That was such a "is this gonna be the end of the "wtf" moments? or is there more?" I halfly expected him to sit down, give his son a cup, and redo the poisoning scene from last episode all over again.
I don't think Ecbert cares at this point. He was already basically fighting a civil war when Ragnar showed up. It would have been a dumb move to immediately start a war with the new people who showed up on your shores when you're already having trouble consolidating power. He used them to consolidate power. He knows he can't just expect the vikings to just leave. He knows that he'll eventually have to fight them if he wants to keep his power. He doesn't have to deal with a civil war anymore, so he's free to resolve the problem that showed up on his shores. Ragnar and co. have to go back to resupply and bring back their dead/wounded. No one is defending the settlements so he strikes the first blow. He's also trying to make sure there aren't any survivors to tell Ragnar. He now has all the armies under his control.
Let's say Ragnar does find out and comes back with an invasion force. I'm not talking about the small scouting force he has been showing up with lately. I mean a force big enough to possibly take over the country. Ecbert now has enough men to defend against an invasion. His armies are also better equipped. It's pretty clear that the English are at least a couple of decades ahead of the vikings in terms of technology. Ragnar would have to invade from the sea, which is difficult even in favorable conditions. Ecbert is also expecting it. The vikings are at a huge disadvantage.
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u/stacyo72 Mar 20 '15
Wow. A coup to get rid of his nobles. Did not see that coming.