On 25 November 885-24 October 886, the Siege of Paris was fought between the Franks under Count Odo and Bishop Gozelin against the Vikings under Sigfrid and Sinric during the Viking Raids.
Why did it happen?
In 840, the Carolingian Empire founded by Charlamagne was divided between three of his grandsons: Louis the German, who controlled East Francia; Lothair I got Middle Francia; Charles the Bald became King of West Francia. This division was finalised in 843, but in 845, Vikings under Ragnar Lothbrok attacked and sacked the city of Paris. Over the next twenty years, Viking raids became a fact of life in West Francia, so that by 864, the Franks built two bridges connected to Paris to deter these raiding parties. In 878, after being defeated in England at the Battle of Edington, many Vikings chose to switch their target to West Francia where, “The Norsemen did not cease to capture and kill the people of Christendom, tear down churches, destroy walls and burn villages” (Sheppard, 2022, p.30). In 884, Carloman II died after being mortally wounded during a hunt, and the magnates of West Francia invited Charles the Fat to occupy the vacant throne, who accepted and was recognised by Pope John VIII as Emperor Charles III. In response, the Vikings under Sigfrid and Sinric sailed down the Seine River towards Paris in what would be the most ambitious raid conducted by the Vikings yet.
Who was involved?
The Frankish army at Paris numbered 200 infantry and 5,000 civilians. Because of their inferior numbers, the Frankish plan was not to engage the Vikings in open battle, but to defend the two bridges, Petit Pont, and Grand Pont, while using ballistas and stone-throwing mangonels to defend the city walls from attack until reinforcements could arrive. The Viking army at Paris numbered 12,000 warriors and 300 warships. While the Vikings had superior numbers and were equipped with swords and axes, their main strength was their longships. Each longship could carry a crew of 30 men while its shape and draught meant that it could sail up rivers while being light enough to be hauled overland if necessary. The Viking plan was to occupy both banks of the Seine River and to assault and capture the city so that their longships could continue south along the Seine River towards Burgundy.
What happened?
On 25 November 885, after their demand for tribute was refused by the Franks, the Vikings encamped on both sides of the Seine River where over the next two days they made repeated assaults against the towers protecting the bridges. Each of these attacks was repulsed by the Frankish garrison. On 30 January 886, the Vikings constructed three battering rams and launched another assault against the two towers. At the same time, three longships were converted into fireships and set adrift towards the Grand Pont bridge, which destroyed it. On 2 February, the Franks launched a night-time raid that succeeded in destroying two of the battering rams. On 6 February, after a flood washed away the Petit Pont bridge, the Vikings attacked the Petit Chatelet tower and massacred the Frankish garrison of 12 men. With the Seine River now unobstructed, Sigfrid then led a large portion of Viking warriors upriver to pillage Troyes and Le Mans. On 16 April, after a large proportion of Paris’ citizens, including Bishop Gozelin, were killed by the plague, Count Odo broke out of the city and attempted to call for reinforcements to help the beleaguered garrison. He returned to the city with 50 cavalry, but a relief army under Count Heinrich of Fulda was trapped and killed by the Viking army on 28 August. Finally, on 24 October, Charles the Fat arrived with 600 men to rout the Viking army on the north bank of the Seine River. Instead of finishing off the survivors, the Frankish emperor bargained with them by offering to pay a large ransom in return for ravaging Burgundy. Throughout the eleven-month siege, the Franks lost 12 men while the Vikings suffered 363 killed.
What changed as a result?
The Siege of Paris was a Frankish victory. In the aftermath, the Viking army sailed down the Seine River where they besieged Sens on 30 November before returning to Paris in May 887 to collect the ransom promised by Charles the Fat. The Siege of Paris would ultimately have unforeseen consequences for all the major participants involved – consequences that would alter dynastic politics and the history of France. On 27 November 887, Charles the Fat was deposed as emperor and was allowed to retire to Neidingen where he died on 13 January 888. His death created a power vacuum that would lead to the fall of the Carolingian Empire. As explained by Si Sheppard:
“Over the ensuing period of roughly 20 years from the death of Charles the Bald until the accession of Charles the Simple as sole king of Western Francia, during which five very different rulers quickly succeeded each other, the Carolingian dream of imperial hegemony was finally killed off” (Sheppard, 2022, p.67).
What emerged from the ruins of the Carolingian Empire was the creation of the states of France, Italy and Germany, which persist to this day.
Bibliography
Grant, R.G. 1001 Battles That Changed the Course of History. London, Cassell Illustrated, 2011.
Rosborn, Sven. “Paris in 9th Century.” Wikimedia Commons. Last revised December 10, 2006. www.commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paris_in_9th_century.jpg
Sheppard, Si. The Viking Siege of Paris: Longships raid the Seine, AD 885-86. Oxford, Osprey Publishing, 2022.
Williamson, Mitch. “The Siege of Paris (885-6).” Weapons and Warfare. Last revised December 20, 2019. www.weaponsandwarfare.com/2019/12/20/the-siege-of-paris-885-6/