Burgred

Burgred rules Mercia as a king already past his best days, married into the royal house of Wessex and more inclined to comfort than to the sword. As the Danes press at his borders he postures and delays, a man who wears his crown heavily and leans on stronger neighbours to do the fighting he should.

Dorian Lough plays him without a shred of vanity, letting Burgred's softness and self-regard read as genuine character rather than caricature. He's a useful contrast to the show's harder men, a reminder that not every king in this world is built for the age he's ruling in, and the performance never asks you to like him for it.