Vikings Attack Paris #OnThisDay

On 29 March 845 1,500 Vikings in 120 ships under the leadership of Ragnar Lodbrok sailed up the Seine and to Paris. They entered the city and did what they have become infamous for – plundering. Warning : Facts interspersed with fiction. The Viking force set up a camp, however, disease broke out and many…

theorkneynews

March 29, 2026

1–2 minutes

on this day, Paris, Vikings

On 29 March 845 1,500 Vikings in 120 ships under the leadership of Ragnar Lodbrok sailed up the Seine and to Paris.

They entered the city and did what they have become infamous for – plundering.

Warning : Facts interspersed with fiction.

The Viking force set up a camp, however, disease broke out and many of them died. It is said that under the advice of Christian prisoners the invaders fasted, prayed to the Christian God and the plague subsided.

Reconstructed map of Paris, France, in the CE.9th century (HE.109th century). Sven Rosborn, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Undeterred, and up against a pitiful Frankish force, the invaders extracted a ransom of 7,000 livres (French pounds) of silver and gold by Charles the Bald, amounting to approximately 2,570 kg (5,670 lb).

This was the start of many ransom payments paid to the Vikings over the years – protection money.