''The Last Kingdom'' is the first

historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other t ...

The Saxon Stories ''The Saxon Stories'' (also known as ''Saxon Tales''/''Saxon Chronicles'' in the US and ''The Warrior Chronicles'' and most recently as ''The Last Kingdom'' series) is a historical novel series written by Bernard Cornwell about the birth of En ...

Bernard Cornwell Bernard Cornwell (born 23 February 1944) is an English-American author of historical novels and a history of the Waterloo Campaign. He is best known for his novels about Napoleonic Wars rifleman Richard Sharpe. He has also written ''The Saxon ...

, published in 2004. This story introduces Uhtred of Bebbanburg, a

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

noble who is kidnapped by Danish

Vikings Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

as a young child and is assimilated into their

culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups ...

religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatur ...

and

language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of ...

before a series of events lead him into the service of

King Alfred Alfred the Great (alt. Ælfred 848/849 – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who ...

Wessex la, Regnum Occidentalium Saxonum , conventional_long_name = Kingdom of the West Saxons , common_name = Wessex , image_map = Southern British Isles 9th century.svg , map_caption = S ...

and his participation in multiple battles, including the notable Battle of Cynwit before the book's conclusion.

Plot summary

Osbert is the second son of

Ealdorman Ealdorman (, ) was a term in Anglo-Saxon England which originally applied to a man of high status, including some of royal birth, whose authority was independent of the king. It evolved in meaning and in the eighth century was sometimes applied ...

(Earl) Uhtred, Lord of

Bebbanburg Bamburgh Castle is a castle on the northeast coast of England, by the village of Bamburgh in Northumberland. It is a Grade I listed building. The site was originally the location of a Celtic Brittonic fort known as ''Din Guarie'' and may have ...

Northumbria la, Regnum Northanhymbrorum , conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Northumbria , common_name = Northumbria , status = State , status_text = Unified Anglian kingdom (before 876)North: Anglian kingdom (af ...

Danes Danes ( da, danskere, ) are a North Germanic ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. Danes generally regard t ...

arrive on Bebbanburg's shores, and Ealdorman Uhtred's first son, also called Uhtred, is killed while scouting. Ealdorman Uhtred renames Osbert as Uhtred son of Uhtred. Ealdorman Uhtred is killed during a disastrous attack on Danish-seized Eoferwic (

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

) and his son is captured by Danish

Jarl Jarl is a rank of the nobility in Scandinavia. In Old Norse, it meant "chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. ''Jarl'' could also mean a sovereign prince. For example, the rulers of several of the pet ...

Ragnar the Fearless. Ragnar, amused by the boy's bravery during the battle, keeps him as a

thrall A thrall ( non, þræll, is, þræll, fo, trælur, no, trell, træl, da, træl, sv, träl) was a slave or serf in Scandinavian lands during the Viking Age. The corresponding term in Old English was . The status of slave (, ) contrasts wi ...

. Uhtred's uncle, Ælfric, takes Bebbanburg and usurps the title of ealdorman from Uhtred, the rightful heir. Uhtred befriends Ragnar's youngest son, Rorik, and has many clashes with one boy in particular, Sven, son of Kjartan, one of Ragnar's

shipmaster A sea captain, ship's captain, captain, master, or shipmaster, is a high-grade licensed mariner who holds ultimate command and responsibility of a merchant vessel.Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.3. The captain is responsible for the safe and effici ...

s. One day, Sven kidnaps Ragnar's daughter, Thyra, and removes part of her clothing in an effort to

sexually assault Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, which ...

her. Uhtred charges Sven, taking Sven's sword and attacking him with it. Uhtred, Rorik, and Thyra escape back to Ragnar's hall. Ragnar dismisses Kjartan from his service when Kjartan makes light of his son's behaviour. He also crushes one of Sven's eyes with the hilt of his sword - adding darkly that he would have crushed both, had Sven stripped Thyra completely naked. Uhtred, along with Ragnar and the Danes, then goes raiding across

East Anglia East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in ...

, and participates in the conquests of

Mercia la, Merciorum regnum , conventional_long_name=Kingdom of Mercia , common_name=Mercia , status=Kingdom , status_text=Independent kingdom (527–879)Client state of Wessex () , life_span=527–918 , era=Heptarchy , event_start= , date_start= , y ...

and

, and the invasion of

Wessex la, Regnum Occidentalium Saxonum , conventional_long_name = Kingdom of the West Saxons , common_name = Wessex , image_map = Southern British Isles 9th century.svg , map_caption = S ...

