Vikings: The 10 Worst Betrayals In the Series | ScreenRant
"I have been betrayed often in my life. I never got used to it...," Lagertha said. She was just a poor victim to most of the worst betrayals in Vikings. Lagertha lost most of the things she earned rightfully in the show, including her throne, to betrayal. Her life story was also the perfect summary of what it meant to be a Viking leader.
While Vikings was a story of war and conquest, it was also a story of love and loyalty and the latter happened to be the most tested virtue in the show. As people grew more desperate for power, they became bolder and less trustworthy. Rollo turned on Ragnar, Ragnar turned on his people while his sons turned on each other. In the end, it became impossible to predict whether anyone's allegiance would last.
10 Harald Against Bjorn
When Bjorn took leadership of Harald and Olavsson's army in York, Harald had been defeated by the English and didn't have much of an option. He had also been betrayed by Ivar, so returning to Kattegat wasn't an option for him either. Bjorn saved him and gave him another chance back to his former glory.
When Olaf took him prisoner, Bjorn came to his aid at a great cost to himself and his men. The least Harald could do was be loyal to Bjorn. Harald instead went back to his old self and planned to kill Bjorn at the time when Norway badly needed to be united.
9 Kjetil Against Floki
Floki deserved a place in Valhalla next to Ragnar or dying in his bed surrounded by grateful Vikings but Kjetil Flatnose denied him that. When Floki discovered the barren settlement he called the land of the gods, he felt like he had finally accomplished his life's purpose. It wasn't the richest or the best place for people to live but he was trying to create something good.
He was also responsible for the lives of everyone he brought to the settlement which is why he was relieved when Kjetil pretended to have forgiven Eyvind. The settlement would have worked perfectly until Kjetil showed his monstrous side and massacred an entire family. Floki was heartbroken and finally gave up on human beings.
8 Floki Against Ragnar
Ragnar was right about Floking's betrayal. The gods never told him to kill Athelstan, he just did it out of hatred and jealousy. Athelstan was an invaluable member of Ragnar's family. He had helped the Vikings and saved Ragnar and his family many times.
He was also Ragnar's key to future interactions with England and Floki killed him. It was tough for Ragnar who considered the young monk to be his brother. When Athelstan died, Ragnar lost the will to lead and that was probably the reason why Rollo outwitted him in Frankia.
7 Ivar Against Harald
Ivar was always going to turn on Harald at one point because he was selfish and cruel, but when he did it, it was hard to stomach for poor Harald. In the first battle of Kattegat, Harald was fighting for Ivar to become the king but Ivar abandoned him and he nearly died. Harald even killed his brother Halfdan because of Ivar.
Harald was disappointed when Ivar got married and decided to father a legitimate heir while Harald sat there waiting for him to die. He discovered that all that fighting and killing his brother were for nothing as Ivar declared himself a god and planned to rule forever. Harald realized he had helped make the evilest man in the world the king of Kattegat.
6 King Horik Against Ragnar
King Horik would never have seen England if it wasn't for Ragnar. Ragnar also saved his life while on the raid. The least the king could do was face Ragnar as a man rather than try to turn his best friend against him. To become the earl, Ragnar had to kill Haraldson who had chased him away from his farm and was threatening to wipe out his family.
Haraldson was man enough to face Ragnar in combat though. Ragnar then became more powerful than King Horik, but he didn't use that strength to betray his king until his king betrayed him first. Ragnar was more than justified to kill him and take his place.
5 Ragnar Against Lagertha
Lagertha did everything right as a wife and a mother. She loved Ragnar and helped him when he was at his lowest to take Kattegat from Haraldson and become its Earl. When he slept with Aslaug, Lagertha forgave him and was willing to stay as long as she remained by Ragnar's side as the queen, a position she had rightfully earned.
Ragnar instead chose to shame the shieldmaiden by bringing another woman and asking Lagertha to be okay with it. He made Aslaug his queen, forcing the rightful queen of Kattegat to go to Hedeby to start over from nothing.
4 Ragnar Against His Own People
Ragnar betrayed his people on two major occasions. Each time, he believed he was protecting them but he only made things worse. When he received the news about the destruction of the settlements in England, he decided to kill the messenger and not tell his people about the fate of their loved ones.
He managed to earn their loyalty for the raid of Frankia but he lost that one too making it a double tragedy when they discovered his treachery. Then he lied to a couple of peasants to accompany him to England when his sons refused to do so. When he got to England, he killed all of them while they slept so that the Saxons would not perceive him as a threat.
3 Rollo Against Ragnar
Ragnar made many mistakes in his life but his failures could never be compared to Rollo's betrayal. Ragnar had saved Rollo's life many times including when he bribed a lawmaker to save his life even after he betrayed him by fighting alongside Jarl Borg.
Rollo never paid Ragnar back for the many times he saved him. When he left him in Frankia, Ragnar was entrusting him with major responsibility again but Rollo did what he was best at; betraying Ragnar and his family. Rollo's betrayal broke Ragnar and led to his death.
2 Ecbert Against The Vikings
Ragnar more than earned the settlement the Vikings got in Wessex because he negotiated with Ecbert in good faith and even fought for Ecbert to get control of Wessex. Ecbert then promised to protect the settlement, making it the greatest win by Ragnar since he started raiding.
Ecbert went back on his word and had his son massacre the settlement, betrayal the Vikings never anticipated. It proved fatal for him when the sons of Ragnar came back but it also went down as the worst betrayal of Ragnar Lothbrok in the show.
1 Ivar Against His Own People
The Rus did more damage to Kattegat and all of Norway than all the previous battles the Norwegians had fought among themselves combined. All that suffering could have been avoided if Oleg didn't have Ivar leading his battle against his own people. Ragnar betrayed the people of Kattegat once but even he would never pick up a sword against his own people.
Even Bjorn, when he wanted to take Kattegat from Ivar, opted to negotiate with the people of Kattegat rather than attack the city. Ivar, on the other hand, brought hell on the very people his father had fought for all his life. He had made many mistakes, but leading a foreign army against his own people was just too extreme even for him.