Although Vikings is now over, their history will continue to be explored in the spin-off series Vikings: Valhalla – but how does it fit the main series’ timeline and what are its links to the story of Ragnar and sons? Created by Michael Hirst, Vikings made its debut on History Channel in 2013, and even though it was originally planned to be a miniseries, it was so well-received it ended up getting a total of six seasons, coming to an end in 2020.

Vikings went through a couple of changes over the course of six seasons, the biggest one being the leads of the series. In the beginning, Vikings was all about the life of legendary Norse figure Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) and his travels and raids alongside his Viking brothers, from the beginning of the Viking Age, marked by the Lindisfarne raid (seen in season 1), onward. As the series progressed, it began to shift its focus to Ragnar’s sons and their own journeys, and so by the time Ragnar died in season 4, they were already the leads of Vikings, though it focused more on the stories of Björn (Alexander Ludwig) and Ivar (Alex Høgh Andersen). Ragnar’s sons led the series until its final episode, and while Vikings gave closure to the arcs of its main characters, there’s still more Viking history to tell.

Related: Vikings: The Exact Moment Ragnar Stopped Being A True Viking (& Why)

In January 2019, a sequel series to Vikings was announced, with Michael Hirst developing the project along with writer Jeb Stuart. Titled Vikings: Valhalla, the series will focus on the adventures of other notable names from the Viking Age and will be set many years after the events of Vikings, and while the surviving characters from the main series won’t appear, there will be some connections to them. Here’s how Valhalla connects to Vikings.

When Valhalla Is Set In The Vikings Timeline: How Many Years Later Is It?

Vikings Valhalla will show end of Viking Age theory explained

Vikings: Valhalla is set a century after the events of Vikings, so while the original series covered the beginnings of the Viking Age, Valhalla will be all about the final years. Of course, none of the characters who made it to the end of Vikings will appear in Valhalla, but there are some interesting links between the characters from both series, either through their families or historical events, and as Vikings took many liberties and changed various historical elements, the same can happen with Valhalla to connect the shows.

How Valhalla’s Story & Characters Connect To Vikings

Vikings big change Valhalla true story explained

Vikings: Valhalla, then, will follow some of the best-known Norsemen in history, as are Leif Erikson (Sam Corlett), Freydís Eiríksdóttir (Frida Gustavsson), Harald Hardrada (Leo Suter), and Norman King William the Conqueror. Now, there are already a couple of ways in which the characters in Vikings and those in Valhalla connect: Ragnar’s brother, Rollo (Clive Standen), left Scandinavia and became the first ruler of Normandy, and his great-great-great-grandson was William the Conqueror. In addition to that, Valhalla is already facing a problem as Vikings established that Ubbe was the first Viking to get to North America, when in reality, it’s widely believed that Leif Erikson was the first one to arrive. Vikings: Valhalla, then, will have to address this, inevitably forming a link between both shows, and there will surely be more details like these.

Next: Vikings: Valhalla - Every Character's Real Life History Explained