Unfairly split-up

Robin and Barney were the awesome couple who could absolutely not go wrong, the two people who were the most afraid of commitment, that came to the point of commiting to each other marrying in a grand ceremony only for them to be cruelly split up 13 minutes into the next episode after only 3 years together in real time. It is just outrageous that their character development would be undone in the matter of minutes, which means it is just outrageous that we didn't pay real attention to their relationship or even Robin's relationship to Ted. That is because there were always the signs that Robin and Barney's relationship was going to run it's course and Robin and Barney's marriage was a continuation of their first stint together. I'd look at their relationship in 5 phases:

When they first met
Their first time together
Time in between
Second time together
Character development overturned

When they first met

Their first meeting was when Ted and Robin saw each other in the bar, where Barney introduced Ted and Robin to each other. Both Robin and Ted had a mutual attraction, but Robin knew she wanted to be a world famous journalist unlike Ted who was doing really well as an architect but wanted to have a family and settle down. Ted and Robin decide to be friends, but even with which they both have feelings for each other that comes to a head where Ted asks Robin to be his date, however she is called in to work last minute. She comes over to see Ted kissing Victoria and is depressed by it, as Ted and Victoria date for the next few months. Ted gives Barney permission to make a move on Robin, but Robin shut him up and sent him packing.

Robin and Ted end up dating, and try to move in together but Barney sabotages their move in, the end of which they decide not to do so.

Robin pretends to be one of Barney's conquests as all of his conquests are being sabotaged, and is turned on by Barney.

Robin is dumped a second time by her old boyfriend Simon, who leaves her for another woman. Robin is emotionally low in the bar, and Barney is the only one around. The two of them go to her house watch one of her old casettes of her days as a singer and end up sleeping together. Barney and Ted have a rift in the aftermath, because he broke the bro-code. However, Ted has already moved on from Robin and is in a serious relationship with Stella at that point. Barney has a severe accident while on his way to see Ted who was involved in a much less severe accident. This makes him realise he has "fallen in love" with Robin.

A good chunk of the 4th season is spent with Barney and Robin going around each other with Barney having most of the action, this involved

Barney confessing to Lily he is "in love" with Robin. Lily sets them on a date, but Robin sets him up with somebody else and walks off. Lily tells him to give up his conquests but he doesn't
Barney trying to hook up with Robin on a day she's depressed about losing Ted to Stella. He ends up sleeping with other random women
Barney getting jealous with Ted and Robin being friends with benefits, never mind he won't give up his sexual promiscuity
Robin is at risk of deportation for being unemployed. The only two ways she can stay is if she finds her job in her field of employment or is married to an American citizen. Barney bends down to propose to her, but pulls out when he realises it's in short time order to be processed. He works hard to find her a job, which is successful. This is one of the 3 genuinely nice things he does for her throughout the series.
Gets jealous again when Robin sleeps with Ted's assistant PJ.

As you can already see their relationship is already one sided, with Barney doing most of the chasing around, but not ready to give up his old ways. Robin and Barney eventually come to terms with their feelings and kiss starting what is a very tenuous relationship that lasts till 2016.

Their first time together

The first 7 episodes of season 5 are Robin and Barney's first stint together. A stint that appears to be happy but goes as follows

Everybody finds out that Robin and Barney are have been hooking up through the summer, Lily locks them up in Robin's bedroom till both of them agree to have an official relationship
Barney takes Marshall to a strip club, and Robin is really mad that Barney is going there. Barney pretends that they are the best couple, despite the above being mentioned and Robin tries having a serious talk with him but he refuses to do so and ignores her and is oblivious to Robin being angry with him. He even lies that Marshall took him there.
Barney being afraid that Robin will dump her begins to take lessons from Ted about her. Robin, who has already began to question her relationship with Barney has already presumed that he is cheating on her. After finding out the truth she is still angry as she says he can never make an effort in their relationship. Shown to be escaping the bed like it is a one night stand.
Robin and Barney go on a double date with Lily and Marshall however they leave after not enjoying themselves
Robin is at risk of deportation while Ted, Lily and Marshall are on a road trip. Barney gets Robin to naturalise to eliminate the risk of deportation in the future, the second of two genuinely nice things he's done for her.
Robin and Barney act in an extremely nauseating manner, and later admit it is to keep a lid on their relationship on their relationship issues that they keep running away from. This is involves either Barney walking out and/or Robin getting naked.
Robin and Barney breakup after realising they are miserable together. Barney tries making a marriage pact with Robin that she refuses for reasons that will be mentioned later

