All language subtitles for Batailles De Legende.S01E01

Paris,

the scene of a battle
that will change history

and seal the fate
of two peoples.

In the 9th century, the Carolingians,
heirs of the great Charlemagne,

dominate Europe.

Army against army,
the Carolingians have the upper hand.

A people relentlessly
harass them,

attracted by the riches
of the empire:

the Vikings.

These men from the north
dream of adventure and fortune.

The Seine is the perfect route
for plundering wealthy merchants.

and the prosperous abbeys
that dot it.

An obstacle stands
in the way of these men.

Paris and its fortified bridges.

And the determination
of two men:

Gozlin, a man of faith
determined to vanquish these pagans

and the young Count Eudes of Paris

who does not want to abdicate

facing the hundreds of Viking longships
that obscure the horizon.

At the head of this armada,

Siegfried, a warlord
determined to crush all resistance

of the Frankish citadel.

Who were
these Frankish and Viking warriors?

who, when face to face, never wanted
to lay down their arms?

Heroic music

...

We are in the 9th century,

Charlemagne's Carolingian Empire

wants to establish order
throughout Europe.

Thanks to their stronger army,
the Franks protect

tens of millions
of kilometers of borders.

And yet,
men from the north

fully intend to challenge
their power.

They will manage to infiltrate
the heart of the territory

and threaten the domination
of the Franks.

Within this vast Carolingian empire,

The Seine was the preferred route
for the Vikings' raids.

770 km, along
many rich regions.

A boon
for these Scandinavian warriors.

The Scandinavians
know perfectly well

It's so complicated in the West.

They also know where
they can intervene

and at what point
and based on

on which actors.

Due to the peace negotiated
between the English and the Danes,

the Vikings decided

to invest in the coasts of the continent.

Siegfried, a Viking chief,

which has prevailed

on other battlefields,

gives an appointment

to several Viking bands

in Rouen on September 5, 885

to organize
plundering expeditions

along the river
as far as Burgundy.

They are leaving from Rouen,

conquered the previous year,
in a large-scale operation.

30,000 warriors spread across
a huge fleet of 700 ships.

The Scandinavian expedition
is ambitious.

The Vikings want to sail
beyond Paris

which they besieged
on numerous occasions.

They know
all the bends of the Seine

on which they have been sailing
for over 80 years.

All the abbeys

shots will be taken from the Seine to Paris .

burned, looted.

That's
what will deeply frighten

the populations.

To prevent the Scandinavians from sailing up
the Seine,

The Carolingians will build
dams all over the place.

at various points of interest
along the Seine.

To counter these looters,

Charles the Bald,
Frankish emperor until 877,

had grasped the extent
of their capacity to cause harm

and embarks on a policy
of major public works.

As here in Pont-de-l'Arche,
where the Eure and Seine rivers meet,

an essential crossing point
for the Vikings,

where Charlemagne's grandson
decides to build a bridge

who must stand
against these pagans.

A remarkable work.

It's to stop

these radiant attacks

and conducted further and further
into the kingdom

that the decision to build this structure was made

at the royal assembly
of Pîtres in 863.

The construction of such a structure
will take nearly 15 years.

and will be, for the time,
a remarkable achievement.

It is an exceptional work
due to its dimensions.

since crossing
these waterways

takes place
over several hundred meters.

What made this work effective ,

it was the presence
of these small castles, these structures

for the defense of entry points,
of bridgeheads

which were formed
of moated enclosures

which allowed for the stationing
of permanent garrisons.

There was no longer
any Nordic threat.

in the Paris area,
in the Oise region.

The Carolingians manage
to restore calm on the Seine.

Their art of warfare
and forging is envied by all.

Including by men from the north
who wear the same outfits.

We're going to get the chainmail back.

An iron helmet with a nasal guard
to protect the face,

made up of 4 metal plates
riveted together.

He can carry a shield.

As in this case, we have a fighter
oriented towards throwing weapons.

