When Are Vikings & Vikings: Valhalla Set? (Timeline Explained)
Two of the most popular historical series that you can watch on different streaming services, such as Netflix, are Vikings and Vikings: Valhalla. These shows are based on true historical events that happened long ago. And, of course, both of these shows happened in different timelines. However, when are Vikings and Vikings: Valhalla set?
The original Vikings series happened during the early part of the Viking Age and is set somewhere at the end of the 8th century. Meanwhile, the series extended up to the early part of the 9th century. On the other hand, Viking: Valhalla is set more than a hundred years later during the second millennium.
While the description of Vikings: Valhalla states that it takes place a hundred years after the events of the original Vikings series, that number isn’t totally correct because there is actually a huge gap between their events. With that said, we are here to look at the timeline of both Vikings and Vikings: Valhalla so that it would be easier for you to understand when they happened and how they connect to one another historically.
When Is Vikings Set?
Vikings is the series that started it all, as it became a hit when it was released back at the beginning of the 2010s. The series follows the story of Ragnar Lothbrok, who started out living a simple life with his wife Lagertha and young son Bjorn in the Eastern Balts. However, Ragnar soon joined the Viking raiding party that raided the church of St. Cuthbert on the island of Lindisfarne.
The raid on the island of Lindisfarne is actually a historical event that took place around 793. This raid was the mark of the wars between the Norsemen and the Saxons living on the British Islands. Throughout that time, Ragnar continued to raid different areas around the British shores for a few years until he remarried to Aslaug.
At the start of season 2, Aslaug was seen pregnant with Ragnar’s second son and the couple’s first son Ubbe. Around that time, Bjorn was portrayed as a teenager, but this is where the timeline becomes a bit loose because the way the characters grew and the speed at which they matured was a bit off. That’s because, according to the timeline, Ubbe was born at around 795, which is just two years after the series started.
Two years after the birth of Ubbe, Hvitserk Ragnarsson was born. Then, in 798, five years since the series started, Sigurd “Snake-in-the-Eye” Ragnarsson is born as the third child of the union between Ragnar and Lagertha.
During the first half of season 4 of Vikings, Ube was already around 10 to 12 years old. That puts the timeline at around 805. Meanwhile, Ivar the Boneless was born during the time jump that happened in season 2, as he was born at around 800. This was also the time when the Battle of Kattegat and the Battle of Wessex happened. Ragnar also became king during the Bloodbath of Kattegat.
However, Ragnar ended up getting defeated at the Second Siege of Paris during season 4. There was a huge time jump at this point of the series because, when he returned to Kattegat after his loss, Ivar was already in his late teens. On the other hand, Ubbe was already a full-grown man. The Second Siege of Paris happened in 806, and that means that the time jump would have been massive, considering that Ivar was already a teenager by the time he returned to Kattegat.
Meanwhile, Bjorn himself started a family, as his son Hali was born during the time jump. Bjorn eventually went on to raid the Mediterranean, which happened at around 816. The events that showed Ubbe as a grown man and Ivar as a teenager might have also happened around this time, and that means that Ivar must have been around 16 years old.
A year after Bjorn raided the Mediterranean, his father and Aslaug died. That happened in 817, just shortly after Ragnar and Ivar arrived in Wessex. However, the story continued to progress after Ragnar’s death.
In 818, Ragnar’s sons invaded Northumbria. The Battle of Repton and the Battle of York also happened in the same year. The Sack of Winchester also happened in the same year, Sigurd Ragnarsson ends up dying shortly.
The Kattegat Civil War happened in 819 as Ivar the Boneless was crowned King of Kattegat. Around the same year, Floki also discovered Iceland. Meanwhile, King Aethelwulf died in the same year, and that means that this all happened in season 5.
Season 6 of Vikings happens at around 820 because that was when Bjorn is crowned the new King of Kattegat after he took the city from Ivar the Boneless. Later in the series, Lagertha ends up dying, and that event happened the same year as her son Bjorn was crowned king.
The second half of season 6 and the end of the series happened on 821, as King Bjorn was killed by his own brother Ivar. After Bjorn’s death, Ivar, Hvitserk, and King Harald invade Wessex. Ivar and King Harald are killed while Hvitserk was spared on the condition that he would convert to Christianity. Finally, Ubbe and his group discovered Newfoundland.
As you can see, aside from the huge time jumps that allowed the sons of Ragnar to mature, the different events weren’t separated by a lot of time. However, the timelines you see here are all based on the series and not the true historical events that really happened. That’s because the Second Siege of Paris happened 40 years after the first, while the series shows that there is only one year between the two different events.
On top of that, the characters’ ages are also off and out of order based on their historical counterparts. This is where the 100-year time gap between Vikings and Vikings: Valhalla becomes confusing, as Vikings ended in 821, according to the events of the series. Meanwhile, Valhalla takes place at the beginning of the second millennium, which is already more than 150 years after the events of the first Vikings series.
When Is Vikings: Valhalla Set?
Vikings: Valhalla is the sequel series to Vikings as it is set a long time after events of the original series. While Vikings happened during the peak of the Viking Age, Valhalla takes place during the tail end of the Viking Age.
However, as mentioned, there seems to be a discrepancy here. That’s because the events in the Vikings series are off in terms of their dates when compared to their historical counterparts. For one, Ivar is said to have lived up to his 70s. Meanwhile, Rollo in the series got married during the 8th century, whereas the historical Rollo (Ragnar’s brother in the series) lived up to the 10th century.
Considering that Vikings: Valhalla is supposed to be set 100 years after the events of Vikings, we can presume that the series follows the historically accurate timeline of the events of Vikings and not the timeline that is presented during the events of the series.
In that regard, it becomes a bit more accurate that Vikings: Valhalla takes place 1003, with the beginning of the series taking place at 1002. That’s because the series follows the historical event called the St. Brice’s Day Massacre, which took place in 1002. Meanwhile, King Forkbeard didn’t attack England until a year later, in 1003.
As such, the massacre that was shown at the beginning of Vikings: Valhalla must have also taken place at around 1002. Meanwhile, King Canute’s retaliatory attack on England must have also taken place a year later, in 1003.
So, if we were to follow the timeline of events presented by the Vikings series, that means that the gap between Vikings and Vikings: Valhalla should be almost 180 years, which is more than the 100 years that the series describes to be the gap between the two shows.
However, if we were to use the real-life Rollo as an example, as he lived through the 10th century, it might be accurate to say that the time gap between Vikings and Vikings: Valhalla is 100 years.
Then again, the events in both Vikings and Vikings: Valhalla, though not entirely historically accurate, are simply based on their historical counterparts. They may portray the events in a dramatic and action-packed way, but they are not entirely quite accurate in terms of their actual dates and timelines.
