Vikings season 4: cast and episode overview
Season 4 contains 20 story episodes, from A Good Treason to The Reckoning. It is commonly presented in two ten-episode parts.
Key roles in this season’s story include Bjorn Ironside (Alexander Ludwig / Nathan O'Toole), Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel), Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick) and Floki (Gustaf Skarsgård). The full selection below connects characters with performers and their biographies.
Reference: HISTORY season guide.
What is season 4 about?
This twenty-episode season is a hinge between Ragnar's generation and his sons. The first half returns to Francia and the rivalry with Rollo. The second revisits the English settlement's consequences, then transfers the center of gravity to the Great Army and the competing ambitions of Ragnar's heirs.
- Story episodes
- 20
- Start here
- A Good Treason
- Season finale
- The Reckoning
The 20 episodes are often presented in two ten-episode parts. This guide keeps the story in its complete season order.
The turning points
- Rollo defeats Ragnar's returning fleet.
- Lagertha kills Aslaug.
- Ragnar dies in Northumbria; the Great Army follows.
- Ivar kills Sigurd.
Character arcs
- Episodes 1–10: Floki faces consequences, while Rollo's Frankish position transforms the Paris campaign.
- Episodes 11–15: Ragnar returns from absence and takes Ivar to England.
- Episodes 16–20: his sons gather an army, avenge him, and disagree over what comes next.
Themes running through the season
- Legacy and disillusionment
- Brotherhood across political borders
- Revenge versus settlement
Vikings season 4 cast and characters
Start with these key roles from the season. Follow a performer for their biography and other screen work, or a character for their story. This selection follows the episode guides and is not a complete credits list.
| Character | Played by |
|---|---|
| Bjorn Ironside | Alexander Ludwig · Nathan O'Toole |
| Ragnar Lothbrok | Travis Fimmel |
| Lagertha | Katheryn Winnick |
| Floki | Gustaf Skarsgård |
| King Ecbert | Linus Roache |
| Ivar the Boneless | Alex Høgh Andersen · James Quinn Markey |
| Rollo | Clive Standen |
| Ubbe | Jordan Patrick Smith · Luke Shanahan |
The season’s story map
Explore these places on the interactive world map.
Paris
The fortified Frankish city at the center of the siege campaigns.
Francia
The Frankish realm in which Rollo builds a new position.
Wessex
The English kingdom where land, alliances and royal authority intersect.
Kattegat
The series’ home port and center of family and political power.
Norway
The contested setting for competing claims to royal authority.
Hedeby
A center of authority in Lagertha’s political story.
Mercia
The English kingdom whose dynastic conflict draws in outside forces.
England
The wider setting of the Saxon kingdoms and Norse campaigns.
Northumbria
The northern English kingdom tied to Ælle and the conflict with Ragnar’s family.
Algeciras
The southern Iberian port visited by the Mediterranean expedition.
Story settings differ from production locations. Explore where Vikings was filmed.
Every season 4 episode, in order
A Good Treason
Ragnar’s illness leaves others making decisions about loyalty, succession and punishment. Bjorn acts against Floki, while Rollo commits himself to his Frankish future.
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Kill the Queen
Punishment tightens around Floki, while Bjorn endures the winter alone. In Wessex, Æthelwulf must turn Ecbert’s political objective into a dangerous rescue.
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Mercy
Separate visions of Athelstan bring Ragnar and Ecbert back to the same moral question. Bjorn confronts a bear while an additional human threat is prepared against him.
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Yol
Seasonal celebration brings new arrivals and sharper declarations of allegiance. Bjorn survives the attack planned against him, and Harald introduces an ambition that extends beyond Kattegat.
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Promised
Secrets circulate among lovers and political partners. Lagertha’s apparent wedding resolves the struggle over Hedeby, while Ragnar reveals a failure he has kept from his own people.
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What Might Have Been
The return to Paris takes shape as a clash between the brothers’ commitments. Ragnar brings younger sons into the voyage while the Seer gives him an enigmatic account of his death.
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The Profit and the Loss
Rollo’s river defenses defeat the first assault. The Vikings discover that danger at the camp has continued while they were fighting, and Ragnar faces increasing demands for a workable plan.
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Portage
Ragnar proposes moving the ships overland around the forts. His tactical invention sits beside personal violence and political removals that make this an unusually consequential episode away from the battlefield.
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Death All 'Round
The overland operation returns the fleet to the water, while private losses and coercion continue around it. Ragnar finally states how personal his objective in Francia has become.
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The Last Ship
The brothers meet in a costly river battle that ends in Frankish victory. A major time jump then reveals a transformed Kattegat and a family ready to question Ragnar’s legacy.
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The Outsider
Ragnar finds that his sons have plans and obligations of their own. His attempt to recruit companions becomes a sequence of farewells before Ivar agrees to sail with him.
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The Vision
Bjorn’s expedition attracts a substantial fleet, while Ragnar must pay men to accompany him. Aslaug foresees disaster for Ivar, but mother and son cannot agree on whether the journey should happen.
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Two Journeys
The shipwreck leaves Ragnar’s group exposed in Wessex. Bjorn negotiates with a powerful relative in Francia, while Lagertha moves against a throne left vulnerable at home.
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In the Uncertain Hour Before the Morning
Aslaug’s surrender does not secure her survival. In Wessex, Ragnar and Ecbert revisit their shared history and negotiate an arrangement that gives Ivar a route home.
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All His Angels
Ragnar uses a private farewell to redirect Ivar’s vengeance toward Ecbert. His transfer to Northumbria ends with torture and execution, turning the father’s final choices into his sons’ next conflict.
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Crossings
Bjorn’s expedition raids Algeciras and encounters religious life unfamiliar to its travelers. At home, the news of Ragnar’s death sharpens Lagertha’s vulnerability and his sons’ desire for revenge.
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The Great Army
The movement for revenge brings ships and warriors into Kattegat, but the family supplying its leaders is already divided. Bjorn protects Lagertha even as he joins the undertaking against the Saxons.
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Revenge
The Great Army crosses to Northumbria and overwhelms Ælle’s defense. The long-promised vengeance reaches its target while the coalition’s leadership and private loyalties remain unsettled.
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On the Eve
Kattegat’s defenses face the attack prepared in Harald’s interest. In England, Ivar argues for exploiting terrain rather than meeting the Saxons on terms chosen only by expectation or pride.
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The Reckoning
A Saxon defeat leads to Ecbert’s final bargain, while the victorious brothers split over what to do next. The season ends with deaths inside the Viking circle as well as the fall of a familiar king.
Read episode guideWhat to notice on a rewatch
- Treat the time jump as a change in family power, not simply the actors' ages.
- Compare Bjorn's exploration, Ubbe's settlement ambitions and Ivar's approach to warfare.
- Track how Ragnar controls the story told about his own end.
The history behind this season.
Was Ragnar Lothbrok a real person?
The familiar Ragnar gathers several kinds of material into one life. Later legends and the historical campaigns associated with men claimed as his sons do not establish the television biography.
Keep the distinctionRead the family on screen as drama; investigate a named person, campaign or source separately.
What is historical about Rollo and Paris?
Rollo belongs to the history of Normandy. The agreement associated with 911, conversion and the growth of territorial rule explain his significance. His role as Ragnar’s brother belongs to the series.
Keep the distinctionThe Paris attack of 845, the siege of 885–886 and Normandy’s foundation are distinct episodes of history. The drama brings material together.