He will stay out of range.

The Carolingian weapons
remained the most sophisticated.

from all over Europe.

One of the distinctive features
that will make us proud

For the Franks, it's all about swords.

The typical sword found
in Europe in the 9th and 10th centuries.

It's a sword with
a massive, triangular pommel

which can be worked,
the short chunks.

A double-edged, one-handed sword

with a central gutter
to lighten it

and give it flexibility,
so that it can be handled with one hand.

These are models that have been copied
all over Europe.

One of the weapons of the Carolingians,

also copied,

winged stakes or spears

recognizable by its fins
at the base of the lance socket

which allows you to block your opponents' weapons

and to move aside the shields.

Very long irons that must be
used for pruning, striking with

or deliver thrusting blows.

The Carolingian army will
steamroll.

That's why the Vikings
sought to avoid combat.

because in open terrain,
army against army,

The Carolingians have the upper hand.

The peace will be short-lived.

Because the Viking armada,
led by Siegfried,

has a fierce will.

Men also possess
a key advantage.

The longships.

When the Vikings were
in an estuary, they would go upstream

far inland.
The boats were quite light.

to be dragged

between two waterways on land,

pulled by the strength of the arms
by the crew or by horses.

There we go, we put the boat back in the water
to continue the ascent.

The boat is a definite tool

of the expansion of the Scandinavians

which made it possible to navigate
the seas bordering Scandinavia

whether it be the Baltic Sea,
the English Channel, or the North Sea,

but also the Mediterranean,
the Atlantic

as far as Greenland and America.

The Viking epic and its dynamism
are exceptional.

These soldiers are,
in all likelihood, at the start

simple adventurous merchants,

wanting to get rich
off their neighbors.

We went to Denmark
to the Roskilde site

where the archaeologist
Morten Ravn works,

in order to understand the secrets

of the journey
of the Normans on the Seine.

And more specifically
, these longships

commonly called drakkars.

These frightening boats are
one of the keys to their success.

Even today,

We study the art
of these exceptional shipowners.

This boat behind me,
which is of medium size,

corresponds to the types of boats
used by the Vikings

during their campaigns
and military operations

during the siege of Paris
from 885 to 886.

The Vikings advanced
construction

of their ship. These ships
were truly state-of-the-art.

of technology. They
concentrated all the innovation

and the skill of the craftsmen
of the time.

This boat could
be propelled by sail,

but also by oars

thanks to the men
who propelled the boat forward.

It's important to understand this.

They were no longer dependent
on the wind or the weather.

These boats allowed
rowing against the wind.

Being able to navigate the rivers was essential.

even when it was difficult
to use the sail.

They were able
to navigate quickly

and in shallow waters.

Europe was connected by sea,

the fastest way to
transport men and cargo

was the river
and maritime network.

The Vikings
were the specialists,

experts in this field.

To unlock the secrets
of how these boats are built,

naval engineer Martin Dael

strives to rebuild
Viking ships as they were in the past.

To carry out
this experimental archaeology,

He uses
ancestral techniques.

And one Scandinavian tool
in particular is ubiquitous.

The axe in all its forms.

There are different kinds

axes to begin
refining the board.

To make the first cut,

We use a
double-sharpened axe.

This is a tool
with two angles.

For example, to make
a first groove.

We cut out
a few pieces like this

and then, we use
a single-edged axe.

It's flat on one side

and the cutting edge is inclined
towards the other part.

It's very effective
for flattening a board.

It's pleasant to work
with these tools.

It's lightweight, you get
a flat surface

and then you can turn
the piece of wood over

and do the same thing
on the other side.

The boats are very light.

They are built
with good materials,

oak that is cut into strips.

This technique involves following
the direction of the wood grain.

When you use
wooden wedges

to split a solid oak tree,

We can take one
like this one.

You insert it by 16 cm.

after splitting it
with the axe.

It's starting to crack.