They dated for the time shown in 7 episodes, 5 episodes brought to light serious issues between them highlighting they were deeply incompatible right from the start

The time in between

The time in between the Robin and Barney's breakup and eventual marriage happens between 4 seasons: 5, 6, 7, 8. The time in between will be discussed below as follows

Season 5

Occurs over a few episodes: Barney goes back into womanising to recover from his breakup with Robin. This is later shown to make Robin cry in hiding as she feels like one of Barney's conquests. Robin goes back hard into her career and ends up dating Don after that for a while. In revenge for Barney boasting about his conquests, Robin sends another woman on him, whom Barney plans to go on a superdate with. After getting wind of Robin crying he gives up the superdate to her and refuses to sleep with Anita.
Twin Beds: Barney and Ted fight over Robin, and Barney's justification about wanting Robin is he wants to "Have sex with her at least one more time" this is very much in contrast to her and Ted who broke up for reasons mentioned later. Barney suggests a compromise on the sharing of Robin: Ted takes after she's 40 before which Barney has her.

Season 6

Ted tells Robin that she never makes him feel needed, hurt Robin goes to Barney who tells her that she is the most "independent chicks" he's ever banged, before making Robin get rid of one of his conquests for him. However, Ted unlike Barney is the one is there to help Robin in her most difficult times.
Robin introduces Barney to his colleagues as "my ex and a high functioning sociopath:
Robin sets Barney up with Nora, later realising she's "in love" with Barney still
Hides his dating history with Robin from his recently reconnected father.

Season 7

A flashforward to Barney's wedding has him saying this, "It just occurs to me that once I put this tie on I can never take it off. I have to wear this tie forever, and ever. And sure, this tie is skinny now, but what happens if it gets fat and starts bossing me around? Did I make a mistake, would I have been happier with the other tie?", He later adds he wasn't referring to the tie, which implies he was referring to his bride. Robin also tries telling Barney she has feelings for him
Robin gets jealous of Barney and Nora's relationship trying to ruin their relationship. Ted later tells her "Love sometimes means taking a step back, even if it means being left out". This makes Robin realise she wouldn't do what she did if she really loved Barney. The aftermath is Robin starts a relationship with Kevin: her court mandated therapist.
Robin and Barney end up in bed together. Robin has a pregnancy scare, that is revealed to be false but receives more bad news when she finds out that she is infertile. Ted comforts her over it even though she refuses to say what she is upset about, not Barney and not Kevin (her boyfriend): who dumps her over that issue.
Gets engaged to Quinn, and tries his best to hide his history with Robin.
Robin and Barney decide to get back together. Barney breaks up with Nora, but Robin chooses to be with Kevin. Barney contemplates the possibility of just having a child alone and gets a child out of nowhere which turns out to be his brother's daughter.
Robin is revealed to be Barney's bride and tells Ted she wants to run away from the wedding as she can't go through with it.

Season 8

Professes love for Robin, breaking her and her new boyfriend Nick up
Makes Robin his new strip club agent, and tries kissing Robin but she pushes him away. He later tells her that he is done going after her.
Robin starts a series of moves on Barney to "get him out of my system", by hooking up with him one last time comparing him to her lobster allergy. She had been told by a doctor she couldn't have lobster, had it which almost killed her after which she didn't want it anymore.
Envies Patrice who pretends to be dating Barney, as part of his ruse to get Robin back. She breaks into his house to steal The Playbook and give it to Patrice only to see that he burnt it (more to it later)

Them back together forever?

