Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s first major DLC, Wrath of the Druids, recently released and took players to Ireland, but the game has a lot more to offer.Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’ssecond DLC, The Siege of Paris, will be taking players to Francia as the name suggests.
Assassin’s CreedValhalla’s base story involves one of the most famous Nordic conquests, England, set in the year 877. The Siege of Paris will seethe protagonist Eivorjump to the year 885 and take on another major conquest.
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The Historical Context Behind The Siege of Paris DLC in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
Overall, the age of Vikings is not a very well-recorded one in history. Most of what is known about these fierce Northmen is an amalgamation of folklore and legends, and the history recorded by others who came in contact with these warriors. One of the most well-known Viking legends speaks of the saga of the famous Ragnar Lothbrok, whose life and times form the core of the popular TV seriesVikings.To talk about the historical context behindtheSiege of ParisDLCand behindAssassin’s Creed Valhallaas a whole, it is important to note the connection between the story of the game and the famous Viking legend. On a related note, the reason whyAC Valhallahas the scope of linking itself with nearly all of the games in the series, at least geographically, is the extent of the Viking exploration that took place during the time.
Thanks to the popular TV series, it is now a well-known fact that Ragnar Lothbrok was one of the first Northmen who attempted and succeeded in building a settlement on Saxon lands. The torch held by Ragnar was eventually passed on, mainly to his sons Ubba and Ivar after he died a gruesome death, thanks to King Aelle of Northumberland. BothUbba and Ivar Ragnarsson feature inAC Valhalla, and are quite significant characters in the storyline of the game.
Vikings had attempted invasions on Ireland, England, and Continental Europe, first led by Lothbrok, and later by others. One of the most significant and ambitious ones was the attack on West Francia, as an attempt of conquering Paris. Unfortunately, this particular conquest failed to see positive results both the times it was attempted. The first one was led byRagnar Lothbrokhimself, in 845 A.D. and the second one was 40 years later, led by Rollo, who was aided by Sinric and Sigfred, both of whom were significant names from Danish and Norse history. It is this second attempt that forms the story of theSiege of ParisDLC.
This second attempt on Paris turned out to be relatively less of a disaster as compared to the first one. Sigfred and Sinric had already raided other parts ofFrancia by 885 A.D. and were quite sure of their upcoming attempt on Paris. Paired with Rollo, Sigfred demanded a bribe (or “tribute”) from the then king Charles the Fat of France, who immediately refused to comply. In retort, Sigfred led around 700 ships to fulfill his desire of conquering Paris. Multiple sieges were technically conducted over a couple of months, with them ending badly. But it was not all for naught, as Charles agreed to let the Vikings raid the riot-infested land of Burgundy (a historically renowned raid in itself) and promised a handsome payment of 700 Livres, much to the displeasure of Count Odo and the citizens of Paris.
How all of this plays intoAssassin’s Creed Valhalla’s upcoming DLC remains to be seen, but hopefully, fans won’t have to wait too long to find out.
Assassin’s Creed Valhallais available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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