In Vikings, a number of earls (chieftains) have been featured as the rulers of designated territories in Norse kingdoms. Since earls are second to the king in the hierarchy, the most promising have gone on to inherit the throne whenever a king died. This is different from the Anglo-Saxon and Frankian kingdoms where the thrones are normally inherited by queens or princes.
Among the numerous earls who have appeared on the show, some have had much more influence over the proceedings. Chief among them is Ragnar Lothbrok, who puppeteers fate until his fall in season 4. Among the other influential earls, some have been likable while others trigger no sorrow whenever bad things happen to them.
Earl Haraldson
The first earl in the series likes to play it safe by sending the raiders to the East every year instead of the mysterious West. This causes him to clash with Ragnar when the fearsome warrior organizes a voyage to the West without approval. A fierce rivalry between them drags on for a while before it's eventually settled via a fight to the death.
By refusing to send his warriors West, Earl Haraldson appears cowardly. His greed rears its ugly head too when he insists on keeping all the plunder from the West for himself despite his opposition to the raid in the first place. Attacking and burning Ragnar's home for no good reason is an unforgivable sin in the eyes of fans too. It's a relief when Ragnar finally kills him.
Earl Sigvard
Sigvard becomes Lagertha's rebound when she divorces Ragnar, but the man she thought would be better turns to be an extremely abusive husband. The Earl of Hedeby enjoys humiliating Bjorn too.
Among the numerous unappealing things about Sigvard is his inferiority complex. Whenever Ragnar is mentioned, Sigvard becomes completely uncomfortable because he knows he can never match up to Ragnar. His demands that Bjorn accepts him as a father even when he does nothing to earn the title make him even more despicable. And his refusal to remedy his unpleasant personality eventually causes him to be subjected to one of the most brutal kills in Vikings.
Earl Bjarni
Bjarni is first introduced when Earl Haraldson sells his daughter Thyri to him as a wife for a mere 20 pounds. Both Thyri and her mother Siggy are not happy with the arranged marriage, but Bjarni doesn't seem to care.
The elderly Earl of Svealand is portrayed as a misogynist who even threatens Thyri with violence if she doesn't do as she says. Throughout their short-lived marriage, Thyri looks for a way out, confirming that her husband is an intolerable man. Luckily, the earl's reign of domestic terror is short-lived: Siggy stabs him to death in front of the entire village after Haraldson's defeat.
Earl Jorgensen
The Swedish earl agrees to join the Great Heathen Army, so he heads over to Kattegat to pledge his allegiance to Ragnar's sons. He proves to be a loyal ally right until his death.
Jorgensen is so honorable that he agrees to offer himself as a sacrifice to ensure the Vikings are victorious over the Saxons. He also commands much respect from his family and associates, including his brother Hoskuld, who looks up to him. Above all, Jorgensen is notably polite and agreeable, traits rarely present in other earls. However, he lacks any sort of real-world ambition, with his only goal being to get to Valhalla.
Earl Kalf
When Lagertha is away in Wessex, Kalf, a man she had trusted, stages a coup d'etat and takes over the throne. Strangely enough, he falls in love with the person he usurped and declares her co-ruler.
Kalf's soft-spoken nature makes him appealing to fans and even Lagertha herself. However, he lacks the wisdom needed to be an effective ruler. He trusts Lagertha to rule with him even when she makes it clear that she is angry and might kill him one day. He also executes his own allies with a crossbow when they become opposed to his idea to work with Lagertha. He and Lagertha have one of the most important weddings in Vikings but she keeps her promise by killing him during the ceremony.
Earl Vik
The Danish Earl is one of the rulers that agree to join the Great Heathen Army to avenge Ragnar's death. He soon finds himself feuding with King Harald because the Norweigian ruler has eyes on his wife, Ellisif.
In their feud, Vik is way more reasonable than Harald, and this makes him come off as the bigger person. His only focus is on achieving victory on the battlefield. Even when Harald tries to threaten him, he doesn't bulge. When Harald murders him in front of his wife, the heinous act triggers plenty of disgust.
Jarl Borg
Jarl Borg is a different kind of earl because he oversees a Götaland, a territory that is independent. For this reason, he is referred to by the Norse term "jarl" instead of the English term "earl."
Borg's life is an eventful one. He survives an attempt on his life via poisoning but loses his wife. He then burns his brother alive for betrayals before he starts a feud with King Horik over mineral-rich farmland. He is also manipulative enough to persuade Rollo to betray Ragnar. He is eventually defeated, but he deserves all the credit for standing up for himself against so many foes. His gruesome execution via "blood eagle" is one of the things that are historically accurate in Vikings.
Earl Lagertha, aka Earl Ingstad
Ingstad is the alias Lagertha goes by in order to trick Ragnar into meeting her because she's aware he won't show up if he knows it's her. After inheriting the throne from her dead husband, Sigvard, Lagertha forges on, providing backup forces for Ragnar in his raids.
Even though she is a likable character, Lagertha has some flaws as an earl. Her policy of providing Ragnar with military assistance appears misguided since Hedeby has enough problems of its own. She not only leaves her Earldom unattended for too long but also trusts the wrong people, resulting in her being usurped. Luckily, she redeems herself by reclaiming her throne and becoming an even stronger leader.
Earl Sigfried
Siegfried honors an invitation for Klaf to raid Frankia. He stands out on the battlefield and has an impressive moment when he pulls down the gates of Paris single-handedly, something even several horses had failed to do.
Sigfried is braver than the rest of the earls, evident from how he stays fighting on the frontline even when the rest of the warriors retreat in order not to be killed. After he is captured, he refuses to bow down to Emperor Charles. Courage aside, Sigried is full of smart and rather hilarious tricks, During his execution, he tricks a soldier into holding his hair, and when the ax comes down, he pulls his head away to cut off the soldier's hand. Sigfried is said to have been killed of-screen later on, but he sure does leave a mark first.
Earl Ragnar
Ragnar becomes an earl after defeating Haraldson during one of the best fights in Vikings. As Earl, Ragnar leads plenty of raids to the West, introducing him to new friends and foes in the process.
Normally, people who are good at their jobs tend to rise to the next level, and Ragnar's eventual ascendency to king proves that he is an incredible earl. Under him, the people get richer after more raids in the West result in more treasures. More treaties are also formed, thus opening up Ragnar's earldom to the rest of the world.