Ted's GNB tower reaches completion and Ted as the architect is called to the inauguration, he is single at the moment so asks Robin: who is hurt over Barney dating Patrice. Earlier that day Barney tells Ted that he's planning to propose to Patrice on the WWN rooftop (which happened to Robin's favourite spot in the city). Ted drops Robin at the sight telling her that he's made an "ass of himself" chasing her. Robin goes up and realises she was the subject of Barney's play which was

Breaking her and nick up by professing his love for her
Trying to make an unsuccesful move on her
Telling Robin he's done going after her, saying they don't work
Robin's feelings get aroused
Pretend to start dating and date Patrice
Wait for Robin to break into his house
Pretend that the relationship with Patrice is going badly
Burn the Playbook*
Have everybody do an intervention for Robin on Barney
Get Ted to let go of Robin by telling him he's planning to propose to Robin, and wait for him to do so
Get Robin to come to terrace, where he proposes to her hoping she says yes.

Robin is initially angry, detailing his very deceitful proposal is reason enough why they won't work as a couple describing him as "certifiably insane" saying "this is too far" adding "you lied to me, manipulated me for weeks. Do you really think I could ever kiss you after that, do you really ever think I could ever trust you after that. (Shows The Robin) this is proof of why we don't work, why we'll never work. So thank you, you've set me free because how could I be with a man who thinks that this trick, this enormous lie could ever make me want to date him again" .

However she accepts Barney's proposal with much hesitation for the reasons she went after him. Thus begins their second stint together. A second stint together that went as follows

Season 8 (Ep. 13-24) (Inclusive)

Robin learns that Barney never asked her father for permission to propose to her, despite him having told her he had already asked him for permission. Robin gets even more bad news when she finds out her father remarried without her knowledge. Making her angry both at her father and Barney (Ep 13)
Robin has trouble adjusting to her new status as an engaged woman. Barney uses Ted as a stand in for his promiscuous activities with a much younger woman that turns out to be his half- sister (Ep 14)
Barney discovers an angry love song by Robin, jealous he rummages through old items and assaults Alan Thicke, till Robin relents and tells him the truth. (Ep 15)
Not relevant (ep. 16)
Boasts about one of his previous conquests, jokes about having an open marriage after learning that Robin had a sexual encounter with an acquaintance two years ago, saying if he was trying to hook up with Robin than he should have somebody too. He also states that one of Robin's passions that drives her is "pleasing me sexually".(Ep 17)
Reveals that he never got rid of The Playbook, burning only a mock playbook. He uses Ted as proxy for his various other plays. Robin storms out on finding this out, where he gets Robin who very angrily says "if we're going to be in a committed relationship and trust each other, you can't lie to me ever". He states that what ever he did is a lie except the fact that he loves her. The playbook is eventually destroyed by Ted's clinically insane girlfriend (Ep 18)
Robin tries getting Barney to move to a new house saying that she wants to start afresh in a new committed relationship in a place away from where he had his stands, which he refuses to do so saying the house is very special to him. He tries giving the house to Ted, which he refuses. Robin without Barney's knowledge calls a group of prospective buyers, only to pull the house out of the market after the buyers plan to gut the house. He also has water sprinklers set to activate to "I'm looking for a deeper commitment", "We have a child together" implying his relationship with Robin was incredibly shallow, and he hadn't really changed and still was ready to commit.(Ep 19)
Barney jokes about having 3rd and 4th wives in the future, who are much younger to him. He only stops when Robin comes in. (Ep 20)
Barney and Ted try go get a girl who later turns out to be their wedding planner, to remove her coat. He says Marshall can do it because he "doesn't have stink" and "wants to spend the rest of his life with lily". However he can't say the same about Robin. Ted later tells her that Robin puts up with a lot of his antics, which Barney says is because he knows her better*(more on this below) (Ep 21)
Robin is behind Barney's bachelor party, which includes falsely breaking of their engagement causing Barney to think of ways to get her back only to realise it was a hoax. Barney remarks, "Ted it's my bachelor party. A guy only get 2 or 3 of these in his lifetime." (Ep.22)
Barney is off playing laser tag with Robin's estranged father while Ted helps her find her locket. Robin admits she has fears about marrying Barney and says she doesn't know whether or not she is ready for marriage (Ep 23)
Robin and Barney have dinner and a bit of fun, not relevant (Episode 24)

Of the 24 episodes of season 8, there were only 7 episodes where Barney and Robin didn't have deep seated problems with one another. This very much similar to them dating. Now to the description of their wedding weekend