. He is kidnapped by a priest, Beocca, an old family friend. He then escapes from Wessex and rejoins Ragnar. Uhtred enjoys life with the Danes, even after Rorik dies due to a long sickness, but flees after Kjartan and his men set fire to Ragnar's hall and kill everyone who tries to flee. Ragnar remains inside, preferring to die on his terms rather than at Kjartan's hands. Kjartan abducts Thyra. Uhtred hopes to escape Kjartan's assassins by spreading the rumour that he too died in the hall-burning. Uhtred then joins

in Wessex. There he learns to read and write, and sails with Alfred's fleet of 12 ships against the Danes. After a battle with the Danes, he meets Ragnar the Younger, Earl Ragnar's eldest son, and tells him how his father died and that Thyra was kidnapped. They part friends, swearing that one day they will band together to take revenge on Kjartan and rescue Thyra. Seeking to take command of the fleet, Uhtred gains it on the condition that he marry the orphaned Wessex girl Mildrith. He is not told that, by marrying her, he will also assume her family's very large debt to the Church. Afterwards, he takes part in a siege against

Guthrum Guthrum ( ang, Guðrum, c. 835 – c. 890) was King of East Anglia in the late 9th century. Originally a native of what is now Denmark, he was one of the leaders of the "Great Summer Army" that arrived in Reading during April 871 to join forces ...

, and is among a group of hostages exchanged when the Danes and West Saxons make peace. Staying with the Danes in the city over the winter, he again meets Ragnar, who saves him from death when Guthrum breaks the peace and murders the other Saxon hostages. Uhtred then escapes to find his wife. She was taken by Odda the Younger, another Wessex

ealdorman Ealdorman (, ) was a term in Anglo-Saxon England which originally applied to a man of high status, including some of royal birth, whose authority was independent of the king. It evolved in meaning and in the eighth century was sometimes applied ...

, to the north. There he fights in the Battle of Cynwit, where Uhtred kills the renowned Danish leader Ubba Ragnarsson in single combat. Uhtred then rides with his men to Exanceaster to find his wife and newborn son, instead of going directly to inform Alfred of his victory.

Characters in ''The Last Kingdom''

Fictional

*Uhtred - dispossessed Ealdorman of

originally named Osbert *Earl Ragnar the Fearless - Danish warlord who raises Uhtred like his own son *Ragnar Ragnarsson (Ragnar the Younger) - Ragnar's son, Uhtred's foster brother and close friend *Rorik Ragnarsson - Ragnar's younger son and Uhtred's childhood friend *Thyra Ragnarsdottir - Ragnar's daughter, kidnapped by Kjartan *Brida -

East Anglian East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in wh ...

Saxon girl, Uhtred's lover and friend *Sigrid - Earl Ragnar's wife and mother to Ragnar the Younger, Rorik and Thyra *Ravn - blind

skald A skald, or skáld (Old Norse: , later ; , meaning "poet"), is one of the often named poets who composed skaldic poetry, one of the two kinds of Old Norse poetry, the other being Eddic poetry, which is anonymous. Skaldic poems were traditional ...

and Earl Ragnar's father *Sven Kjartansson - Uhtred's sworn enemy and Kjartan's son *Kjartan - Danish shipmaster who kills Earl Ragnar *Father Beocca - Alfred's priest and Uhtred's family friend *Mildrith - Uhtred's pious West Saxon wife *Leofric - Uhtred's friend, warrior and shipmaster *Odda the Younger - Ealdorman Odda's son and Uhtred's enemy *Ælfric - Uhtred's uncle and usurper of Bebbanburg *Lord Uhtred of Bebbanburg - Uhtred's father *Gytha - Uhtred's stepmother *Father Wilibald - West Saxon priest serving Alfred and close acquaintance of Uhtred

Historical

*King Alfred of Wessex (

Alfred the Great Alfred the Great (alt. Ælfred 848/849 – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who bo ...

) - King of Wessex * Æthelflæd - Alfred's eldest daughter, Lady of the Mercians * Guthrum the Unlucky - Danish warlord * Ubba Ragnarsson - Danish warlord feared by many, older brother to Ivar and Halfdan * Ivar Ragnarsson (Ivar the Boneless) - Danish warlord feared by many, brother to Ubba and Halfdan * Halfdan Ragnarsson - Danish warlord and younger brother of Ubba and Ivar * Ælswith - Alfred's wife, who dislikes Uhtred * Æthelwold - Alfred's nephew and acquaintance of Uhtred * Ealdorman Odda - Ealdorman of Wessex * King Edmund of

* King Osbert of

* Wulfhere - Ealdorman of

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

* Haesten - Danish warrior recruited and saved by Uhtred

Television adaptation

In July 2014, the BBC announced that production would begin in autumn 2014 on a television adaptation, to be titled '' The Last Kingdom''. Stephen Butchard is the writer. A series of eight 60-minute episodes was produced, and the series began airing on 10 October 2015.

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream a ...

Carnival Films Carnival Films is a British production company based in London, UK, founded in 1978. It has produced television series for all the major UK networks including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Sky, as well as international broadcasters including PB ...

and BBC America were involved in the production. The series lasted for a total of five seasons, a total of 46 episodes, with the final season airing on 9 March 2022.

Publication details

*2004, UK, HarperCollins , Pub date 4 October 2004, hardback *2005, UK, HarperCollins , Pub date 30 May 2005, paperback *2006, UK, HarperCollins , Pub date 3 October 2005, paperback (mass-market) *2006, USA, HarperTorch , Pub date 30 June 2006, paperback (mass-market)

References

External links

*
The Last Kingdom
' on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Last Kingdom, The 2004 British novels The Saxon Stories Novels set in Northumberland Cultural depictions of Alfred the Great Cultural depictions of Ivar the Boneless HarperCollins books