845 CE
A dramatic year in which a large Viking fleet sailed up the Seine and sacked Paris, forcing the Frankish king to pay a massive ransom to secure the raiders' withdrawal.
Conflict & Diplomacy
- A Viking fleet of approximately 120 ships under the chieftain Ragnar sailed up the Seine River and attacked Paris on March 28, Easter Sunday. The raiders plundered the city and its monasteries.
- King Charles the Bald of West Francia, unable to defeat the Viking force militarily, paid a ransom of seven thousand pounds of silver, known as Danegeld, to persuade the Vikings to withdraw. This set a precedent for future payments to Norse raiders.
Climate & Environment
- Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration was approximately 276 parts per million, as later confirmed by ice core analysis.
Population & Demographics
- World population is estimated to have been approximately 270 million.