Did Leif's London Bridge Plan Happen As We Seen In Vikings: Valhalla?
Vikings: Season 1 of Valhalla saw Leif Ericsson go out with the plan to destroy London Bridge, but did it happen?
Vikings: Valhalla introduces more Viking age characters and events, and while it's based on historical events and people from real life, it's not historically accurate all the time - so, did Leif Erikson's London Bridge plan happen? Historical dramas are still very popular among the audience, and one of the most successful TV shows from this branch in recent years is Vikings. Created by Michael Hearst, Vikings premiered on the History Channel in 2013 and lived for a total of six seasons, ending in 2020 after many battles, betrayals, and surprises.
However, six seasons wasn't enough to tell the most exciting stories from the Viking Age and explore its most notable characters, so a sequel series Vikings: Valhalla was announced in 2019. Vikings were the end of the stories for Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) and his sons, So Vikings: Valhalla takes a big-time jump and focuses on new warriors and enemies. More than a century after the events of the Vikings, Valhalla follows Leif Erikson (Sam Corlett), Freydís Eiríksdóttir (Frida Gustavsson), and Harald Sigurdsson (Leo Suter), who embark on a journey that takes them across oceans and battlefields - from Kattegat to England, to the Pagan Temple in Uppsala and more, all with the conflict between the Vikings and the English royal family as a backdrop.
As mentioned earlier, Vikings: Valhalla is based on historical events, so season 1 presents some key events from Viking history, such as the St. Brace's Day massacre and the fall of London Bridge, but that doesn't mean all of these are historically accurate. The St. Brice massacre is the start of the events of Valhalla, which leads to Harald Canute (Bradley Frigard) and Olaf Haraldson (Johannes Hökur Johansson) plotting a mission of revenge against the English and invading England in the process. The fall of the London Bridge secured their conquest of England, all thanks to Leif Ericson's plan - but in real life, it didn't happen that way.
Leif Erikson was a Scandinavian explorer believed to be the first European to set foot in continental North America, but there is no record of his participation in the Viking invasion of England, much less of being the person who planned how to destroy the London Bridge. to secure their success. London Bridge has been destroyed many times before and may have been rebuilt by Alfred the Great or King Theelred Unready (Edmund's father) around 990 with the goal of gaining the upper hand against Swain Forkbeard (Canute's father). The Cycladic tradition recounts the destruction of London Bridge in 1014 by Olaf, who at the time was an ally of Æthelred, with the aim of dividing the Danish forces that controlled the walled city of London and Southwark.
Leif Erikson's introduction of the plan to destroy the London Bridge and allow the Vikings to take control of England is one of the many additions of the Vikings: Valhalla to historical events. It is true that Olaf took part in the battle that destroyed the bridge, but even his intentions changed in the series. Of course, this is not to say that the stories in Vikings: Valhalla isn't interesting and fun, and Leif's devising of the plan was essential to his arc because thanks to it he was eventually considered a Viking.
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