This is the detailed story of the Vikings' expedition to conquer
medieval Paris - a brutal year-long siege which ultimately brought about
the foundation of modern France.
The Vikings' siege of Paris in 885-86 was a turning point in the history
of both Paris and France. In 885, a year after Charles the Fat was
crowned King of the Franks, Danish Vikings sailed up the Seine demanding
tribute. The Franks' refusal prompted the Vikings to lay siege to Paris,
which was initially defended by only 200 men under Odo, Count of Paris,
and seemingly in a poor state to defend against the Viking warriors in
their fleet of hundreds of longships.
Paris was centered around the medieval Île de la Cité, the natural
island now in the heart of the city, fortified with bridges and towers.
The Vikings attempted to break the Parisian defenders, but the city
itself still held out, and after a year Charles' army arrived to lift
the siege. But Charles then allowed the Vikings to sail upstream against
the revolting Burgundians. Outraged at this betrayal, the Parisians
refused to let the Vikings return home via the Seine, forcing them to
portage their boats overland to the Marne in order to reach the North
Sea. When Charles died in 888, the people of the of the Île de France
elected Odo as their king. The resistance of Paris therefore marked the
end of the Carolingian line and the birth of a new kingdom.
This fully illustrated volume, accompanied with maps and strategic
diagrams tells the full story of the Vikings' expedition to conquer
medieval Paris, highlighting a key moment in the history of France and
its foundation as a nation.
