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<i>The Last Kingdom</i> is a historical-based series set in Anglo-Saxon England in the 9th century AD during a time of major Viking (Norse and Dane) invasions. Season 2 focuses on family conflicts that embroiled Uhtred, the protagonist, and the conquest of London, an actual historical event.
====Set of Events====
Season 2 is divided into two novels from the <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LEYI47C/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00LEYI47C&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=5896bb38392fa928ad7836385dccf0d Saxon Tales]</i> series written by Bernard Cornwell, namely books 3 and 4 (Season 1 was books 1-2). The novels span roughly between 878-886 (Figure 1). The main focus for Season 2 in the first four episodes is Uhtred's quest to go north from Wessex into Northumbria, a less tamed area of England that is ruled more by Danes but their hold is somewhat less clear. Uhtred seeks his ancestral home in Bebbanburg (Bamburgh Castle) and also wants revenge against Kjartan, who killed his adopted Danish father.<ref>For more on the series, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Saxon_Stories</ref>
In the last four episodes, the focus is a few years after the events where Uhtred had helped his Danish brother, Ragnar the Younger, to take Dunholm. Now, Uhtred is based in Cookham, a small village near London which was, in fact, occupied as a more prominent settlement in Anglo-Saxon times. Once again, Uhtred had sworn allegiance to Alfred, after Alfred had helped free Uhtred from slavery. It shows Uhtred as leading Alfred's borough of Cookham. In fact, Cookham was the last important borough before reaching London. Overall, England is divided into Danelaw, areas in northern Mercia, Northumbria, and East Anglia, and Wessex, which also ruled over southern Mercia. London in 886 was little known and the historical accounts simply mentioned that Alfred had restored the town, including rebuilding its Roman walls. The series shows the events in a more theatrical manner, showing the Norse had, initially, taken the city. Then, they tricked the Anglo-Saxons in allowing them to take the city so that the Lady Æthelflæd could be captured. The series concludes with Uhtred leading a daring rescue that saw her freed.<ref>For more on the events leading to 886, see: Inwood, Stephen (1998) <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0786706139/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0786706139&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=a5bdf413f75cfbfe3838ad70df0785b4 A history of London].</i> London, Macmillan, pg. 64.</ref>
====Historical Characters====
The series develops several significant characters that were introduced in the first season. The first being Æthelflæd, who is now of marriageable age. She is to become be an important historical figure in leading Mercia to full independence from Viking occupation. Her parents marry her to Æthelred, who is Lord of Mercia, (the areas of Mercia free from Danish rule) n order to form a strategic alliance between Wessex and Mercia. The marriage is portrayed, however, as unhappy. Æthelred is depicted as abusive and as marrying Æthelflæd solely in order to advance his position with her father, King Alfred. There is some historical account to suggest they had an estranged or less than happy marriage, although the two did form an important political combination in Mercia.<ref>For more on Æthelred and Æthelflæd, and their role in uniting Mercia and Wessex, see: Marafioti, N. (2014) <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1442647582/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1442647582&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=6adde8dd803068319e28a91c24747861 The king’s body: burial and succession in late Anglo-Saxon England]</i>. Toronto Anglo-Saxon series. Toronto, University of Toronto Press, pg. 58.</ref>
The other key characters were introduced in Season 1, such as Alfred. Uhtred is a fictional character, although historical characters with that name and from Bebbanburg are, in fact, known.
*[[How Historically Accurate is season 1 of The Last Kingdom?]]
*[[Is Oliver Stone's movie 'Nixon' historically accurate?]]
*[[Is the movie Dunkirk historically accurate?]]
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====How Accurate is the Story?====
Season 2, which focused more heavily on Uhtred's trials as he became a slave, got married to Guthrud's sister, and his assistance in taking London and rescuing the Lady Æthelflæd. As this was a period of relatively less conflict, in comparison to Season 1, the series did take more liberties in interpreting historical events. For instance, while Guthrud may have come from a famous Viking father and may have been a slave, relatively little is known about how he ruled. In the series, he is shown as a weak and easily pliable king, acting to his own detriment and that of Uhtred's. Alfred marrying his daughter Æthelflæd is shown as an important move to unite Mercia and Wessex. This is historically accurate and it likely did cause tension between the two kingdoms as the former powerful kingdom of Mercia became more closely associated with Wessex. The taking of Lady Æthelflæd is, however, a likely fictional event. In effect, there are not a large number of historical events, but the places, such as Cookham, key events (e.g., taking of London), and some of the key characters (e.g., Guthrud and Osferth) are historical. Because relatively little is known about this period, such as how London was taken, the writers were able to add their own version of events to make it an interesting story.
====Summary====Season 2 shows key historical events, the taking of London and the beginning of rulers who were Christian and Danish, possibly changing the character of the country even as it was ruled by Danes. The unity of Mercia and Wessex is also shown, including how that process developed. The series indicates how the attempt by the Norse, in this case Siegfried and Erik, failed to take over England. The establishment of the boroughs, indicated in Series 2, were critical in thwarting Viking raids in England, which were indirectly shown and discussed in the series. Overall, however, as the years in which the events took place were relatively quiet, there was more liberty for the series to focus on character stories such as Uhtred and his brother Ragnar taking back Dunholm.{{MediawikiMediaWiki:British HistoryAmNative}} ====References====
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