Why Did Askeladd Kill the King? Did He Do It for Canute?

Askeladd was one of the most complex characters in the storyline of Vinland Saga, as there is no doubt that he had a lot of different schemes. One such plan involved Prince Canute, whom he wanted to become more powerful despite the fact that the prince was merely a second son. Of course, things didn’t work out in Askeladd’s favor as he had to kill King Sweyn during the ending part of season 1. So, why did Askeladd kill King Sweyn?

Askeladd killed King Sweyn because he was made to choose between saving Wales and killing Canute. Because Askeladd didn’t want to choose either, he decided to sacrifice himself by killing the king so that he could keep Wales safe and allow Canute to rise in power after the death of Sweyn.

The thing about Askeladd is that his life can be quite complex in the sense that no one really understood what was going through his mind. But the fact that King Sweyn placed him in a difficult situation made Askeladd kill the king as this was the only way that he could accomplish his goals, even if it meant dying. So, with that said, let’s look at why Askeladd killed Sweyn.

Why Did Askeladd Kill King Sweyn?

Even though Vinland Saga seemed like a story about Vikings that fought and killed for a living, what people often overlooked is that there was a lot of politicking involved as well. The politics in the storyline revolved around Prince Canute and his position as the second son of King Sweyn. Of course, Askeladd had schemes that were related to Canute’s political status.

Despite the fact that Askeladd seemed like a mindless mercenary that fought and killed to make money, the truth was that he was a much more complex character that was neither good nor evil. Instead, his main goal was to ensure that his true home country of Wales was safe from the clutches of the Danish Vikings, and that was because he believed himself to be the descendant of a Welsh king.

Of course, during the events of season 1, we saw that Askeladd’s band of mercenaries was hired to accompany Prince Canute in the fight against Thorkell’s men. But the reason why Canute was sent to command an entire army against Thorkell, who was a seasoned fighter and leader, was due to the fact that King Sweyn never had any affection for him as he only saw him as a spare son. That’s because Canute was Sweyn’s second son and was not equipped to lead and command an army because he was raised as a sheltered young man.

During that time, Askeladd struggled to keep Canute and his men alive while they were running away from Thorkell’s forces. Still, they were able to find a way to escape death as Askeladd and Canute ended up celebrating the victory back with King Sweyn.

But it was during the celebration that King Sweyn made Askeladd choose between Wales and Canute. Sweyn told Askeladd that he was planning on invading Wales if the mercenary leader did not kill Canute. That was when Askeladd was placed in a tough situation that forced him to murder King Sweyn on the spot. This also led to his death at the hands of Prince Canute. So, why did Askeladd kill the king?

The reason why Askeladd killed King Sweyn was that this was his only choice. Sweyn knew that Askeladd’s main goal was to protect Wales, and the mercenary was looking to do so with the help of Canute. Of course, Sweyn didn’t want Canute to become the king or rise in terms of his political power, which was why he wanted his second son died as he was still a threat to his first son, Harald. 

So, when Askeladd was given a choice between saving Wales and killing Canute, he chose to kill King Sweyn as this allowed him to spare Wales from getting attacked while also keeping Canute alive. In that regard, by killing Sweyn and dying as a hero, he was able to hit two birds with one stone while making sure that the king didn’t have his way.

Did Askeladd Kill Sweyn For Canute?

As mentioned, Askeladd was forced to choose between saving Wales and killing Prince Canute. Of course, he chose neither as he decided to kill King Sweyn so that he could keep Wales safe and Canute alive. But did Askeladd kill Sweyn for Canute?

Back when Askeladd was fighting tooth and nail to keep Prince Canute alive from Thorkell’s forces, he was secretly scheming in a political way. Askeladd wanted Canute to stay alive while collecting victory after victory. This would have allowed the prince to become more popular among the nobles of Denmark, as Canute would have been able to challenge Harald for the throne. 

So, with Canute on the throne and Askeladd counseling him, he would have been able to keep Wales safe because Canute would be grateful to him for helping him rise to power. In a way, Askeladd’s main goal was to ensure that Wales was safe, and the only way for him to do so was through Canute. 

At that time, Canute was a weak prince with no political will. This would have allowed Askeladd to easily influence him to keep his forces away from Wales, as that was always the mercenary leader’s primary goal. But because the battles against Thorkell’s army and the death of Ragnar allowed Canute to grow as a man with enough political will, Askeladd was confident enough to leave Denmark in the hands of the prince, knowing well that he would not attack Wales.

As such, Askeladd didn’t kill Sweyn for the sake of Canute. Instead, he did so for the sake of making sure that Wales was safe. And the best way for him to keep Wales safe was to kill King Sweyn and allow Prince Canute to rise in power as the man that killed the murderer of the king, as this was the only way for Askeladd to hit two birds with one stone and accomplish his primary goal of saving his home country.