What is it about the Viking Age that drives so much interest? A common view is that it was a violent period across Europe, beset by raiding, conquest and plunder, led by people from Scandinavia. But is this really an accurate take on some 300 years of history? In this video James Carson talks through the Viking Age, bringing in expert opinion from a range of History Hit podcasts and documentaries to explain the more complex reality. What actually is the definition of a Viking? Did they really wear horned helmets? What was the legacy of the Norse on Europe, both in terms of colonisation and trade? You can find out more about the Vikings in the following links: The Great Heathen Army with Cat Jarman and Dan Snow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgxEgaRrM7Q Lindisfarne: The First Viking Attack with Matthew Lewis - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm3o7iz-PVY Who Were the Real Northmen of Scandinavia with W B Bartlett - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiucI7RoHfY Beserkers with Roderick Dale - https://play.acast.com/s/gone-medieval/theberserkers Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Vikings with Cat Jarman - https://shows.acast.com/gone-medieval/episodes/vikings1 Vikings in America with Gordon Campbell - https://play.acast.com/s/dansnowshistoryhit/vikingsinamerica You can also subscribe to History Hit TV to get ad free access to all of our documentaries and podcasts at historyhit.com/subscribe. Use code 'vikings' and you can get 50% off your first 3 months. #historyhit #vikings #norse 00:00 Introduction 00:56 Horned Helmets 02:10 The Definition of a Viking 06:17 Viking Longship 12:11 Viking Archaeological Record 15:26 Viking Warfare 23:48 The Rus' Trading Network 28:19 Viking Society 33:05 Viking Religion 35:20 Conclusion