In this episode, we celebrate the life and accomplishments of the historical Rollo. Known to many as the envious brother of the incomparable Ragnar Loðbrok in the History Channel’s Vikings. While the historical Rollo may not have been Ragnar’s brother, Vikings gets a lot of things right. As an exile from his homeland, Rollo earned the nickname “the Walker” by wandering throughout northern Europe raiding and conquering everything in his path. Among his most significant conquests would come to be known as Normandy, a territory in northern France named for the Northmen led by Rollo in the late 9th or early 10th century. Fearing further Viking aggression, the French King Charles the Simple turned over the city of Rouen over to Rollo and his men. This simple act (get it?) provided the French with a buffer against future Viking attacks from the north. Or so they hoped. In this case, it worked out nicely. Rollo and his fellow Vikings quickly rebuilt the territories they had ravaged and assimilated into French culture. Rollo’s descendants would go on to play a very significant role in European history. As the great-great-great-grandfather of William the Conqueror, Rollo’s blood flows through many veins of later European royalty.
If you’re interested in learning more about that part of the story, we recommend the following episodes of Rex Factor, our very favorite podcast:
http://rexfactor.podbean.com/e/17-william-the-conqueror/
http://rexfactor.podbean.com/e/18-william-rufus/
Looking for more Vikings and Saga Thing cross-over? We've got a few episodes that might interest you:
The Saga of Ragnar Loðbrok and His Sons - where we review the medieval stories behind the Vikings hero.
The Blood Eagle - where we discuss the Viking practice of splitting a man open and its historical veracity.
The Krákumál - a detailed look at the famous death song of Ragnar
A Quick Chat in Reykholt from the Saga Conference 2018
Saga Brief 14 - Medieval Archery with Patricia Gonsalves and Stephen Fox
Saga Short 3 - The Tale of Jokul Buason
Episode 26c - The Saga of the People of Kjalarnes (Judgments)
Episode 26b - The Saga of the People of Kjalarnes (Part 2)
Episode 26a - The Saga of the People of Kjalarnes (Part 1)
Saga Brief 13 - The Repton Viking Burials: An Interview with Cat Jarman
Episode 25b - The Saga of Ref the Sly (Judgments)
Episode 25a - The Saga of Ref the Sly (Summary)
Saga Brief 12 - Catching Up with Saga Thing (Now With a Listener Contest!)
Saga Brief 11 - The Lesser Ragnarssons
Saga Brief 10 - "Female Viking Warrior" Interview with Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson
Saga Brief 9 - Thor: The Intersection of Viking Mythology and Popular Culture (Live)
Episode 24b - Second Quarter Court Results
Saga Shorts 2 - The Tale of Thorstein Bull's-leg
Episode 24 - The Second Quarter Court
Episode 23c - The Saga of Droplaug's Sons (Judgments)
Episode 23b - The Saga of Droplaug's Sons (Part 2)
Episode 23a - The Saga of Droplaug's Sons
Episode 1 - Thattir Intro and The Tale of Thorstein Staff-Struck
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