You just have
to follow the opening.

Then you get
a lightweight piece of wood

et flexible.

When you split it
this way,

The result is lightweight.
It's very elastic.

and resistant.
I weigh 85 kg,

The board doesn't break.
It's thanks to these characteristics.

that you can
row quickly.

When you launch
the boats,

The wood swells and puts
pressure on the rivets.

It strengthens the structure.

And between the planks,

You have sheep's wool
which can be used to waterproof everything.

Pounding

Thanks to their flexible
and maneuverable boats,

The Scandinavians
sailed the seas

until reaching
remote lands.

Thousands of kilometers
from their place of residence,

expeditions,
which have become a way of life.

We don't say "to be a Viking,"
we say "to act like a Viking."

in the Old Norse language.

To be a Viking means partnering
with several entrepreneurs

to buy a boat
or a small fleet,

its cargo
and set off on an expedition.

The goal is to make a fortune.

The Viking is a pirate
and a trader.

The Viking is a trader
and a pirate. Both at the same time.

That's what the word means.
There are two ideas

in the word.

Gradually,
trade disappears.

replaced by much more lucrative raids .

The Scandinavians plunder everything
in their path.

To satisfy
their thirst for wealth,

They need to go further.

To find new territories
that were previously untouched.

Burgundy was attractive
at the time,

because the entire Atlantic coast
had already been looted

and most of the monasteries
had repatriated their fortunes

in their Burgundian dependency

which had been
less affected than the rest.

There was a lot of wealth
in that place.

The further these distant expeditions
venture into the heart of enemy territory,

plus they require
a lot of organization.

Scandinavians have to
plan for everything.

This is somewhat of a novelty
among the Vikings.

Before, they would come in the spring
and in the summer they would go back home.

Siegfried wants to spend the winter
with his men in Burgundy.

To achieve this, he wants to ensure free
passage over the bridges of Paris.

What he also wants,

it's about ensuring

that when he wants to
go back home,

cross the Seine again
in order to regain

the sea,

His retirement will not be hindered
by Parisians and bridges.

Siegfried and his men
left Rouen three months ago.

After several bridges were destroyed,

The Vikings are getting closer
to their goal.

Burgundy.

One last major obstacle remains : Paris.

The nerve center
of West Francia.

Parisians fear
these northern barbarians

who arrived on the island of the city
in November 885.

They are prepared for their arrival.

Imagine that in 885,

Paris consists
of the Île de la Cité

where several thousand
inhabitants live.

It is an area protected
by an old perimeter wall.

Around,

We have fields, countryside
with unprotected suburbs.

Parisians who are used to it

These Viking visits
have been taking place for several decades.

began to rebuild their walls.

So the Île de la Cité has a bridge

which connects the left bank
and a bridge

which connects the right bank.

These bridges are defended
by towers,

but these towers
are still unfinished.

In particular,
the tower of the great bridge

which connects the city to the right bank.

The capital of France
has lost some of its former prestige.

However, two men
have ambitions for the city.

Bishop Gozlin

and Count Eudes of Paris.

They are the guarantors of the authority
of the Carolingian emperor.

and will not let
these Scandinavians dictate their conduct.

lawless.

At dawn on November 26th,

These Vikings will request
an audience with the people

who represent the authority
of the Frankish emperor.

These two people
are Bishop Gozlin

who is the bishop of the city,
a high-ranking aristocrat.

He was chancellor

of King Charles the Bald.

He is a character
who knows the Vikings well.

since he was taken prisoner

several years earlier.

He is one of the important figures
in the city of Paris.

He is a man of the Church,

a politician,

A man of power.
He straddles the line between the two.

but the boundary
between politics and religion

is very porous
in medieval times.

Gozlin is a man of the Church.
The Vikings are pagans.

He may have been fed up
with these decades of attack

actions against Church property

and that it was time
for someone to stand up.

The other character
is a young man of 30 years old.

