From the Vikings to Medieval Normandy

Here is a selection of Radio France and France Inter podcasts exploring the medieval world through the lens of the Vikings and medieval Normandy. Dive into a thousand years of history you can listen to! 

• "Scandinavie ancienne, le temps des vikings"
  Far from the cliché of bloodthirsty barbarians, this programme looks at the early Scandinavian peoples and the Vikings — those groups who set sail in search of wealth. 
  With Paris assiégé, when the Vikings advanced up the Seine, and le drakkar au placard, recounting the decline of Viking power. 
   
• "Normandie, une histoire millénaire"
  "Rollon à fond la caisse", when a Viking founded Normandy! 
  It is also the story of the beginnings of a millenary city — Caen — with a very local flavour. 
  Between anger and devotion: the révolte des Nu‑pieds and the figure of Saint Thérèse, making Lisieux a focal point of Normandy’s identity. 
   
• "Face à la tapisserie de Bayeux en Normandie : une épopée brodée"
  A dive into the famous embroidered artwork recounting the epic history of the Norman dukes: the Bayeux Tapestry.
   
• "Série : « Les batailles navales qui ont changé le monde »"
  Episode 3: 1066 – Vikings, Normans, and the English
  Two decisive battles in 1066, where ships were used primarily to transport troops. 
  Hastings, which enabled the Norman Conquest of England; 
  and Stamford Bridge, where the Vikings were defeated a few weeks earlier and pushed back from British shores once and for all.
   
• "Histoire des langues : depuis Guillaume le conquérant, le français et l'anglais ne font qu'un !"
  Although English is primarily a Germanic language, it owes much of its vocabulary and grammatical structure to French — ever since the Duke of Normandy, William the Conqueror, became King of England in 1066 after the Battle of Hastings, bringing thousands of French words with him.