History Premieres Season 3 of VIKINGS Tonight

Season three of HISTORY's hit scripted drama series VIKINGS returns tonight, February 19 at 10 p.m. ET. The new 10-episode season begins with Ragnar (Travis Fimmel) as King and follows the great responsibility that now rests on the shoulders of the former farmer.

With the promise of new land from the English, Ragnar leads his people to an uncertain fate on the shores of Wessex. King Ecbert (Linus Roache) has made many promises and it remains to be seen if he will keep them. But ever the RESTLESS wanderer, Ragnar is searching for something more ... and he finds it in the mythical city of Paris. Rumored to be impenetrable to outside forces, Ragnar and his band of Norsemen must come together to break down its walls and cement the VIKINGS legend in history.

The gripping family saga of Ragnar, Rollo (Clive Standen), Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick) and Bjorn (Alexander Ludwig) continues as alliances and loyal friendships are questioned, faith is catechized and relationships are strained. VIKINGS tells the extraordinary tales of the lives and epic adventures of these warriors and portrays life in the Dark Ages, a world ruled by raiders and explorers, through the eyes of Viking society.

New characters introduced this season include:

· Kalf (Ben Robson) - Lagertha's young, handsome second in command. She is fond of him and trusts him to look after her affairs while she is away, but it is possible that Kalf is more ambitious and calculating than he appears.

· Harbard (Kevin Durand) - A wanderer who turns up unexpectedly in Kattagat when Ragnar and most of the men of the town are away raiding. Harbard will have a profound effect on Queen Aslaug, Siggy and Helga, all of whom have had the same dream, presaging his arrival.

· Emperor Charles of France (Lothaire Bluteau) - A complex, troubled and powerful man who views battling the VIKINGS as spiritual and earthly.

· Princess Gisla (Morgane Polanski) - The daughter of Emperor Charles and a beautiful, young woman of considerable courage and resolution.

Travis Fimmel continues to lead the stellar cast as the curious warrior Ragnar, along with Katheryn Winnick as Lagertha, an Earl and fierce shield maiden; Clive Standen as Rollo, Ragnar's impulsive brother; Alexander Ludwig as Bjorn, the intelligent and bold warrior son of Ragnar; George Blagden as Athelstan, a former monk befriended by Ragnar; Jessalyn Gilsig as Siggy, beautiful wife of the late Earl Haraldson; Linus Roache as Ecbert, King of Wessex, a man of strength, knowledge and undisguised ambition; Gustaf Skarsgard as Floki, a genius ship builder and loyal yet sometimes dangerous friend of Ragnar's; and Alyssa Sutherland as Queen Aslaug, Ragnar's wife.

Catch up on all previous episodes from VIKINGS Season 1 and Season 2 now streaming on Hulu and Amazon.

Created and written by Michael Hirst - one of the premier historical story-tellers in the industry (Academy-Award winning film Elizabeth; and the Emmy and Golden Globe nominated series The Tudors), Michael serves as Executive Producer along with Morgan O'Sullivan of World 2000 (The Count of Monte Cristo; The Tudors), Sheila Hockin (The Tudors; The Borgias), John Weber of Take 5 Productions (The Tudors; The Borgias), Sherry Marsh, Alan Gasmer and James Flynn (The Tudors; The Borgias). Dirk Hoogstra and Julian P. Hobbs are the Executives in Charge of Production for HISTORY.

VIKINGS is an international Irish/Canadian co-production being co-produced by World 2000 and Take 5 Productions. HISTORY broadcasts domestically in the U.S. MGM Television brought the series to the network and brings VIKINGS to the global audience, serving as the worldwide distributor outside of Ireland and Canada. VIKINGS is produced in association with Shaw Media, and the series also airs on HISTORY in Canada.

About HISTORY®

HISTORY®, now reaching more than 96 million homes, is the leading destination for award-winning original series and specials that connect viewers with history in an informative, immersive and entertaining manner across all platforms. The network's all-original programming slate, including scripted event programming, features a roster of hit series including American Pickers®, American Restoration™, Ax Men™, Counting Cars™, Pawn Stars® and Swamp People® as well as HISTORY®'s first scripted series Vikings, and epic miniseries and special programming such as The Bible, The Men Who Built America and the Emmy® Award-winning Hatfields & McCoys, Gettysburg, Vietnam in HD, America The Story of Us® and 102 Minutes That Changed America. The HISTORY® website is the leading online resource for all things history, and in 2011, the United States Library of Congress selected HISTORY®'s Civil War 150 site for inclusion in the historic collection of Internet materials related to the American Civil War sesquicentennial. www.history.com.

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