Ragnar’s pinnacle of success: The Peak of an Era

Hej! Did you miss us? I hope you did because here we are back with another post! And what's new? Nothing more and nothing less than the biggest adventure of Ragnar's life.

We know that Ragnar went from being farmer to Earl, from laboring the land and herding cattle to exploring the seas and plundering unknown lands. What else is left for Ragnar to do so that his legacy may not be forgotten?

                                                    ...

                                      TO BE A KING!

Ragnar had an endless ambition, so he decided to attack England again to conquer more fertile lands that were easier to cultivate. He wanted the Viking people to always have something to eat and work. He set sail for England with King Horik until they reached Wessex, where they were attacked by King Ecbert, who was expecting them.

 

Ragnar and King Ecbert were more alike than it might seem - they were both strategists, ambitious and determined; they fought for the survival of their own. Both Ragnar and Ecbert came to the conclusion that it was better to come to an agreement between them and not enter into a war that would result in bloodshed of their peoples; Ecbert is even willing to pay them to leave. Since what Ragnar desired to build a Viking colony there, he started negotiating with Ecbert the terms for funding a Viking colony in Wessex's lands.

So far, so good! They signed a no-war agreement where Ecbert granted him land to create his colony, but it can't all be so wonderful, can it? Chaos has to break out at some point.

            

Ragnar received news that Borg had attacked Kattegat, and he returned to defend his people, leaving Horik in charge of the new colony in Wessex. Once he arrived in Kattegat, he met with his wife, Aslaug, and his brother, who had hidden his family because he reckoned they did not have enough men to take on Borg.

But, it seems that the Gods were on Ragnar's side, and suddenly (to Ragnar's luck), Lagertha and her son Bjorn arrived in Kattegat with an army to help Ragnar and defeat Borg.

What strategy did they use to overthrow Borg? They entered the village at night, burning all the supplies they had for the winter. That led Borg to establish a hunting plan that ended up in a bloody battle between them, causing Borg's flight.

After achieving "peace" in Kattegat again, Ragnar discovered that King Ecbert had broken their alliance and attacked the colony he had granted him in Wessex during his absence. King Horik, defeated, returned to Kattegat to reveal to Ragnar his desire for revenge and convinces him to ally again with Borg.

They needed his men and fleet to defeat King Ecbert. However, Borg and his men set fire to the huts of Ragnar's men while they slept, and Ragnar took him prisoner until he executed him following the ceremony of the blood eagle. Their purpose was to return to Wessex as soon as possible.

Once in Wessex, instead of attacking, as Horik and Lagertha wanted, Ragnar sent Torstein to tell Ecbert that they had arrived and that they wanted to re-establish a peace treaty and return his friend Aethelstan alive. But... do we believe that Ecbert can be trusted? Certainly not, since Ecbert and King Horik immediately began another battle in another battle that Ecbert's army won, and Rollo was wounded and captured.

Why don't we have wine tasters?

After the withdrawal of the Vikings in this battle, King Aella (Ecbert's ally) wanted to destroy them, but Ecbert chose to offer them land if they helped them in their struggle for the throne of Mercia, to which Ragnar agreed. At this, King Horik saw that Ragnar did not learn, that he still trusted the promises of the King of Wessex, so he planned to kill him and his family.

How was he planning to do it? Well...he tried to persuade Siggy to kill Ragnar's sons while he planned to attack Kattegat and Floki, but when he attacked, he discovered that none of them would betray Ragnar. His end is near - the betrayal costed him dearly, and it seemed that his farewell was not going to be a "happily ever after." Ragnar killed him and claimed the throne and the "King's Sword."

At first glance...Ragnar would do anything to achieve his goals, including taking the lives of those against him. But, was he really doing it to give the Vikings a chance for a better life, or was it to feed his own ego?

      

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Written by Sara Pastor