Vikings: Why Rollo Stayed In Paris After Ragnar Left

Rollo betrayed his brother, Ragnar, many times throughout Vikings, and his ultimate betrayal was staying in Paris – but why did he stay?

Vikings: Why Rollo Stayed In Paris After Ragnar Left

Most of the main characters in Vikings had tragic endings, but there are some who simply distanced themselves from the battles and Ragnar’s crew, as Rollo did when he decided to stay in Paris – but why did he do that? Historical dramas have become very popular thanks to their combination of real-life stories and characters with fiction to enhance the drama and action, and among the most popular TV shows from that branch in recent years is Michael Hirst’s Vikings.

Vikings initially followed the travels and raids of legendary Norse warrior Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) and his Viking brothers, but as the series progressed, it shifted its focus to Ragnar’s sons and their own travels. Still, Ragnar and his crew are the ones who shaped Vikings, and while most of them had tragic endings, such as Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick) and Ragnar himself, others found a different path far from the battles, as happened with Rollo (Clive Standen), Ragnar’s brother with whom he had a complicated relationship as Rollo lived in his brother’s shadow for years.

Rollo was Ragnar’s older brother and he might have been Björn’s real father as he had a relationship with Lagertha before she married Ragnar. Rollo was trapped in a constant battle against his brother as his feelings went from admiration to hate and jealousy. This led to Rollo betraying Ragnar a couple of times throughout Vikings, including when he stayed in Paris after their raid, choosing to defend Paris from future attacks by his brother. Rollo’s betrayal didn’t really come as a surprise, but his reasons to stay went beyond betraying his brother and crew, as he was ambitious and wanted to get away from his brother’s shadow, and staying in Paris was the best way to get what he truly wanted.

Rollo set eyes on Princess Gisla during the Viking invasion of Paris, and he was so distracted when they made eye contact that he was attacked by Parisian soldiers. Following Ragnar’s fake death and the sacking of Paris thanks to this surprise attack, Ragnar decided they should return home but they should also raid Paris again in the spring, so he ordered that their camp remained established outside the city until the rest returned. Rollo decided to stay, but he was later offered a vast area of land, the title of Duke, and Princess Gisla’s hand in marriage, under the condition that he defended Paris from Ragnar’s future attacks, and so Rollo accepted. Rollo later killed all those in the Viking encampment and continued to fight against his brother.

Paris gave Rollo everything he had been looking for: wealth, lands, power, and freedom, especially from his brother’s shadow, and as he had already betrayed Ragnar a couple of times, he obviously wasn’t going to hesitate to betray him one more time in exchange for everything he had always wanted. Rollo made his final decision when he accepted the Emperor’s offer, and after his brief appearance in Vikings season 5, Rollo wasn’t seen nor heard of again, so it’s implied that (in the series, of course) he continued serving as duke and stayed away from any and all Viking conflicts outside his lands. Rollo ultimately got what he wanted, but the price was high and his methods weren’t the best.