He assures his son, as well as Judith, that Ragnar is just one man. Charters indicate Wiglaf had authority in Middlesex and Berkshire, and in a charter of 836 Wiglaf uses the phrase "my bishops, Both Wessex's sudden rise to power in the late 820s, and the subsequent failure to retain this dominant position, have been examined by historians looking for underlying causes. There is, however, extensive evidence of Offa's domination of Kent during the late 780s, with his goals apparently going beyond overlordship to outright annexation of the kingdom,Cynewulf was murdered in 786. But when he broaches the subject of her staying with him instead of going back to her earldom, she tells him that she had fun with him but that she knows he only cares for himself. Ragnar demands Ecbert to kill him but he refuses again. His masterful tactics as a warrior led to King Ecbert expelling the Vikings from his lands for a time being with the aid of a standing army of well-trained warriors. Little is known of the first 20 years of Ecgberht's reign, but it is thought that he was able to maintain the independence of Wessex against the kingdom of Ecgberht was unable to maintain this dominant position, and within a year Wiglaf regained the throne of Mercia. Initially, Ragnar is still in his cage but Ecbert frees him, he thinks that Ragnar will kill him but Ragnar demands him to kill him. Ecbert accepts and promises Ragnar he will spare Ivar. Finally, Ecbert learns that Ragnar's strategy is to be killed then his son would come to avenge him. However, the Rhenish and Frankish commercial networks collapsed at some time in the 820s or 830s, and in addition, a rebellion broke out in February 830 against Louis the Pious—the first of a series of internal conflicts that lasted through the 830s and beyond. When Queen Kwenthrith is the victim of a Rebellion, Ecbert sends his son to protect her and to promise to help her to regain her kingdom. Praying alone in a church he is shown speaking to God that he has no fear of going to hell or sacrifice everyone else close to him to achieve his goals. We see the respect and admiration that Ragnar and Ecbert have one for the other, during their exchange, and mostly Athelstan misses them. At the end of season four Aethelwulf had to warn his father to evacuate the kingdom after suffering a heavy loss against the Vikings. Ragnar never gave in. An ambitious and open-minded man of strength, knowledge and the willingness to use those qualities decisively. " I would sup with the devil if he would show me how to achieve my earthly goals. " Ecgberht died in 839, and his will, according to the account of it found in the will of his grandson, Ecgberht was buried in Winchester, as were his son, Æthelwulf, his grandson, P. Wormald, "The Age of Bede and Æthelbald", in Campbell et al., E.g.
Ecbert refuses, then they speak faults committed by each other. In the meantime, he has been sleeping with Lagertha and showering her with gifts. While in truth, it is to hide his true ambitious, selfish, hypocrite and unscrupulous personality.
King Ecbert was the worldly and ambitious King of Wessex and Mercia, whose formative years were spent in the court of the Emperor Charlemagne. Fletcher assumes that Ecgberht spent essentially all Beorhtric's reign in Francia; see Fletcher, P. Wormald, "The Age of Offa and Alcuin", p. 128, in Campbell P. Wormald, "The Ninth Century", p. 139, in Campbell Stenton cites the annal for 839, which says Æthelwulf "granted" or "gave" the kingdom of Kent to his son, as an example of the language that would have been used had Wiglaf been granted the kingdom by Ecgberht.
A fifteenth century chronicle now held by Oxford University names Ecgberht's wife as Redburga who was supposedly a relative of Ealhmund does not appear to have long survived in power: there is no record of his activities after 784. His father was Ealhmund of Kent. It is because of his qualities as a ruthless yet great ruler which prompted Wigstan to crown him King of Mercia, for he sees within Ecbert a man who will ensure the end of Mercia's civil war and bring about order and prosperity under his reign.