Ragnar Lothbrok's Sons: The Great Heathen Army in Wessex 871

Ragnar Lothbrok's Sons: The Great Heathen Army in Wessex 871

In 871, the Great Heathen Army – led by the sons of Ragnar Lothbrok – turned its attention to Wessex, the last independent Anglo-Saxon kingdom. This episode traces the campaign from the winter of 870–871 through a series of nine brutal battles, including Englefield, Reading, Ashdown, and Basing. We examine King Æthelred I and his younger brother Alfred's leadership, the strategic use of burhs and the fyrd, and the shifting alliances with Mercian collaborators. The narrative draws on the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Asser's Life of King Alfred, and later Scandinavian sources to reconstruct a year of near-constant warfare that nearly destroyed Wessex. We also explore the controversial figure of King Burgred of Mercia, whose flight to Rome in 874 left his kingdom leaderless. The episode ends with the peace of 871 and the tribute paid to the Vikings, setting the stage for Alfred's later reforms and the eventual partition of England. #GreatHeathenArmy #Wessex871 #AlfredTheGreat #ÆthelredI #AngloSaxonChronicle #Asser #BattleOfAshdown #BattleOfReading #Danelaw #VikingAge #Burgred #Mercia #burh #fyrd #IvarTheBoneless #HalfdanRagnarsson #Northumbria #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Ragnar Lothbrok and the Great Army's Conquest of Mercia 874

After years of campaigning across England, the Great Heathen Army turns its attention to Mercia in 874. This episode follows the army's winter at Repton, the flight of King Burgred, and the installation of the puppet-king Ceolwulf. We examine the archaeological evidence from Repton, including the mass grave and the mysterious 'Viking warrior' burial, and ask what it tells us about the army's size, composition, and leadership under Ivar the Boneless and Halfdan Ragnarsson. We also explore the political aftermath: the partition of Mercia, the rise of the Danelaw, and the pressure it placed on Wessex, setting the stage for Alfred the Great's resistance. How did a coalition of Scandinavian warriors manage to shatter one of England's oldest kingdoms? And what really happened at Repton? #GreatHeathenArmy #Mercia #Repton #IvarTheBoneless #HalfdanRagnarsson #Burgred #Ceolwulf #Danelaw #AngloSaxonChronicle #VikingBurial #massgrave #AlfredTheGreat #Wessex #VikingAge #MedievalEngland #Archaeology #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Ragnar Lothbrok's Daughter: The Legend of Alfhild

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the shadowy figure of Alfhild, the legendary daughter of Ragnar Lothbrok. Mentioned only in the late medieval *Sögubrot af nokkrum fornkonungum* and the *Hervarar saga*, Alfhild is said to have been a Viking warrior and ruler who defied her father and carved out her own domain. We piece together her story from fragmentary sources, compare her to other shieldmaidens like Lagertha, and ask whether she might have been a real person or a literary invention. Along the way, we dive into the politics of the Baltic Sea region, the role of women in Viking-age Scandinavia, and the transmission of sagas from Iceland to Denmark. Does Alfhild represent a lost tradition of female leadership, or was she a character created to explain obscure placenames? Join us for a deep dive into one of the most enigmatic figures in the Ragnar Lothbrok legend. #Alfhild #RagnarLothbrok #Shieldmaiden #VikingAge #Sögubrot #Hervararsaga #BalticSea #SkaldicPoetry #SaxoGrammaticus #FemaleWarriors #VikingHistory #NorseSaga #MedievalScandinavia #LegendaryHistory #History #FexingoHistory #NorthernEurope #VikingWomen Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Ragnar Lothbrok's Sons and the Partition of England

By 878, the Great Heathen Army had shattered the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, but the Vikings themselves faced a dilemma: how do you divide a conquered country? This episode follows the sons of Ragnar Lothbrok — Ivar the Boneless, Halfdan Ragnarsson, and Guthrum — as they carve up Mercia, Northumbria, and East Anglia into the Danelaw. We trace the treaty of Wedmore, the boundaries that would shape English geography for centuries, and the forgotten third brother who ruled Dublin instead. Along the way, we explore how these settlements actually worked: were the Norse really settlers, or just tax collectors with swords? And why did Alfred the Great, not Ragnar's sons, end up defining England's future? Featuring the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Asser's Life of King Alfred, and the archaeological evidence from winter camps to burh foundations. #RagnarLothbrok #Danelaw #GreatHeathenArmy #IvartheBoneless #HalfdanRagnarsson #Guthrum #AlfredtheGreat #Wedmore #Mercia #Northumbria #EastAnglia #AngloSaxonChronicle #VikingSettlers #VikingAge #MedievalEngland #History #FexingoHistory #Vikings Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Ragnar Lothbrok's Cult of Thor

In this episode of Fexingo History, Lucas and Luna explore the role of Thor in the legends of Ragnar Lothbrok. While earlier episodes focused on Odin and blood eagles, this conversation turns to the thunder god's hammer, Mjöllnir, and how it appears in the saga as a protective symbol for Ragnar's sons. They discuss the archaeological evidence of Thor's hammer amulets from the Viking Age, the possible link between the cult of Thor and the historical Great Heathen Army, and how later Christian writers reinterpreted Thor as a demon. Specific finds like the Købelev rune stone and the Eyrarland statue are examined, along with the question of whether Ragnar himself would have worn a hammer pendant. The episode also touches on the rivalry between Thor and Odin in Norse religion and how that tension plays out in the sagas. #RagnarLothbrok #Thor #VikingReligion #Mjöllnir #NorseMythology #GreatHeathenArmy #KøbelevRuneStone #EyrarlandStatue #VikingAge #HammerAmulet #blóðörn #GestaDanorum #RagnarsSaga #SaxoGrammaticus #IvarTheBoneless #Odin #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]