On this day, an Easter Sunday, having sailed up the river Seine with a fleet of 120 ships, 5000 Vikings under the leadership of Reginherus (identified by some as the legendary Ragnar Lodbrok) entered the city of Paris and plundered it. The Frankish king Charles the Bald attempted to halt the raid by gathering an army on either side of the river, but the Vikings attacked and defeated one of the divisions, and hanged 111 prisoners on an island in the Seine, inciting terror into the remaining Frankish forces. Charles agreed to pay Reginherus 7,000 livres of silver and gold (about 2570 kg) to leave the city and allowed the Vikings to keep whatever they had plundered in Paris. During the two months that it took Charles to raise the sum, a significant number of Vikings died from dysentery. According to the locals, the disease was sent as divine retribution by Saint Germain of Paris.
Saint Germain of Paris, where have you gone? Paris still needs your help!
And not only Paris!