Colour photograph of a modern replica of the Sutton Hoo helmet.
A lot of the historical inaccuracies in Vikings are actually in relation to how the TV series depicts the Anglo-Saxons. The depictions of Saxons as being merely cannon fodder for the Vikings in the show is a grievous error.
There would have been little real difference in actual fighting ability between the two despite the commonly held wisdom that the Norsemen were superior in most ways.
In reality Anglo Saxon warriors and Vikings would have been indistinguishable in combat apart from subtle differences in armour and swords which was a result of the two cultures originating from similar ancestry, but evolving on a separate trajectory for hundreds of years before coming back into contact with each other on the battle-field.
Britain 400–500: Anglo-Saxon Homelands and Settlements
The reason the Saxons came out on the wrong side of many early battles or skirmishes with the Viking raiders, was that the Norsemen had the ability to land ships anywhere, largely unchallenged with significant force, before putting back out to sea with the spoils. This was the Vikings real killer advantage, as the Saxons would only station relatively small numbers of troops along the coastline, without being able to concentrate their numbers in a certain geographical location because they didn't know where the Vikings would be hitting next..
Ringmail armour would have been the top of the range in this time period, it's use would have been limited to kings, earls and thanes. The depiction of the Saxon warriors in the Vikings tv series as all having matching armour that looks as if it has come off a factory production line is inaccurate, as most soldiers would have simply worn hardened leather armour.
Depiction of Vikings and Saxons in Battle.
In the Season 2 episode 'The Choice', Burgonet-style helmets, manufactured during the Renaissance over 500 years after the time period of Vikings, and depicted in other historical fiction productions such as Showtime's The Borgias and Starz's Da Vinci's Demons, have been worn by Saxon soldiers during the battle-scene, which obviously doesn't stack up with the facts!
The burgonet helmet was a Renaissance-era and early modern combat helmet.
Many of the stone-built church buildings, such as the ones seen in Hexham in Season 1 and in Winchester, would have been built much later during the later medieval era. Anglo-Saxon churches and other buildings were mostly timber-built.
Reconstruction of a Anglo-Saxon Village.
100% accurate or not Vikings is still a great show. It has made many people like me go away and spend hours researching these peoples and the history of the Vinkings. So for those who complain it is not entirely accurate (and they have a point) At least it encourages other people interested in history to find out what they can.
*All images used in this post are available for re-use