Count Eudes of Paris.

It represents the other facet of
Carolingian power alongside the Church.

the aristocracy.

His family
comes from a line of Franks.

and became very famous
thanks to his father,

Robert the Strong.

The man prevailed against the
Vikings on numerous occasions.

before succumbing in 866

in yet another battle
against the Scandinavians.

From then on, this family was called
the Robertians.

The Robertians built
a significant part of their renown

on the fight against the Vikings,
on the defense of the Christian world.

Eudes is already surrounded by this father figure.

who was a major military leader.

Naturally,
when he becomes Count of Paris,

He has not yet
achieved any extraordinary feats of arms,

but he already has that psychology
and that heredity which makes

that he will never give up

in front of the Vikings.

Siegfried may know that
the two men will oppose him,

He is counting
on a show of force.

that its 30,000 armed men represent .

Bishop Gozlin and Count Odo
receive Siegfried in audience

And that's when Siegfried
will present his request.

What he and his men want
is to spend the winter in Burgundy.

To achieve this, he wants to ensure
free passage

bridges of Paris.

They will tell Siegfried
that they are in charge of the city.

and that they cannot
grant his request.

Siegfried will withdraw
, threatening them.

since they refuse,

He will set
the city ablaze.

It so happens
that we have side by side

Gozlin and Eudes
agree to say no.

If one of them had said
"I'm in favor of letting them through",

They would have passed.

Since the Treaty of Verdun in 843,

Charlemagne's empire crumbled
under the weight of internal struggles.

between the kings
of West Francia,

Lotharingia and German Francia.

Little by little, the Carolingian aristocracy and
great lords

are increasingly asserting their authority.

The safety of Parisians
depends on Eudes' will.

the Count of Paris and Gozlin.

With the weakening
of Carolingian authority,

it has been decades
since the population

got into the habit of turning

towards the leading figures
of the regions.

Depending on the location,
it could be a count, a duke,

a bishop or an archbishop.

They are calling on the population
to take refuge.

within the walls of the Île de la Cité

and close the doors

before the horde
of a stunned Siegfried.

The Scandinavians
will decide to force

the crossing over this large branch
of the Seine,

because it is space
that is navigable

towards Burgundy.

They're going to attack him.

from November 26, 885,

to the defensive tower
built on the right bank

which protected access to the large
bridge for taking the city,

besiege this city

and take control
of the Seine.

The two Parisian bridges
block the passage to ships.

On the Châtelet side
, where the Vikings are engaged,

The Franks can launch crossfire
of stones and arrows.

However, they are not reassured.

One aspect of Viking tactics
will be psychological.

There are so many ships

that we can't see the water of the Seine.

The fact of seeing

700 boats, or 8km,

It terrifies the Franks.

The Parisians see this army
approaching them,

They know that if they oppose
the Scandinavians,

This might be a game
that's lost before it even begins.

Under the leadership
of the Count of Paris,

The Franks' defense
is being organized.

They will be hit by projectiles

and especially
from Count Eudes

who participates in the resistance.

They use
flammable materials

which cause
burns to Scandinavians.

Caught in a pincer movement
by the two towers,

The longships are stuck.

The warriors on the ground cannot
attack the Châtelet tower

protected by its moat.

The bridge
is protected by archers.

The Vikings are kept at a distance
, and yet,

They don't give up.

On the evening of this first day
of battle,

the Vikings think

that they will be able to
take it away the next day,

but the Parisians,
with Count Eudes,

will enjoy the night

to add another floor to this tower

which closes the large bridge.

During the night,

The Franks will reinforce
the tower's defenses.

More than just an additional story,
they adorn the tower with hoardings.

vertical defense platforms .

Christine Laborde, a historian,
works at Castelnau Castle

and is perfectly familiar with
these defense techniques.

The principle of a stronghold

is to be held
by a minimum number of people.

The attackers
still outnumber the others.

compared to those
who defend the stronghold.

