Painting of Vikings in ships

Viking

British author Bernard Cornwell, author of 'The Last Kingdom'

Bernard Cornwell on writing historical fiction and his blockbuster series The Last Kingdom: your questions answered. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Coins depicting Viking longships

A brief history of the Vikings

Viking women. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The truth about Viking berserkers

Lindisfarne Castle, Northumberland. (Photo by Dreamstime)

Secrets of Lindisfarne. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Ragnar Lothbrok. (Illustration by Georgie Gozem for BBC History Magazine)

Ragnar Lothbrok: the legend of the immortal Viking and his sons

A statue of Leif Eriksson, Erik the Red's son, who sailed to North America, c1000 AD. (Image by RF/Getty Images)

Russia, North America and the Middle East: where did the Vikings visit to trade and raid?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Viking ships arriving in Britain, c1130. (Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty

From the raid on Lindisfarne to Harald Hardrada's defeat: 8 Viking dates you need to know

The Crown of Thorns allegedly worn by Christ during the Passion. It was one of the prized possessions in Notre-Dame Cathedral until April 2019 – when it was rescued by the inferno that gutted the building. (Photo by: Godong/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Father, son and holy goat? The dark side of medieval relics

Inside the fort was a famous spring, St Helen’s Well, today Robin Hood’s Well. (© Bill Henderson)

Brunanburh: Where did the battle that saved England take place?

Akershus Festning in Oslo, Norway

TravelExplore Oslo, Norway: Myths, Munch and fjord-side strolls. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

History ExplorerThe Holy Island of Lindisfarne

Image of the Lindisfarne Stone from Holy Island, Northumbria. It shows seven warriors, possibly vikings. The Vikings’ first recorded raid on Lindisfarne took place in AD 793. (Photo by CM Dixon/Print Collector/Getty Images)

Your guide to the Viking raid of Lindisfarne in AD 793

Viking ships sailing towards unknown land. (Photo by Getty Images)

The global Vikings. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The legendary Varangian (Viking mercenary) Rurik and his brothers arrive in Staraya Ladoga. (Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

Global Vikings: how the impact of the raiders and traders went far beyond Britain. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Katheryn WInnick as Lagertha in season 2 of 'Vikings'. A strong belief in Viking women warriors is now rife in many quarters of cyberspace, says Judith Jesch. (Image by Alamy)

Viking ‘warrior women’: Judith Jesch, expert in Viking studies, examines the latest evidence. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Danny Dyer’s Right Royal Family. (Image Credit: BBC/Wall to Wall Media/Jack Coathupe)

Danny Dyer is “making people think again” about history, say historians

An 11th-century depiction of the Anglo-Saxon priest Wulfstan, who feared that Viking raids on England signalled the end of the world. (Image by Mary Evans)

Viking apocalypse: the invasion that spelled doom for the Anglo-Saxons. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

c60 AD, Queen Boudica of the Iceni holding a spear. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

8 things you may not know about British history. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Bernard Cornwell. (Photo by Felix Clay)

Bernard Cornwell on The Last Kingdom. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A statue of Æthelflæd which stands in the grounds of Tamworth Castle in Staffordshire. (Photo by Chris Gibson/Alamy Stock Photo)

Æthelflæd: iron lady of Mercia. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Vikings on screen. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

‘Vikings’ creator Michael Hirst on the real history behind the hit drama. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Alfred the Great and science at Christmas. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Michael Wood on… the Galloway Hoard

Viking Britain. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Northern lights (aurora borealis) dances over an abandoned cabin in Tromsø, Northern Norway. (Photo by Hanneke Luijting via Getty Images)

My favourite place: Arctic Norway

Rune Temte as Ubba in 'The Last Kingdom'

Behind the scenes: series one of The Last Kingdom

A silhouette in front of a fire.

History quiz – Vikings, mobile phones and the Varangian Guard. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Lady Hall launches the British India Company passenger liner SS Uganda in Clydeside docks with the traditional bottle of champagne, 1952. The first time champagne was used to launch a ship was when Queen Victoria launched HMS Royal Arthur in 1891. (Photo by George Douglas/Getty Images)

Q&AWhy do we smash champagne bottles against new ships?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.