Ubba Ragnarsson was a supporting character and antagonist in both The Saxon Stories novel series, and The Last Kingdom television series, acting as the main antagonist of the first half of Season 1. He was a powerful and feared Danish warlord.
He is one of the sons of the legendary Ragnar Lothbrok, king of the Danes and Svear. Along with his brothers Ivar and Halfdan, Ubba was one of the principle leaders of the "Great Heathen Army".
Biography[]
The Saxon Stories[]
(To Be Added)
The Last Kingdom[]
Season 1[]
Northumbria; Ubba appears as part of Ragnar's raiding force that has come to attack Uhtred's home, Bebbanburg. ("Episode 1.1")
Ragnar's Hall, Northumbria; Later on he appears in the background while Ravn warns Uhtred about him, stating that he is to never to go against Ubba because of the fact that Ubba strictly follows his gods and his sorcerer Storri. ("Episode 1.1")
Northumbrian woods; Ubba is present for negotiations between Ælfric and the Danes, with Ælfric attempting to buy back the young Uhtred. After learning of Ælfric's intentions to kill Uhtred if he successfully ransoms him back, Ubba sells the boy to Earl Ragnar the Fearless, despite Ælfric's protests. ("Episode 1.1")
East Anglia; Years later, after Kjartan kills Earl Ragnar in revenge for banishing him, Uhtred travels to meet with Ubba and tell him the truth about what happened to his family. Uhtred finds Ubba and Guthrum toying with King Edmund, mocking him for his Christian beliefs, and then killing him with arrows. Ubba, having heard Kjartan's lie that it was Uhtred himself who betrayed Earl Ragnar, doesn't believe Uhtred and intends to kill him for being a traitor. However, when Uhtred informs Ubba that he holds his sorcerer Storri prisoner, Ubba reluctantly lets him go in order to save his seer. ("Episode 1.2")
Wessex; Ubba attends a negotiation with the new King of Wessex, Alfred, alongside the Danish Earl Guthrum. Ubba defies Alfred, stating that if he wants to remain king he will have to pay the Danes in grain, horses, silver and land, though Alfred adamantly refuses to give up any land. Having been denied the opportunity to kill him earlier, Ubba states that there will be peace between Dane and Saxon if Alfred delivers him Uhtred's head, but Alfred refuses this as well. ("Episode 1.3")
After the winter, the Danes began to invade Wessex once again. Guthrum is left alone when Ubba abandons the war in order to go to Irland and avenge the death of his brother, Ivar the Boneless, in Irland. ("Episode 1.4")
Wessex; Upon his return, the Danes are ready to attack the Saxons and Ubba asks Storri to read the runesticks and find out if an attack will be favorable. ("Episode 1.5")
Cynuit, Wessex; Ubba meets with Uhtred and Earl Odda the Elder at Cynuit, demanding their surrender. Uhtred taunts Ubba, telling him the gods are angry with him for allowing Ragnar the Fearless' death to go unpunished. ("Episode 1.5")
This causes Ubba to doubt Storri's assurances of victory, which gives Uhtred time to light the Danish ships on fire. Storri spots Uhtred as he is trying to sneak out of the camp, and Ubba challenges him to single combat. Although Ubba could seemingly defeat Uhtred easily, he didn't immediately kill him and instead wanted to hurt and humiliate him. When he finally went for the killing blow, Uhtred was able to cut his ankles and get him off his feet. Before killing Ubba, Uhtred placed his axe in his hand in order to make sure he went to Valhalla after his death. ("Episode 1.5")
Uhtred wanted to bury Ubba with his axe, but it was taken as a prize by Odda the Younger. Uhtred made sure that Ubba was buried with respect, noting that Ubba was as close to a king as the Danes will ever have. When Odda the Younger proposed building a church at Cynuit, he suggested to King Alfred that they exhume Ubba's remains and throw them in the river, but Alfred told him that the body must be reburied with respect, as Ubba was a great warrior. ("Episode 1.5")
Killed Victims[]
This list shows the victims Ubba has killed:
- Edmund (indirectly)
- Numerous unnamed Saxon soldiers and civilians
This list shows the victims Ubba has killed:
- (To Be Added)
Battle Participation[]
This list shows the battles Ubba has participated in:
|
Appearances[]
The Saxon Stories[]
| Books | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Saxon Stories | ✔ |
The Last Kingdom[]
| Episodes | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ||||||
| Season 2 | ||||||||||
| Season 3 | ||||||||||
| Season 4 | ||||||||||
| Season 5 | ||||||||||
| Seven Kings Must Die |
Trivia[]
- This character has been based on a real historical figure of Ubba.
- Ubba's powerbase is believed to have been on the island of Walcheren at the mouth of the Scheldt River (located in Zeeland in the Netherlands) in what was then part of Frisia. Due to this, part of the Danish Mycel Heathen Here (Old English: Great Heathen Army) may have been drawn from the Frisians, who were themselves known for piracy.
- In Old Norse, his name would have been rendered as Ubbi.