Because a fortress
is designed in such a way

so that it would be strong
thanks to the height of the walls

and to the thickness. Active defense organs will be added.

such as hoardings

which help
to protect against vulnerabilities,

the weak points of the
fortress, namely the gates.

The hoardings allow for two things.

They allow the archers,
the artillerymen of the fortress,

to control the
attackers' progress.

If they advance far enough
to the foot of the fortifications,

The hoardings allow archers
to perform vertical shooting.

to shoot at those
who find themselves below.

The hoardings are very effective
and easy to implement.

Their weak point,

It's the material
they are made of.

The wood can catch fire.

In this month of November 885,

For another 2 days,
Vikings and Franks clashed.

The assault is focused
on the defending towers.

the bridges and the main weapons
of this assault,

These are not siege machines.

These are arrows,
slings, and fire.

They are trying to fill the gaps
surrounding this defensive tower.

They are trying to set it on fire.

We used a double lockout

by placing a tower
at each end of the bridge.

So the Franks had transformed
Paris into a safe.

It was impossible for the Vikings
to reach the gate

or the top of the walls.
It's a resounding failure.

For the moment,
Paris is resisting the Scandinavian army.

This first attack,
it is undoubtedly,

a first attack
which is carried out impulsively.

These Scandinavians were not
well prepared for this attack.

will find themselves confronted
with rage

Parisian defenders

who do not want

grant them access and resist

with great bravery
to the Scandinavians.

It's a failure for them
and in the end, they withdraw.

Siegfried will realize
that he will never be able to pass

nor go to Burgundy
as he had planned.

They are not well armed.

in order to be able
to storm this tower.

And that's it.

that he decides to blockade
the city of Paris.

Siegfried thought he could take the city
in a few hours.

But after 3 days of fighting,

He is forced
to change his strategy.

It's a few hundred
meters from the Île de la Cité.

opposite the church
of Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois

that the army retreat
and set up its camp.

The objective,

to spend the winter in order to prepare for
a new attack.

The date is November 29, 885.

Paris is now under siege.

The siege is the worst option
for the Vikings.

This forces them to remain still.

to build machines,
to waste time.

Wasting time, money
and energy

for a seat
whose outcome is unknown,

It's not a good investment.

Every day, 30,000 men need to be fed and kept busy.

The siege of the city is
extremely costly for the Vikings.

Their combat technique,
commando-style,

will allow them to hold on.

Viking terror spared
no city around Paris.

Their tactic is a tactic

of quick raids.
We attack, we loot, we retreat.

Their weapon
is to terrorize the population.

They are going to loot a city,

They are going to loot churches.

And they're going to set fire
to those churches.

so that we have an image

terrifying of their stay
and their passage.

And
they know perfectly well how to use this terror.

The Scandinavians' tactical advantage
is their mobility.

The ability to strike
by surprise,

to withdraw and strike again.

For two months, while maintaining
the Paris headquarters,

They take up arms and longships
to plunder the region.

Each time, they know
perfectly well where the riches are.

They are going to attack Chartres,
Evreux.

The entire Paris basin
is under attack.

With 40,000 men,
they had the resources.

Siegfried and his men
are having a wonderful time pillaging the surrounding area.

Yet, they are powerless
against the Parisian walls.

To reach
the Frankish defenses,

The Vikings lacked siege weapons like the mangonel.

and must change their approach.

The Vikings
were excellent craftsmen.

They built boats,
bridges...

They were exceptional carpenters.

So the jet machines...

Even if the siege
was not part of their culture,

They are familiar with all the
siege engines used by the Romans.

They only need to see one
to know how to build it.

Renaud Beffeyte specializes
in siege warfare.

the art of besieging a city.

These passionate carpenters
know the technical details

of these devastating machines.

The advantage of these machines is
that there is no plan.

We went into the forests;
back then, that was all there was.

And we cut down the trees. We can
work with green trees.

