no really, after watching Vikings (set 200 ys earlier) it's funny to see saxons with round shields and axes, and normans (the actual descendants of the vikings) with chain mail and long shields, whereas in the tv series it was the exact opposite. Maybe they've even used the very same costumes. Go figure.
shareIn reality both forces did look much the same due to cultural interaction (and Norse settlement in places like Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cheshire, Derby and North Lincoln) with both the best equipt Normans and English having kite shields, good quality chain mail and the same helmets. Round shields were really used by both sides at the battle of Hastings and were not really a Viking invention. The ''Targe'' (a late Old English term from Frankish) was used by Angles, Saxons, Franks and other Western Germanic groups since the Roman era (and the Romans themselves had round shields called ''Parma''). They were used by peoples throughout Europe, the Middle-East and Asia.
Formerly KingAngantyr