Season 9 (Ep 1-24)

Robin and Barney have a false alarm about being possibly related (Ep 1)
Barney and Robin have doubts about their relationship upon learning Barney's half brother is going through a divorce. Robin says "I don't want to know" to James' question of whether she and Barney have a fragile relationship. (Ep 2)
Robin and Barney are desperate to have sex, fearing that they will lose the magic following their wedding. They also use nicknames when insecure of their relationship, which is important knowing that Robin hates nicknames. Barney also reveals his anger at Ted helping Robin and him holding her hand at the carousel when she was trying to find her locket (Ep 3)
Replaces Ted as his best man for holding hands with Robin, going against Robin's wishes to have Ted as the best man at her wedding if he isn't the groom. He cites this as violation of the Bro-code: a code he created and a code his entire relationship with Robin is in violation of and he has broken multiple other rules from the Bro-code (Ep 4)
Ferments trouble between Robin and his mother and brother, siding with the latter. The only argument for Robin "she allows me to do sex to her". Keeps laughing at his brother's anti-marriage jokes. Ted even remarks "he's gotten very respectful with his fake listening".(Ep 5)
Both of them end up killing their priest by causing him to have a heart attack having lied about their relationships origin which he found dishonorable. Talks about Ted getting a hooker. (Ep 6)
Both of them make plans very independently of each other, one of which comes into a massive conflict with each other's. Robin questions how could they be married to each other. Some more hooker talk. (Ep 7).
Barney acts as a mediator between Robin and his mother's dispute, only after it reaches an unbearable peak. Robin also makes it clear to Barney's mother that she won't have grandchildren(Ep 8)
Barney reveals why he proposed to Robin in order to cheer her up as her mother isn't coming (Ep 9)
Barney tries to get his father (married to another woman not his mother) back together with his woman ( who rekindled her relationship with his half brother's father) he concocted the scheme over Robin's protests saying marriage is a "meaningless piece of paper". Robin looks over and says "I can't believe I'm getting married into this family"(Ep 10)
Not relevant (Ep 11)
Robin is really angry at Barney's rehersal dinner, saying they can't be in a marriage like this. Barney took classes on Robin, and Robin reminds his of her "pretty mad face", showing it isn't a good sign (Ep 12)
Not relevant
Not relevant
Robin and Ted get Barney "Truth serum drunk", even under that influence he lies about not having a "Ring Bear" something Robin majorly objects to (Ep 15)
Not relevant
Robin walks on the beach with Ted not concerned about finding an inebriated Barney. She thinks he has deserted her at the wedding. She describes him sleeping in a dumpster as "not the filthiest trash he's ever slept with. Ho! my future husband folks". In the mean time, Barney has gone to a strip club, taken two other boys to a party, created a rudimentary Playbook them to "carry on the trade" (Ep 17)
Robin and Ted finally find Barney, while getting him out his hangover Robin says "I'm worried about the vows I will have to take with this useless pile of garbage" (Ep 18)
Robin is not at all excited about getting married or having the wedding jitters (Ep 19)
Robin is scared about marrying Barney upon realising he is a near carbon copy of her father, from her mother. She says that she has a person she knows is there for her and somebody she can trust, she is referring to Ted. A flash forward reveals that Robin is a guest on her former colleague's radio show where where she says "Sometimes I feel he just isn't listening to me, you know" almost certainly referring to Barney. (Ep 20)
Tries to get rid Gary Blauman as a guest whom Robin wants to be at the wedding, contradicting the rule of "For the bride" (Ep 21)
Robin unsuccessfully tries running off with Ted, realising he's the only on who's there for her and Barney isn't. Barney tries running off as he doesn't have the proper tie. She describes the way he proposed and the canadian ice hockey themed rehersal dinner as "two of the most loving things he did for me and they were all based on lies, because lying is second nature to Barney". Barney makes two aborted wedding vows: the first one centers around him loving her if she never changes, the second one centers around loving her if he doesn't have to compromise for her. He settles for being just being 'honest', indirectly making both the aforementioned vows to her. He breaks honesty vow even before they are officially married by cancelling a flower gorilla saying he was just kidding. Robin even says 'legendary' means not real. The episode ends with the line 'and it was legendary': which meant it would not last.
Robin and Barney meet up with Ted to discuss his upcoming nuptials to Tracy. Robin is hesitant to come to their wedding while Barney says "yes". Tracy comes in to inform that she's pregnant: Barney is really happy, Robin not so much as evidenced by the expression on her face. Barney admits that their marriage is suffering because of Robin's constant travels as her career has taken off. In this deleted scene Barney asks her "So we're really committing to this honesty thing are we?" showing how he still wasn't ready to commit to the one vow he made and one he had already broken.

