Ragnar Lodbrok: The Real History The year 2013 marks the beginning of the cinematographic reign of heroes of a new genre. Indeed, March 2013 marks the beginning of the broadcasting of a new series in the United States: Vikings. Five years after its launch, the series, now cult, is in its fifth season. To try to understand the dazzling and unanimous success of this American series, it may be interesting to look at the true history of this Scandinavian people and more particularly at one of their legendary kings: Ragnar Lodbrok. Who is Ragnar Lothbrok? Ragnar Lodbrok is what is known as a Jarl, i. e. a Danish count or duke, who lived between 750 and 850 AD. Even today, it is still impossible to determine precisely the year of his birth and death, which makes him a semi-legendary character. Is Ragnar Lothbrok real? According to some historians, Ragnar would in fact be the grouping of several historical figures and that he would therefore be a kind of Viking
