Episodi

  • The Jarls of Orkney: Viking Power in the North Atlantic — Fexingo History

    The Jarls of Orkney: Viking Power in the North Atlantic — Fexingo History
    Apr 26 2026
    In this episode of The Viking Age: Raiders, Traders, and Kings, Lucas and Luna explore the remarkable saga of the Orkney Islands, a Viking stronghold that controlled the sea routes between Scotland, Ireland, and Scandinavia. From the founding of the Earldom by Rognvald Eysteinsson in the late 9th century to the explosive saga of Sigurd the Mighty, who tied a severed head to his saddle only to be killed by its tooth, we dive into the violent, ambitious, and surprisingly literate world of the Orkney jarls. We meet Thorfinn the Mighty, who ruled a maritime empire stretching from Dublin to Shetland, and discuss the unique blend of Norse and Pictish culture that emerged in the islands. The conversation covers the murder of Jarl Erlend by his own nephew, the bloody Battle of Tankerness, and the pivotal role of Orkney in the Christianization of the Norse world. We also consider how the Orkneyinga Saga, written in Iceland in the 13th century, shapes our understanding of this period, and what archaeological evidence reveals about everyday life—from hogback tombstones to the discovery of a 10th-century board game piece at the Brough of Birsay. A gripping look at how a small archipelago became a crossroads of Viking power.

    #Orkney #VikingAge #JarlsOfOrkney #OrkneyingaSaga #SigurdTheMighty #ThorfinnTheMighty #EarldomOfOrkney #NorthAtlantic #NorseScotland #Picts #BroughOfBirsay #HogbackStones #VikingHistory #MedievalScotland #NorseSagas #FexingoHistory #History #Podcast #NorseHistory #MedievalEurope

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    8 min
  • The Battle of Stiklestad: Olaf Haraldsson and Norway's Christian Conversion — Fexingo History

    The Battle of Stiklestad: Olaf Haraldsson and Norway's Christian Conversion — Fexingo History
    Apr 26 2026
    In 1030, at Stiklestad in central Norway, King Olaf Haraldsson fell in battle against a coalition of Norwegian chieftains backed by the Danish king Cnut the Great. Olaf's death would transform him into a saint—Saint Olaf—and cement Christianity's hold on Norway. This episode explores the political and religious forces that led to the battle, the role of the Danish empire, and how a defeated king became a national martyr. We also examine the reliability of Snorri Sturluson's account in Heimskringla, written two centuries later, and the archaeological evidence from the battlefield site. How did Olaf's canonization happen so quickly? Why did the same chieftains who opposed him later embrace his cult? We unravel the paradox of a king who lost the battle but won the war for Norway's soul.

    #BattleOfStiklestad #OlafHaraldsson #SaintOlaf #CnutTheGreat #Heimskringla #SnorriSturluson #ChristianizationOfNorway #Nidaros #Trondheim #VikingAge #MedievalScandinavia #Kilvert #HKonEiriksson #KalvArnesson #OrgeirrHVarsson #Stiklestad1030 #NorwegianHistory #FexingoHistory #NorseHistory #MedievalEurope

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    8 min
  • The Varangian Guard: Vikings in the Byzantine Empire — Fexingo History

    The Varangian Guard: Vikings in the Byzantine Empire — Fexingo History
    Apr 25 2026
    In this episode of The Viking Age: Raiders, Traders, and Kings, Lucas and Luna explore the story of the Varangian Guard—Norse warriors who served as the elite bodyguards of Byzantine emperors in Constantinople. From the 10th to the 14th century, these Scandinavian mercenaries, including Swedes, Danes, and Norwegians, left runic inscriptions in Hagia Sophia and fought in campaigns across the Mediterranean. Lucas recounts the arrival of the first Varangians under Basil II, their role in crushing the 987 rebellion of Bardas Phocas, and the famous tale of Harald Hardrada’s service. They discuss the guard’s unique position as outsiders in the imperial court, their reputation for loyalty and ferocity, and how the Varangians evolved from a Norse-dominated unit to include Anglo-Saxons after the Norman Conquest. The conversation touches on archaeological evidence, including runestones in Sweden that commemorate Varangians who died in ‘Greek’ service, and the guard’s eventual decline as the Byzantine Empire weakened. This episode offers a fresh angle on Viking expansion beyond raiding—focused on their role as soldiers in one of the medieval world’s most powerful empires.

