<P> Vikings is inspired by the sagas of Danish / Swedish Viking Ragnar Lothbrok, one of the best - known legendary Norse heroes and notorious as the scourge of England and France . The show portrays Ragnar as a farmer who rises to fame by successful raids into England, and eventually becomes a Scandinavian king, with the support of his family and fellow warriors . After Ragnar's death at the hands of his Saxon nemesis King Aelle of Northumbria (played by Ivan Kaye) the later seasons follow the fortunes of his sons, and their adventures in England, Scandinavia and the Mediterranean . </P> <P> On March 17, 2016, History renewed Vikings for a fifth season of 20 episodes, which premiered on November 29, 2017 . On September 12, 2017, ahead of its fifth - season premiere, the series was renewed for a sixth season, which will consist of 20 episodes . </P> <P> The series is inspired by the tales of the Norsemen of early medieval Scandinavia . It broadly follows the exploits of the legendary Viking chieftain Ragnar Lothbrok and his crew, family and descendants, as notably laid down in the 13th - century sagas Ragnars saga Loðbrókar and Ragnarssona þáttr, as well as in Saxo Grammaticus's 12th - century work Gesta Danorum . Norse legendary sagas were partially fictional tales based in the Norse oral tradition, written down about 200 to 400 years after the events they describe . Further inspiration is taken from historical sources of the period, such as records of the Viking raid on Lindisfarne depicted in the second episode, or Ahmad ibn Fadlan's 10th - century account of the Volga Vikings . The series begins at the start of the Viking Age, marked by the Lindisfarne raid in 793 . </P> <Ul> <Li> Travis Fimmel as Ragnar Lothbrok (seasons 1--4) </Li> <Li> Katheryn Winnick as Lagertha </Li> <Li> Clive Standen as Rollo (seasons 1--4; guest season 5) </Li> <Li> Jessalyn Gilsig as Siggy (seasons 1--3) </Li> <Li> Gustaf Skarsgård as Floki </Li> <Li> George Blagden as Athelstan (main seasons 1--3; recurring season 4) </Li> <Li> Gabriel Byrne as Earl Haraldson (season 1) </Li> <Li> Alyssa Sutherland as Aslaug (seasons 1--4) </Li> <Li> Donal Logue as Horik of Denmark (seasons 1--2) </Li> <Li> Alexander Ludwig as Bjorn Ironside (seasons 2--) </Li> <Li> Linus Roache as Ecbert of Wessex (seasons 2--4) </Li> <Li> Ben Robson as Kalf (seasons 3--4) </Li> <Li> Kevin Durand as Harbard (seasons 3--4) </Li> <Li> Lothaire Bluteau as Charles of West Francia (seasons 3--4) </Li> <Li> John Kavanagh as The Seer (recurring seasons 1--3; main seasons 4--) and Pope Leo IV (guest season 4) </Li> <Li> Peter Franzén as Harald Finehair (seasons 4--) </Li> <Li> Jasper Pääkkönen as Halfdan the Black (seasons 4--5) </Li> <Li> Moe Dunford as Aethelwulf (recurring seasons 2--4; main seasons 4--5) </Li> <Li> Alex Høgh as Ivar the Boneless (seasons 4--) </Li> <Li> Marco Ilsø as Hvitserk (seasons 4--) </Li> <Li> David Lindström as Sigurd Snake - in - the - Eye (season 4) </Li> <Li> Jordan Patrick Smith as Ubbe (seasons 4--) </Li> <Li> Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Bishop Heahmund (seasons 4--) </Li> </Ul>

What year does the tv show vikings take place