Meet the Normans

In episode 1, Eleanor follows the route of Viking raiders along the great waterways of Northern France, investigating the destruction left in their wake. She gets up close to the single most important technological development of the period: the Viking Longboat.

In episode 2, Eleanor explores William’s precarious childhood and early military experience through the great castles and countryside of Normandy. By 1066, the Normans were hungry for more land and power, and William took advantage of tumultuous events across the channel to launch an invasion of England.