    #VarangianGuard #ByzantineEmpire #Constantinople #HaraldHardrada #BasilII #VikingMercenaries #NorseWarriors #EastRomanEmpire #Mediterranean #RunicInscriptions #HagiaSophia #NormanConquest #KievanRus #SwedishVikings #ByzantineArmy #10thCentury #MedievalHistory #FexingoHistory #VikingAge #NorseHistory

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    7 min
  • Harald Bluetooth: The King Who Made Denmark Christian — Fexingo History

    Harald Bluetooth: The King Who Made Denmark Christian — Fexingo History
    Apr 25 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the reign of Harald Bluetooth, the 10th-century Danish king who united his realm and forced Christianity upon his subjects. They discuss his famous rune stone at Jelling, the construction of the Trelleborg ring fortresses, the Bluetooth technology named after him, and his mysterious death at the hands of his own son, Sweyn Forkbeard. The episode also touches on the conversion of Scandinavia, the decline of the old gods, and the political maneuvering that made Denmark a medieval power.

    #HaraldBluetooth #VikingAge #Denmark #Christianization #JellingStones #Trelleborg #SweynForkbeard #RuneStones #VikingKings #10thCentury #MedievalHistory #Scandinavia #Paganism #Conversion #BluetoothTechnology #RingFortresses #History #FexingoHistory #NorseHistory #MedievalEurope

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    6 min
  • The Jomsvikings: Norse Mercenary Brotherhood — Fexingo History

    The Jomsvikings: Norse Mercenary Brotherhood — Fexingo History
    Apr 25 2026
    This episode of The Viking Age dives into the legend and reality of the Jomsvikings — the semi-legendary brotherhood of Norse mercenaries based at Jomsborg on the Baltic coast. Lucas and Luna explore what we actually know from the Jómsvíkinga saga and skaldic poetry, the plausible historical context around the late 10th century, and the enduring mystery of whether Jomsborg itself ever existed. They discuss key figures like the Danish king Harald Bluetooth, the rebellious jarl Sigvaldi Strut-Haraldsson, and the ill-fated battle of Hjörungavágr in 986, where a fleet of Jomsvikings was supposedly crushed by the Norwegian jarls Hákon Sigurðarson and his sons. They also touch on the debated archaeological site of Wolin in Poland, the role of paganism versus Christianity, and how the Jomsvikings served as a model for later mercenary bands and even the fictional Night's Watch.

    #Jomsvikings #Jomsborg #VikingAge #NorseMercenaries #HaraldBluetooth #Sigvaldi #HjRungavGr #HakonSigurdarson #SkaldicPoetry #JomsvikingaSaga #Wolin #BalticSea #VikingHistory #FexingoHistory #NorseWarfare #Paganism #MedievalHistory #NorseSaga #NorseHistory #MedievalEurope

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    5 min
  • The Viking Discovery of Iceland and Greenland — Fexingo History

