<P> The series is inspired by the tales of the Norsemen of early medieval Scandinavia . It broadly follows the exploits of the legendary Viking chieftain Ragnar Lothbrok and his crew , family and descendants , as notably laid down in the 13th - century sagas Ragnars saga Loðbrókar and Ragnarssona þáttr , as well as in Saxo Grammaticus 's 12th - century work Gesta Danorum . Norse legendary sagas were partially fictional tales based in the Norse oral tradition , written down about 200 to 400 years after the events they describe . Further inspiration is taken from historical sources of the period , such as records of the Viking raid on Lindisfarne depicted in the second episode , or Ahmad ibn Fadlan 's 10th - century account of the Volga Vikings . The series begins at the start of the Viking Age , marked by the Lindisfarne raid in 793 . </P>
<P> The series is inspired by the tales of the Norsemen of early medieval Scandinavia . It broadly follows the exploits of the legendary Viking chieftain Ragnar Lothbrok and his crew , family and descendants , as notably laid down in the 13th - century sagas Ragnars saga Loðbrókar and Ragnarssona þáttr , as well as in Saxo Grammaticus 's 12th - century work Gesta Danorum . Norse legendary sagas were partially fictional tales based in the Norse oral tradition , written down about 200 to 400 years after the events they describe . Further inspiration is taken from historical sources of the period , such as records of the Viking raid on Lindisfarne depicted in the second episode , or Ahmad ibn Fadlan 's 10th - century account of the Volga Vikings . The series begins at the start of the Viking Age , marked by the Lindisfarne raid in 793 . </P>
what year does the tv show vikings take place
what year does the tv show vikings take place
793
793