How much time passes in season 1 of Vikings: Valhalla, the follow-up series to Vikings that is set a century after the original series?
Here is how much time passes in season 1 of Vikings: Valhalla, which takes place many years after the events of Vikings. The popularity of historical dramas has increased recently, and Vikings is one of the most well-known TV programs in this genre. Vikings, a Michael Hirst (The Tudors) production, debuted on History Channel in 2013 and was initially intended to be a miniseries, but the audience was drawn in by the tales of Ragnar Lothbrok, Lagertha, Rollo, Floki, and other characters. Vikings ran for a total of six seasons before ending in 2020, although the tales of the Viking Age continued after that.
Initially, Vikings chronicled the adventures and exploits of legendary Norse warrior Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) and his Viking brothers. After Ragnar’s passing in season 4, the show’s emphasis switched to Ragnar’s sons and their individual experiences as the series progressed. Six seasons weren’t enough to cover all the wars, betrayals, alliances, and other events that took place throughout the Viking Age, but Vikings investigated the early years of the Viking Age beginning with the Lindisfarne raid (seen in season 1) on. Fortunately for fans, a follow-up series was revealed in 2019 and is now streaming on Netflix.
The Vikings: Valhalla television series, which is set more than a century after the events of the original Vikings, does not feature any of the remaining cast members from the original series, but they are briefly acknowledged. Vikings: Valhalla follows Leif Erikson (Sam Corlett), Freyds Eirksdóttir (Frida Gustavsson), and Harald Sigurdsson (Leo Suter) as they go from the Kattegat to England, Uppsala, and beyond, across oceans and through battlefields. Throughout the events of Valhalla, which feature tensions between Vikings and the English royals (Christians vs. Pagans) as their backdrop, each character battles a personal conflict.
The writers of Vikings: Valhalla condensed numerous events into what seems to be one to two years, despite the fact that the show is based on actual events, real characters, and a few legends.
The St. Brice’s Day Massacre, where King thelred the Unready (played by Bosco Hogan) ordered the execution of all Danes in England, is where the events of Vikings: Valhalla begin. The killing actually took place on November 13, 1002, but the television show picks up a year later, when Olaf Haraldsson, King Canute “the Great,” and Harald are plotting their retaliation against the English. Leif Eriksson joins them as part of a contract to atone for Freyd’s sins, and they disappear for what seems like months (they say at least five months).
However, there are some occurrences in Valhalla that have place in reality over a long period of time, such as the collapse of the London Bridge. The Olaf raid is believed to have occurred in 1014, yet in Valhalla, it was the most significant aspect of the Viking invasion of England, therefore the timing is quite incongruous with the actual events.
It is not unexpected that Vikings: Valhalla combined many historical occurrences with just a few months of separation, such that season 1 begins with the St. Brice’s Day Massacre and lasts for two to three years. There are a lot of events to cover before the Battle of Stamford Bridge, which is regarded as the end of the Viking Age, therefore this may also have to do with how many seasons are planned for Vikings: Valhalla, since it’s designed to cover the final years of the Viking Age.