The next year everybody gathers at Ted and Tracy's house, where what a shocker: Robin and Barney reveal their divorce!! Not to mention it was Robin who gave him the out, and Barney took it. Barney goes back to womanising and ends up fathering a daughter , Robin is estranged from the group for the next 4 years on seeing Ted and Tracy kiss and have a family. Though she infrequently meets Lily in between and runs into Ted and his daughter. She eventually reconciles with the group on Tracy's urging, making her peace with Barney. (23&24)

Of the 19 relevant episodes 17 of them showed us deeply held problems between the two of them

Character development destroyed: What a shocker

Barney and Robin's divorce is quite a shocker that we didn't even see it coming, or we did watch them and choose to ignore it. It's like crossing the train tracks and ignoring the warnings about a train on its way. When we get hit by the train, everybody is outraged. Given the relationship I described in detail it is fair to say they had a relationship not based on true love, but based on

Mutual disrespect
Mutual infatuation
Lack of trust
Deception
Inflexibility to adjustment for the other and not wanting to give up their old ways (especially on Barney's side)
Always getting angry at the other person
Barney views Robin as a sexual object
Robin repeatedly questioning whether or not she made the right choice and trying to dump him.
Not giving the other person space
Don't know the other person well

Barney and Robin were the two people who were the biggest commitment-phobes, that underwent character development. Robin's character development has already been detailed in her biography and it occurred in stages as she softened her position on having a family and getting married as her career progressed. Barney's character development is exaggerated as he held on to his old ways, even when he was married, even though became more open to committed relationships. I've already mentioned how it happened with Robin. He had two other serious relationships, where held did the following:

Nora: Did a scam to view the breasts of other women, and score other women that he kept secret from her. Hooked up with Robin ending their relationship
Quinn: Objected to her work as a stripper, but wanted to have sex with other women and view other strippers. Their engagement ended after he drew up a crazy pre-nup that revealed they had no trust in each other.

The truth about Barney is that his life was forever altered by his ex-girlfriend Shannon abandoning him for another man causing deep long term abandonment and trust issues that also stemmed from being abandoned by his father that mutated into Barney's lifestyle a womanising sociopathic playboy that no serious relationship could fix. Hence, Barney having a daughter was the turning point for him as he finally had somebody to trust, somebody to hold close and somebody he really had to care for and love. Barney not wanting children is as misplaced as Robin not wanting children. In fact he was more open to it

Upset when he found out his brother was getting married, but excited when he found out he was adopting a baby
Excited that Robin was possibly pregnant with his child
Following his breakup with Nora, he planned on having a family with Ted and got a baby from nowhere that turned out to be his brother's daughter or "Having wife and kids- minus the wife"
Excited that Lily and Marshall were having a baby
The moment he first saw his daughter

Barney's entire idea to get back with Robin was triggered by having a talk with Tracy, who told him he was "in love and he messed it up" that refers to Robin, Quinn and Nora. However, what she doesn't realise is his love life being messed up is in relation to Shannon, the effects of which were un-repairable which meant his relationship with Robin wouldn't last long. In fact there is a list of traits used to diagnose a sociopath, a lot of which describe Barney perfectly.

Therefore the question when it comes to Robin and Barney shouldn't be "Why did they divorce?" as the no-wifi in the hotel was merely a catalyst to their extremely volatile relationship detailed above, but rather the question should be "When would they divorce?", a divorce that was foreshadowed even before the episode of their engagement was aired. Their entire marriage was the continuation of their first relationship that as Barney put it "ended abruptly". Robin's true love lay else where and she played the long game to reach there, as will be explained soon.

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Robin and Barney were meant to last