    The Viking Discovery of Iceland and Greenland — Fexingo History
    Apr 25 2026
    In episode 4 of The Viking Age series, Lucas and Luna explore the westward expansion of the Norse from Norway to Iceland and Greenland. Learn about the motivations of early settlers like Ingólfr Arnarson, who fled conflict in Norway to establish Reykjavík in 874. Discover how the Althing, one of the world's oldest parliaments, was founded at Þingvellir. Follow the saga of Erik the Red, exiled from Iceland, who named Greenland to attract settlers. Contrast the Icelandic Commonwealth's decentralized democracy with the saga of Erik's son, Leif Erikson, who accidentally stumbled upon Vinland (North America) around 1000 AD. The episode delves into the archaeological evidence at L'Anse aux Meadows, the conflicts with indigenous people (Skrælingjar), and the eventual failure of the Vinland colony. Lucas and Luna discuss the environmental factors leading to the decline of Norse Greenland in the Little Ice Age, including soil erosion and trade disruption. This episode covers key figures like Eiríkr rauði (Erik the Red) and Leifr heppni (Leif the Lucky), and places such as Brattahlíð, Markland, and Helluland. The conversation highlights how these voyages of exploration were driven by land scarcity, political strife, and sheer curiosity, leaving a lasting legacy in the New World.

    #VikingAge #Iceland #Greenland #Vinland #LeifErikson #EriktheRed #Althing #Ingvellir #LAnseauxMeadows #NorthAmerica #Exploration #NorseSagas #MedievalHistory #LittleIceAge #SkrLingjar #Reykjavik #IngLfrArnarson #FexingoHistory #NorseHistory #MedievalEurope

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    4 min
  • The Rus: How Vikings Founded Russia's First Dynasty — Fexingo History

    The Rus: How Vikings Founded Russia's First Dynasty — Fexingo History
    Apr 24 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the controversial origins of the Rus — the Scandinavian traders and warriors who ventured deep into Eastern Europe along river routes to Constantinople. They discuss the key figures Rurik, Oleg, and Igor, the founding of Novgorod and Kyiv, and the debate between Normanist and anti-Normanist historians over the role of Vikings in creating the first East Slavic state. The conversation also covers the Rus-Byzantine treaties, the siege of Constantinople in 907, and the cultural blending that produced the Kievan Rus. Listeners will learn about the Primary Chronicle, the trade in furs and slaves along the Volga, and how Scandinavian names like Helgi became Slavic Oleg. A nuanced look at a formative but often mythologized period.

    #VikingAge #Rus #KievanRus #Rurik #Oleg #ByzantineEmpire #Novgorod #Kyiv #PrimaryChronicle #NormanistControversy #VolgaTradeRoute #EasternEurope #MedievalHistory #FexingoHistory #ScandinavianHistory #TradeAndExploration #SlavicHistory #Constantinople #NorseHistory #MedievalEurope

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    6 min
  • The Great Heathen Army: Vikings Who Conquered Kingdoms — Fexingo History

    The Great Heathen Army: Vikings Who Conquered Kingdoms — Fexingo History
    Apr 23 2026
    In 865, a Viking force unlike any before landed on the shores of East Anglia. This wasn't a raid—it was an invasion. The Great Heathen Army, led by the sons of Ragnar Lothbrok—Ivar the Boneless, Ubba, and Halfdan—would spend over a decade tearing apart the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England. Lucas and Luna explore how this coalition of Norse warriors shifted Viking strategy from hit-and-run pillaging to full-scale conquest. They break down the army's movements, the mysterious 'blood eagle' execution of King Aella, the fall of Northumbria, Mercia, and East Anglia, and the crucial survival of Wessex under King Alfred. Along the way, they examine the evidence: the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle's accounts, archaeological finds like torcs and weapons, and modern debates about the army's size and composition. Was it truly a single force, or multiple warbands? And what drove these Vikings to abandon their ships for sieges and winter camps? This episode unravels the pivotal moment that transformed the Viking Age.

    #GreatHeathenArmy #IvarTheBoneless #KingAlfred #AngloSaxonChronicle #VikingConquest #Northumbria #Wessex #Danelaw #BloodEagle #RagnarLothbrok #EastAnglia #Mercia #NorseWarfare #VikingAge #EarlyMedieval #England #History #FexingoHistory #NorseHistory #MedievalEurope

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    8 min