Vikings: A Violent Battle | Preview (Channel 5)

In this gripping new series, Dr Xand van Tulleken and archaeologist Raksha Dave tell the brutal story of one of the most bloody and savage conquests in English History.

One thousand years ago, England was invaded. Arriving in an enormous fleet of Viking longships, thousands of Viking Warriors, led by the teenage Danish Prince Canute, rampaged throughout the country, spreading death and destruction.

They were intent on a total regime change, crowning Canute as the first Viking king of England. Only the ailing English King Ethelred the Unready and his son Edmund Ironside stood in their way.

Xand and Raksha follow the bloody fight for the throne of England chapter by chapter as the Vikings bring England to its knees. They reveal the terrifying brutality of Canute’s Viking forces and uncover what the Vikings were really like as they blasted their way throughout the country. This is a story of blood, conquest and kingdom.

The first episode investigates how the ferocious Viking forces prepared for invasion in Denmark before launching their terrifying attack on England. Dr Xand van Tulleken and Raksha Dave explore the bitter feud between the weak King Ethelred and his treacherous son Edmund, and the progress of the Vikings’ bloody onslaught as its armies arrive in England and begin their savage attack, first on the south coast.

Xand visits an ancient Danish fort and experiences Viking battle training first hand. He then finds out what life was like for a Viking warrior on board their cutting-edge longships.

In Cambridge, Raksha learns how the Vikings raped and pillaged the land, extorting millions in today’s money through fear and brutality. Via modern scientific research she investigates one of the most bloody and legendary means of Viking retribution.

Vikings: A Violent Battle begins Wednesday 21st June at 9pm on Channel 5.