“Vikings” was filled with action and drama, and the characters were involved in a series of battles and betrayals, which, while interesting to follow, also led to some confusing moments, such as why Ethelwuf sent Magnus away in season 4. The historical drama branch has become very popular in recent years, and one of its most popular titles is Michael Hearst’s Vikings. For six seasons, Vikings covered the early years of the Viking Age with some of the most famous warriors and characters of the time, although the series also took many creative liberties with its stories and characters, as not all of them were based on real people.
Vikings originally followed the legendary Scandinavian figure Ragnar Lodbrok (Travis Fimmel) and his many travels with his Viking brothers, among them his real brother Rollo (Clive Standen) and his best friend and boat builder Kattegata Floki (Gustav Skarsgard), but as the series developed, she switched her attention to the sons of Ragnar – Bjorn, Ubbe, Hvitserk, Sigurd and Ivar. After Ragnar’s death in season 4 of Vikings, his sons took over and directed the series until its final episode, but Ragnar’s presence, his legacy, and the influence of his past actions continued to be felt throughout the series. Ragnar allegedly had an illegitimate son Magnus, who returned after Ragnar’s death to avenge his death and other problems he had with some English royals.
Magnus of Mercia was the son of Queen Kventrit, who claimed that Magnus’ father was Ragnar Lodbrok. Quentrit used this to protect her kingdom from King Ecbert, who wanted to gain control of Mercia, and after the queen failed to seduce Ecbert’s son, Ethelwulf, she introduced him and Bishop Edmund to Magnus. Quentrit also claimed that since Ragnar was Magnus’ father, the Viking warrior would defend Mercia in his son’s interests, and if Wessex attacked, they would have to confront the Viking army. However, Ethelwulf did not take her statements seriously, and she agreed to his demands, but in season 4 of Vikings, Kventrit and Magnus were taken hostage in the tower. Later, Eckbert tried to negotiate with Ragnar using Magnus, but Ragnar denied that he was his father. Since Magnus was no longer needed by Eckbert and company, he risked being killed, so Ethelwulf freed the boy and sent him away to save him from certain death.
What happened to Magnus after Ethelwulf banished him
Magnus’ exile in season 4 of Vikings did not end the story of the young prince. Now a man, Magnus returned in season 5 of Vikings, where he told Bjorn that he wanted revenge on King Alfred, as he blamed him and the late King Eckbert and Ethelwulf for his exile and the death of their father, as he claimed that he was the illegitimate son of Ragnar. . Magnus also considered himself a Viking and joined King Harald and his troops, killing many West Saxon soldiers at the Battle of Marton, but the Viking army was defeated, and Magnus sailed with Harald to York. Magnus converted to the Scandinavian religion and took part in the siege of Kattegat, and when he told Harald that he had just realized who he really was, the White-haired Man shot him with an arrow, and he died on the spot.
However, the big mystery surrounding Magnus is whether he was really Ragnar’s son, or whether Kventrit lied to keep him, herself and her kingdom safe. While it’s not surprising that Ragnar had more sons in the Vikings, besides the ones he had with Lagertha and Aslaug, it seems strange that Ragnar denied having a son from the Queen of Mercia, unless he was doing it to protect him, although in the end, it didn’t go well..
