March 845 · West Francia (modern France) Theater
March 845
A fleet of 120 Viking longships and 5,000 warriors sailed up the Seine in March 845, brushing aside the Frankish forces sent to stop them at the river crossing. Ragnar, the Norse commander, demonstrated a defining Viking tactical innovation: when Charles the Bald divided his army to defend both banks simultaneously, Ragnar chose one side, destroyed it, and hanged 111 captives from trees on the opposite bank to terrorize the survivors into retreat. The Norse force reached Paris itself — then a small island settlement on the Seine — and plundered the city. Charles paid 7,000 pounds of silver to make them leave.
Commanders