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Beyond the podcastAlfred vs the Vikings

General History

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Beyond the podcast: Pompeii

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Beyond the podcastElizabeth I

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Beyond the podcastThe Gunpowder plot

Vikings podcast episodes

An illustration of the English King Aethelstan, in front of Viking silver.

How England’s first king used an unexpected weapon to defeat the Vikings

An illustration showing a Viking wearing a silver helmet that comes down over his eyes, holding a circular shield and an axe. Behind him is a large yellow building with arches, tall purple trees and a few other Vikings running along a path

It was an "extravaganza of brutality": how the Vikings menaced the Mediterranean. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

This illustration depicts Viking ships arriving in Britain. Though produced centuries after the earliest raids, it reflects how the impact of Norse invasions remained vivid in medieval memory and manuscript culture.

Forget the longships: this is the overlooked story of how the Vikings dominated eastern Europe

This 6th-century matrix from Torslunda, Sweden, was used to create helmet plaques depicting armed figures — likely berserkers — wearing horned helmets with bird motifs and animal masks. Such imagery evokes the warrior culture later embraced by Viking champions like Thorkell the Tall, a famed Jomsviking commander known for his fierce loyalty and shifting allegiances during the early 11th century.

Who was Thorkell the Tall? The pragmatic Viking warrior who fought for (and against) all sides

Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I in an ornate gown with elaborate headdress, ruffled collar, and symbolic decorations.

Elizabeth I | Podcast series

This 12th-century tapestry detail from Skog Church in Hälsingland, Sweden, depicts key figures from Norse mythology. Odin appears on the left, one-eyed and carrying an axe beside the sacred tree on which he sacrificed himself; Thor stands at the centre with his hammer, Mjölnir; and the fertility god Frey holds an ear of corn.

Thor was the Vikings’ “archetypal masculine god” – so why did he dress as a bride?

Vikings

This illustration from the Arnamagnæan Collection in Denmark depicts Eric the Red, the Norse explorer who founded the first Norse settlement in Greenland around AD 985.

A thousand years ago, the Vikings had a shock encounter with Native Americans that ended in disaster

This statue of Alfred the Great stands in Winchester, the former 'capital' of his kingdom (Photo by TonyBaggett via Getty Images)

What if...Alfred the Great lost to the Vikings at the battle of Edington?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A warrior battling a dragon in Skyrim concept art.

Best Viking videogames for history enthusiasts in 2025

HistoryExtra AcademyThe Vikings, with Ryan Lavelle. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Vikings quiz - week two. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Week fourViking Kingdoms. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Week oneThe Viking Raids. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Viking ships arriving in Britain, c1130.

The ultimate Viking quiz. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

This 1877 painting by Oscar Wergeland depicts Norwegian settlers arriving in Iceland in 872. Fleeing the unification of Norway under Harald Fairhair, these early migrants laid the foundations of a unique Norse society on the island’s volcanic shores.

Could you survive on the Vikings’ furthest frontier? Here’s the dark reality of Norse life on the edge

A painting depicting Rurik and his brothers arriving in Staraya Ladoga, a scene based on the legend of the Varangian invitation, in which Norse leaders were asked to bring order to the Slavic lands. Rurik’s arrival marked the legendary founding of the first ruling dynasty of Rus’, a key moment in the early history of Eastern Europe.

Why does Putin think Ukraine should be Russian? It’s all to do with the Vikings

A fragment of a tapestry showing a Viking horseman adorned in armour

The real Viking Age: when did the era of Norse expansion start and end?

A montage of moments and faces from history.

General History

What are the best history podcasts? These picks are the perfect way step into the past

Vikings quiz - week three. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Recent HistoryExtra podcasts. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.