''War Lord'' is the 13th and last novel in
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 E ...
series by
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 ...
. It was published on 15 October 2020 in the UK.
Uhtred of Bebbanburg plays a crucial role in the battle that will decide if
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 bot ...
's dream of
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
comes to pass or not.
Plot summary
The aged Uhtred wants nothing more than to end his days in peace in his beloved
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 ...
and pass it on to his second son, also named Uhtred. However, inexorable fate has other ideas.
Many years before, Uhtred had taught the young
Æthelstan
Æthelstan or Athelstan (; ang, Æðelstān ; on, Aðalsteinn; ; – 27 October 939) was King of the Anglo-Saxons from 924 to 927 and King of the English from 927 to his death in 939. He was the son of King Edward the Elder and his first ...
, a grandson of King
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 bot ...
, how to be a king and, by winning a crucial battle, placed him on the throne 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 ...
. Æthelstan had given Uhtred his oath to never fight him or invade his native
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 ...
while Uhtred lived.
For many years, Æthelstan kept his word, but having gained control of the Saxon kingdoms 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=
, ye ...
and
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 ...
, the only thing standing in the way of fulfilling Alfred the Great's dream of uniting all of the
Ænglisc-speaking peoples under one monarch is a Northumbria ruled by a weak king named Guthfrith. Furthermore, Æthelstan's Christian advisors have told him that an oath to a pagan is not binding.
Finally, he breaks his promise and invades Northumbria. He orders Uhtred to capture the fleeing Guthfrith and turn him over, which Uhtred does. (Guthrith is allowed to keep his throne, but Æthelstan places a strong garrison in
Eoferwic, Guthfrith's capital, to keep him in line.)
Constantine
Constantine most often refers to:
* Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I
*Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria
Constantine may also refer to:
People
* Constantine (name), a masculine given name ...
, king of
Alba
''Alba'' ( , ) is the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland. It is also, in English language historiography, used to refer to the polity of Picts and Scottish people, Scots united in the ninth century as the Kingdom of Alba, until it developed i ...
, Northumbria's northern neighbour, grows concerned and starts forging an alliance against Æthelstan. He sends an envoy to Uhtred, trying to gain his support, but Uhtred does not want to be dragged in on either side.
When Uhtred neglects to inform Æthelstan of the meeting, Æthelstan distrusts his old friend and mentor, and sets into motion a plan to seize Bebbanburg. He summons Uhtred and others to a gathering, then sends Aeldred, one of his advisors, and 200 men to Bebbanburg with a letter with a forgery of Uhtred's seal. Uhtred's estranged eldest son, Bishop Oswald, warns him, and Uhtred is able to race home before Aeldred arrives. Remaining hidden, he watches as Aeldred tries to bring his men into the fortress using the forgery, then sends Aeldred away.
Later, he spreads rumours that he has found a treasure trove of gold. As he had hoped, this lures both Guthfrith and Aeldred into his trap. He captures and kills them, then blames their deaths on a Scottish raiding party. Æthelstan is not fooled. He brings an army to (seemingly) besiege Bebbanburg. However, this is just a ploy to deceive Constantine. Æthelstan, after reaching Bebbanburg, keeps
marching his men further north, into Alba. However, though he advances all the way to the northern end of Britain, Constantine avoids meeting him in battle, and Æthelstan eventually has to return home.
There is peace for three years. Then
Anlaf, the most powerful Norse leader in Ireland, joins Constantine,
Owain Owain () is a name of Welsh origin, variously written in Old Welsh as Ougein, Eugein, Euguen, Iguein, Ou(u)ein, Eug(u)ein, Yuein, and in Middle Welsh as Ewein, Owein, and Ywein. Other variants of the name Owain include Ewein, Iguein, Owein, Ouein, Y ...
of
Strath Clota, and others in invading
Cumbria
Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumb ...
. There they challenge Æthelstan to a battle at a site they have chosen. Uhtred examines the spot carefully and realises that, while it favours the invaders, it also makes their battle plan obvious, and Uhtred believes Æthelstan can win if he follows Uhtred's advice. Æthelstan does, and though outnumbered, crushes his enemies after a
hard-fought battle.
Just before the battle, Æthelstan orders Uhtred to marry a rich, young widow so that he will have a strong, loyal man to guard his northern border. While Uhtred is content to be Lord of Bebbanburg, with his new wealth and lands extending from coast to coast, others start calling him the Lord of the North.
References
{{Bernard Cornwell
2020 British novels
The Saxon Stories
Novels set in Northumberland
Novels set in the 10th century
HarperCollins books