Vikings Ecberts Best (& Worst) Character Traits
Vikings: Ecbert’s Best (& Worst) Character Traits
Contents
King Ecbert was a difficult man to understand, so wise, yet so complicated. What good and bad traits defined this Vikings character?
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“The more complicated a person is, the more interesting he is. But at the same time, the more dangerous he is,” Ecbert said. He couldn’t have described himself any better. King Ecbert was a difficult man to understand, so wise, yet so complicated.
It was impossible to attach intentions to his actions until it was accomplished which made him one of the most interesting characters in Vikings. He was able to outsmart most of his enemies and handle the crises at court without losing his composure. Since his death, all the kings of England were guided by his dream until the end of the show. So what exactly made King Ecbert the smartest king in England?
10 Best: Wise
When the Danes attacked England, everyone shouted death to the heathens and cursed them hoping God would just perform a miracle and the Danes would be defeated. Ecbert knew better though. He understood that England would have to deal with the Danes for a long time and the only way to defeat them was by understanding them first.
Ecbert decided to befriend Ragnar, Lagertha, and Rollo and even used Aethelstan to understand the Vikings better. He also handled English politics better than any other king, securing the future of the throne and control of Mercia without affecting his popularity.
9 Worst: Treacherous
Ecbert knew that the 5000-acre settlement of Vikings in England would never survive without Ragnar’s protection. However, he still shook hands with Ragnar on it to get the Northmen to leave him in peace. The people were innocent and Ecbert had every reason to protect them because he knew that Ragnar would come back one day.
He chose to leave them at the fate of Aethelwulf knowing very well that he would massacre the village. Ecbert also took Mercia from under Aelle’s nose after using him to secure it.
8 Best: Calculating
Ecbert always did the math and got it right most of the time which helped him avoid trouble. He was the first English king to understand that England would need more than just armies to solve the Viking invasion problem. He also had the hope of uniting all the English kingdoms under one crown which later became Alfred’s ambition.
His decision to hand over the crown to Aethelwulf before the Vikings took over Wessex ensured that Wessex was safe no matter what he did under the pressure from the sons of Ragnar. His choice of Alfred as the king of England also gave Wessex the king it needed in the time of crisis.
7 Worst: Selfish
Ecbert was smart but he was also an exploitative person that always wanted the good things to be his even when he didn’t deserve them. Lagertha noticed it and refused to stay because a man that only cared about himself couldn’t be her friend. He started by taking Judith, his daughter in law in his bed without caring about his son’s feelings.
Kwenthrith was a victim of years of torture from those around her in Mercia. When Ecbert offered to help her, he didn’t treat her any differently. He only used her to get Mercia under his rule before killing her. He also ensured that all the credit from defeating the Danes and later, for quashing the rebellion in Mercia came to him.
6 Best: Compassionate
Ecbert was not the most trustworthy man but at least he couldn’t let anyone suffer unnecessarily. If left to him to do it, he would have killed Ragnar more humanely than Aelle did because he didn’t take pleasure in anyone’s suffering.
He stopped the determined Christians from crucifying Aethelstan for being an apostate and chose to give him a job in the court instead. He also saved Judith from further humiliation and probably death for adultery.
5 Worst: Manipulative
Ecbert had a way of using those around him to do his dirty work. Aethelwulf was the biggest victim of his father’s evil schemes. The poor prince didn’t seem to have a mind of his own as his father had him clean the mess as he enjoyed his time as king. He fought the wars in Mercia and was forced to handle the stubborn Kwenthrith while his father had the best time of the world with Judith.
Ecbert also indirectly ordered Aethelwulf to destroy the Viking settlement so that the king would not be blamed for the brutal killing of a settlement he swore to protect. After doing his father’s dirty work, Ecbert got all the credit. Ecbert also used the Vikings to solve his problems with the Mercian rebellion only to imprison Kwenthrith and take their victory for himself.
4 Best: Futuristic
Alfred relied on Ecbert’s wisdom to rule because the old king had the most futuristic mind of any leader. He had the future of England in his mind and he had it all planned out perfectly. He knew that his son would not make the best king but that Alfred would be a great leader so he sent him to Rome to be blessed by the pope.
Ecbert also knew that Ragnar’s sons would come to avenge their father’s death and that whichever kingdom he died in, would be on the receiving end of the bloodiest battle. His plans to have Aethelstan translate roman scrolls for him gave Wessex a reference point for planning future battles which also helped improve their defenses.
3 Worst: Condescending
Ecbert was shrewd in the way he handled King Aelle because he never considered him his equal. He took advantage of Judith because he knew that Aelle and Aethelwulf couldn’t do anything about it. He also took over Mercia with impunity because he considered everyone else as less than himself and not deserving of respect.
It is the same habit that caused his problems with Ragnar. He underestimated Ragnar’s ability to turn the Danes against him and used his little trick to kill him. In the end, he and Aelle were punished equally.
2 Best: Curious
Unlike Aethelwulf who took everything at face value, Ecbert was a smart man that tried to get to the bottom of everything. He tried his best to learn and understand the Danes including Ragnar and even gave Lagertha the chance to live in Wessex.
His curiosity also allowed him to use the ignored Roman texts to his advantage. He was always willing to learn and understand before executing his plans which made him wiser than Aelle.
1 Worst: Wicked
Ecbert never fell short of unscrupulous plans that only benefitted him. On the surface, Ecbert liked to display himself as this caring king that only wanted what was good for his kingdom but that was a lie. He was a brutal schemer willing to kill everyone that stood in his way of becoming the king of all Britain.
He was willing to sacrifice his own son to save himself. He always planned to take Mercia for himself, so he enjoyed it when Kwenthrith died. He also helped Lagertha set up a settlement for the Danes to get her trust and get her into his bed only to turn around and order a massacre.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/vikings-ecbert-best-worst-character-traits/
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