15,697
edits
Changes
no edit summary
[[File:LastKingdom.jpg|thumbnail|220px|left|<i>The Last Kingdom</i>]]__NOTOC__<i>This article contains spoilers.!!!!!</i>
The Last Kingdom is a popular television series recently released by the BBC and the show has strived to portray an accurate depiction of the time and reign of Alfred the Great. It is based on the <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LEYI47C/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=AngloB00LEYI47C&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=5896bb38392fa928ad7836385dccf0d Saxon and Danish History and Culture==```[[File:Winchester 13Tales]</i> series written by Bernard Cornwell.jpeg|thumbnail|left|300px|Figure 1The first season is drawn from the first two books in the series. Modern day WinchesterThe show focuses the life of Uhtred, son of Uhtred, who is a fictional character based on an amalgamation of several historical characters, which served as during the main capital Dane invasions of Wessex in England during the Anglo-Saxon period9th century.]]
The first episode focuses on the Danish characters, while they do act cruel to the Anglo-Saxons they are also fun loving and one of them, Earl Ragner, shows much affection to Uhtredevents depicted in <i>The Last Kingdom</i> were critical early steps in forging what became England. During the first episode, Uhtred's father and his army are slaughtered by the Danes soon after they arrive by sea. <i>The first episode portrays the Anglo-Saxons as unprepared for war with the Danes and too dependent on their priests. There Last Kingdom</i> is some truth a reference to thisthe Kingdom of Wessex, which was the last Anglo-Saxon army lacked professional warriors and the show states that kingdom to stand in the Danes believed the English were primarily farmers. In the first battle way of the show, the Anglo-Saxons lost the battle because they were incapable Dane conquest of defeating a Danish shield wallEngland. HoweverUhtred is from Bebbanburgh (modern Bamburgh), the Anglo-Saxon armies most likely were capable of properly forming a shield wall and they would not have been completely confounded by it. At this point, the Anglo-Saxons would have been well aware part of Danish war tactics, even if they were not well prepared for themNorthumbria. The show ignored this reality because it allowed the lead character, season begins with Uhtred, to teach the Anglo-Saxons later 's father being killed in the season to both form and defeat a shield wall. In this casebattle at York, historical accuracy where Uhtred was sacrificed to create taken as a more compelling storyslave by the Danes.<ref>For more on Anglo-Saxon fighting methodsUhtred's uncle then usurps the control of Bebbanburgh, see: Lavelle, R. (2010). <i>Alfred’s wars: sources and interpretations of Anglo-Saxon warfare in where Uhtred was the Viking age</i> Woodbridge: The Boydell Pressrightful heir.</ref>
====Anglo-Saxon and Danish History and Culture==== The Last Kingdom has done a very credible job depicting Danes and first episode focuses on the Danish characters, while they do act cruel to the Anglo-Saxonsthey are also fun-loving and one of them, Earl Ragner, shows much affection to Uhtred. While During the Danes have often been called as Vikingsfirst episode, Uhtred's father and his army are slaughtered by the show makes it clear that they were more than just Vikings. The Danes willingness to settle in England demonstrated that unlike actual Vikings, soon after they did not want to survive simply arrive by raidingsea. The Danish characters make it clear that they left Denmark because it was inhospitable to farming first episode portrays the Anglo-Saxons as unprepared for war with the Danes and there too dependent on their priests. There is some truth to this, the Anglo-Saxon army lacked professional warriors and the fact show states that climatic events may have also contributed to increased Danish raids and invasions during this time.<ref>For background on the Danes, see: Jones, Gbelieved the English were primarily farmers. (2001). <i>A history In the first battle of the Vikings</i> (2nd ed). London ; New York: Oxford University Pressshow, the Anglo-Saxons lost the battle because they were incapable of defeating a Danish shield wall.</ref>
