leader was dead and all hope of victory lost, declare that they will fight on. These images of warfare are justly well known. The poetry of the Anglo-Saxons is powerfully evocative and it remains a useful source to understand the attitudes and expectations in the last years of the tenth century, a period that saw the violent arrival of Viking raiders and a series of wars fought against different groups of Vikings. But did battles really happen as the poem tells it? Did warfare in Viking Age Britain always take the form of battle? To consider these questions, we can turn to other contemporary sources. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle was begun during the reign of Alfred the Great of Wessex (871–99) and the manuscripts were added periodically until long after the Norman Conquest. The Chronicle records bursts of warfare against Vikings and other peoples during the 9th, 10th and 11th centuries, a time when an English kingdom was formed. Campaigns are recorded, with…

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