January 4, 1919

Eduardo Teixeira Coelho ( January 4, 1919, to May 31, 2005) was a Portuguese artist.
He is famous for a series he did, with Jean Ollivier, of comics starring Ragnar the Viking. We learn, via a translation:

In 1965, the Communist publisher Vaillant editions (still active in 2014) are rich in medieval characters. Robin Hood (he steals from the oppressive pre-capitalistic corrupt burghers and nobles) and Ragnar the Viking.

.....Ragnar has behind him already 10 years of printed raids and is ready to help a certain Rollo conquer Normandy. Eduardo Coelho and Jean Ollivier wrote remarkable episodes and, more importantly, they followed as much as they could the discoveries made by archaeologists. If Vikings raid a monastery, they are shown holding a proper Merovingian or Carolingian reliquary. Emperors wear crowns adorning imperial heads on certified Aachen illuminations. I remember arguing with my father to obtain the magazines when they were publishing about his adventures....

[In the 1980s Coehlo returned to the medieval period with stories where there] is no admiration in the pillaging armies. Like wolves they bite and ripe apart the flesh of the Empire. The year long siege of 886 [of Paris] is the chunky part. Vikings at first seafarers were slowly to include European politics. Rollo was to become Count of the Normanni while the direct line of Charlemagne was to die out, cousins known to have fought off Danes were ready to grab the crown....The Dark Ages which were probably called dark as they end at the light of Vikings burning books in monasteries.
Of course Coehlo illustrated other things too. Here is picture he did for "The Story of Tom Thumb."





Eduardo Coehlo died in Florence, Italy in 2005. There more to be learned at this link.