These are machines that are quick to make,
easy to make.

It is assembled with leather or rope strips.

and they are usable.

These are machines
with 5 or 6 carpenters.

It was assembled in one day.

They don't have powerful enough machines.

to break down walls,
but they know how to do it

which have a
very fast rate of fire.

Roughly one shot per minute,
sometimes more.

The ball will add weight
which will facilitate disengagement.

That's what the break is.
That's this ring .

who, at some point,

between 42 and 45 degrees will slip

and will release the
pocket opening.

In principle, we have tensioners.

Minimum 8 men,
up to 16 men

who will pull on the ropes

and will put it under tension.
You pull.

Again.

Again. There you go,
you're all very tense.

Go ahead, shoot.

One two three.

The cannonball was launched
to a height of over 30m.

he will arrive at 80m

at a speed of over 100 km/h

to expose what are called
the apex defenses.

Everything above
the walls. One shot per minute.

It's a hail of bullets
falling on the defenders.

They are going to put up ladders.

The fewer defenders there are,

The more likely they are
to gain a foothold on the walls.

For two months,
the Scandinavians built

catapults,
mangonels and battering rams.

Little by little, they managed
to adapt to the challenge of this siege.

On January 31st,

At this point, Siegfried believes he is ready.

and he will launch the real
attack on the bridges of Paris.

This attack will last 3 days.

They will attack
the stone tower, on the one hand,

And on both sides,
they will attack

the wooden bridge

and the tip of the Île de la Cité.

Siegfried's military strategy is to disperse

the Frankish resistance
and to attack on several fronts.

War cries

The Vikings
are now convinced

to have all the assets
to defeat the Parisians.

We see them arrive
during the battle

siege machines

We see the Scandinavians
using rams.

To ensure that these weapons
are not reduced to ashes,

The Vikings planned
some clever parades.

This protection is made
with skins

of freshly skinned oxen,

so that remain moist

to prevent them from catching fire

under fire from the defenders.

The men approach
to fill the ditches

with whatever they
can get their hands on.

Having no more branches, no
more leaves

or herbs
to put in ditches,

Siegfried will take
the prisoners he has captured.

in the region and will kill them

to be able to fill
the gap in the tower.

The rams will never arrive

to cross the ditches
that protect the base of the tower.

Siegfried n'arrive pas

to take the city.

After 3 days and 3 nights
of hard struggle,

determined not to let it end there,

Siegfried is taking
a desperate gamble.

Fire
is a preferred technique.

for the assault against a city
or fortification.

The bridges and walkways
are made of wood, as are the gates.

We're going to use boats,
burned-out boats.

Fireships to set fire
to boats, to throw them overboard

against the bridge.

He will push the boats
towards the bridge

with the hope that the current

will take them under the bridge

and in that way,
set the bridge on fire.

And a miracle,

the current
is carrying the three ships away

who are going to kill

against the shore.
The scheme will fail.

After 5 months of siege,

The Vikings have still not
managed to enter the city.

Paris, which resists, is suffocating.

When the siege lasts,

The main fear
is food.

Food will run out

and epidemics
will develop.

There is no longer enough land
to bury the dead

in the city.

The morale of the Parisians
is at its lowest in this battle

which pits pagans
against the Christian world.

Faith and hope
rest on Bishop Gozlin.

For the city of Paris, the figure
of authority to whom people turn

In case of difficulty,
it's the bishop, it's Gozlin.

The heart of the defense
is the archbishop.

However, on April 17, 886,

a tragedy
that strikes Parisians

will finally favor the Scandinavians.

Another event is happening
, and it's also a difficult blow.

For the city of Paris,
the Bishop of Gozlin is going to die.

Eudes, for once,
will find himself alone

to lead the defense of the city.

This will decide Eudes

to smuggle out.

Eudes decides to cross
enemy lines

to join the emperor

and ask him
to send reinforcements.

