They were the Northmen who changed history. Starting as heathen Viking warriors who plundered and settled in Northern France and forged the new Duchy of Normandy, becoming the most ferocious conquerors that medieval Europe had ever seen, and giving England its most famous date: 1066. In this two part series, Dr Eleanor Janega sets off across Normandy to discover who this band of rugged warriors, settlers and rulers were. In episode 1, Eleanor follows the route of Viking raiders along the great waterways of Northern France, investigating the destruction left in their wake. She gets up close to the single most important technological development of the period: the Viking Longboat.