‘Vikings’ Season Premiere: Five Things To Expect
Fans the world over are eagerly awaiting the Vikings season premiere, which has recently been confirmed to air on the History Channel on November 30. And though the rumor mill had been working overtime prior to the official date of the Vikings season premiere being announced, nothing definitive really came from reliable sources about what we can expect from the premiere as well as during the season as a whole.
But that’s all changed now! In honor of the upcoming Vikings season premiere (be sure to live-tweet with us using the #VikingsonHistory hashtag!), we’ve compiled this list of five things you can expect both from the premiere and from the season as a whole, thanks to confirmed reports provided by various cast members, showrunners, and more!
1. Lagertha is going to get a lot of political power and revenge
The Vikings season premiere will pick up where the season finale left off: in Kattegat, where Ragnar has returned bruised and beaten as a result of his confrontation with Rollo. Speaking to Christian Daily, show creator Michael Hirst has confirmed that during the Vikings season premiere, Lagertha will seize the opportunity to make a political play for Kattegat, which has become full of unrest with Ragnar’s advanced age. This will also provide her with the perfect opportunity to exact revenge on Aslaug, who destroyed her family all those years ago.
#Vikings pic.twitter.com/cPnEqlG77A
— Vikings on HISTORY (@HistoryVikings) September 11, 2016
2. The focus of the story will shift to Ivar the Boneless
According to Movie News Guide, beginning with the Vikings season premiere, the focus of the story will move away from Ragnar and towards his son, Ivar the Boneless, who — according to actual Viking history — is one of the most brutal and infamous Vikings of all time. Since the story has already time-jumped and showed Ragnar’s young sons with Aslaug as “all grown up,” it makes sense that the focus would shift to one — or more — of them, especially given the as-yet-unconfirmed rumors that Ragnar will die this season.
3….and to Alfred the Great
Meanwhile, over in England, we can expect that beginning with the Vikings season premiere, we’ll see less of a focus on Kings Ecbert and Aelle (the latter of whom — spoiler alert — plays a key role in the death of Ragnar), and more of a focus towards Alfred the Great. According to Den of Geek, the speculation that Jonathan Rhys Meyers will be playing the role of Athelstan’s illegitimate child — and the king that will, ultimately, defend England from Viking invasion — seem pretty solid at this point.
4. Bjorn will conquer Sicily
This is confirmed, not just by various Vikings rumors, but by actual Viking — and Sicilian — history. Beginning in the year 860, Bjorn and his band of Viking raiders conquered the Mediterranean by starting in the Iberian peninsula (ultimately capturing Gibraltar), working their way along the Italian coastline (with their most notable capture being the city of Pisa), and finishing out his conquest with Sicily and parts of North Africa. After the Saracen army defeated him upon his return to Al-Andalus (now Andalucia), Spain, Bjorn returned to what is now Scandinavia, and lived out the rest of his days as a wealthy King.
5. Rollo will play an important role in British history, he just doesn’t realize it yet
Remember when The Seer told Rollo, “if you knew the things the Gods had in store for you, you would dance naked on the beach”? He wasn’t kidding: in the Vikings season premiere, we’ll be seeing Rollo — now Robert — as a French king. But, what only the most avid history buffs know about “King Robert” is that he is the ancestor of the current British royal family! That’s right, Rollo/Robert’s great-great-great grandson, William the Conqueror, is the ancestor of the House of Windsor that includes Prince William (how do you think he got his name?) and baby Prince George.
The Vikings season premiere will air on The History Channel on November 30 at 9 p.m. EST.
[Featured Image by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP]