The Count of Paris succeeded
in bringing back in June 886

troops to defend his city.

The emperor and king of the Franks,
Charles the Fat,

is still
two long months away

before finally arriving
at the gates of Paris.

The emperor will eventually
arrive in Paris.

will be based on Montmartre.

He is not going to engage in combat

with these Vikings.

He doesn't dare confront the Vikings.

He doesn't want
to sacrifice his armies

to defend a city

which was foreign to her
until then.

The emperor seems to have nothing
of the providential man about him.

that Eudes hoped for.

Charles the Fat has nothing to do
with a Charlemagne.

He is a contested, weakened emperor.

He would prefer to pay for the
army's departure.

He will give in

on all levels.

He will give them a tribute
of 7,000 pounds

and above all he will

to allow them to go
to Burgundy as planned.

A decision that is incomprehensible
to the people of Paris.

The one who must defend his people

and ensuring its salvation,
that is the king.

When the Carolingian kings
preferred to pay tribute

To buy the Vikings' departure
is very poorly received .

because they are not fulfilling
their mission

which is a mission
granted to them by God.

during their coronation.

For Count Eudes,
this is a major blow.

to see the emperor finally
negotiate with the Vikings

and grant them what they themselves
have tried to refuse

a whole year.

They never came to the rescue

of the troubled city.

The consequence of this siege,

that is because she definitively discredits

the Carolingians.

The Empire is fracturing,

Then the great
Frankish aristocrats asserted their power.

They deposed
Emperor Charles the Fat in 887.

He remained king of West Francia
until his death.

one year later.

Carolingian power falters

and new ambitions
are emerging.

In 888,

an assembly of the kingdom's elite

who had reproached the Carolingians

their inefficiency,
their irresponsibility

and who had decided
to give the royal crown

to Eudes, precisely,

who had shown his heroism

and his determination
during the siege of Paris.

This determination
in the face of the Scandinavians

was celebrated in Versailles in 1837,

by Louis-Philippe,
King of the French.

Inside the castle,
in the South Wing,

He inaugurates a gallery
where the battles are depicted.

having left its mark on the history of France

in 33 imposing canvases.

Eudes, Count of Paris,

It is established there
as a national figure.

Eudes is depicted
on a pristine white horse.

a symbol used
during the 1830s

to Versailles
to represent the heroes.

He wears the crown
that commemorates his coronation.

of the king of West Francia.

He has, in fact,

a kind of light
emanating from him

and which reminds

also the light that one could
find in the sky

who tells us well

that the sun cast its rays
upon the shields

The Parisians were eager for Eudes and his comrades.

to find that star, that sun,

in order to dispel the darkness

who had been

disseminated by the invader.

This family

Count Eudes' family is the one
that will give rise to the lineage

to the Capetian dynasty.

The Capetian dynasty

and the Robertians
owe a great deal to the Vikings.

That's what allowed them
to step into the spotlight.

However, Paris remains a target
for raids by men from the north.

In 911, Rollo,
the new strongman of the Scandinavians,

sows discord
all along the Seine.

To counter him,
the King of Francia

is forced to consider
a new approach.

There is a deal struck
between Rollon

and Carolingian power.

Since the Western power
does not have the armed force

to withstand
the Vikings in a lasting way,

He will rely on certain Vikings

to defend themselves against others.

Rollon gets what he wanted,
a piece of land.

In exchange, he pledges
to defend this territory

against the arrival of other raiders.

The device is quite clever,
the region that is chosen,

This is the region around Rouen.

To harmonize the mouth of the Seine

For Rollon, it's a way
to protect the Seine

and therefore indirectly Paris.

This is about twenty years
after the siege of Paris,

It's a way to ensure
that it won't happen again.

Rollon will become Robert.

first count of Normandy.

Normandy, land
of the Northmen, of the Vikings,

will become the birthplace
of William the Conqueror,

future king of England.

Subtitles: VDM