However, the Anglo-Saxon armies most likely were capable of properly forming a shield wall and they would not have been completely confounded by it. At this point, the Anglo-Saxons would have been well aware of Danish war tactics, even if they were not well prepared for them. The show ignored this reality because it allowed the lead character, Uhtred, to teach the Anglo-Saxons later in the season to both form and defeat a shield wall. In this case, historical accuracy was sacrificed to create a more compelling story.<ref>For more on Anglo-Saxon fighting methods, see: Lavelle, R. (2010). <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1843837390/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1843837390&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=6a8e3107364e1ba075415588f71b524a Alfred’s wars: sources and interpretations of Anglo-Saxon warfare in the Viking age]</i> Woodbridge: The Boydell Press.</ref>The Last Kingdom has done a very credible job depicting Danes and Anglo-Saxons. While the Danes have often been called as Vikings, the show makes it clear that they were more than just Vikings. The Danes willingness to settle in England demonstrated that unlike actual Vikings, they did not want to survive simply by raiding. The Danish characters make it clear that they left Denmark because it was inhospitable to farming and there is truth to the fact that climatic events may have also contributed to increased Danish raids and invasions during this time.<ref>For background on the Danes, see: Jones, G. (2001). <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0192801341/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0192801341&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=ff5b5676acff27932d33829e68aa84b0 A history of the Vikings]</i> (2nd ed). London ; New York: Oxford University Press.</ref> The Danes were not just savage in battle but showed more creativeness and ability to adapt to their new environment. The Anglo-Saxons could best be described as solemn, pious and fairly dreary. This difference results from the conflicting faiths of the Danes and Anglo-Saxons. The Danes at this time were polytheists and Anglo-Saxons were Christian. The series often depicts these cultural differences between the Danes and Anglo-Saxon and the resulting war between these societies as a broader conflict between the Christian faith and the Danish gods. This is certainly how Alfred described the struggle and there is historical accuracy, as also described by the <i> Anglo-Saxon Chronicle</i>, which is the primary historical source. The character of Uhtred is used to demonstrate this dichotomy. Uhtred, an Anglo-Saxon, prefers a company with the Danes, but he later swears an oath to Alfred, king of Wessex the last remaining Anglo-Saxon king.
The Danish beliefs did not involve a strict moral code like Christianity. At times, this loose moral code allowed the Danes to be more playful than the Anglo-Saxons, but this lack of moral code also has a dark side. In one scene, the Danes killed the East Anglian king, Edmund, with a volley of arrows after he was captured. The Danes were testing whether Edmund's god was as powerful as he claimed. <ref>For more on Edmund, see: Pinner, R. (2015). <i>The Cult of St Edmond in Medieval East Anglia</i>. Woodbridge, UK: The Boydell Press.</ref> Not only did this event occur, but Edmund was canonized for it. Other Anglo-Saxon leaders are shown as tortured and murdered when captured. The Danes were fairly ruthless when they captured Anglo leaders, but the accurately depicts that some would be spared if they cooperated with the Danes and provided them with food, silver and land.
Many of the urban places are historical and the names used in the series reflects their Anglo-Saxon names. For instance, London and Reading are two cities mentioned. Wessex's primary town was Winchester (Figure 1), where most of the Wessex kings held court which is depicted in the series.<ref>For more on Winchester in the Anglo-Saxon period, see: Legg, P. (2011). <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0752455206/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0752455206&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=481f9491450113fd66f98a4456c7bc68 Winchester: history you can see]</i>. Stroud: History.</ref> Winchester, in fact, was rival to London for a period as the capital of all of England. Some of the terms used in the series were words prevalent at the time. This includes terms such as plowing a field having sexual connotations. Another term is <i>arseling</i>, used as a playful or sometimes mocking term of Uhtred by his friend Leofric, which also would have been a term used at the time meaning "from the ass."<ref>For more on Anglo-Saxon terms, see: Baker, P. S. (2012). <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/047065984X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=047065984X&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=9be15e3cc90a4d0002c6a94f24e5cb09 Introduction to Old English]</i> (3rd ed). Chichester, West Sussex ; Hoboken, N.J: Wiley.</ref> Such terms and expressions were, in fact, contemporary to the period.{{Mediawiki:TabletAd1}}====Key Battles====[[File:Battle of Ethandun memorial - geograph.org.uk - 367815.jpeg|left|thumbnail|Figure 2. Memorial to the Battle of Edington in Bratton Castle.]]After the battle at York, several other key battles occur during the series. The first is the battle where Alfred's brother (Æthelred), who was the king of Wessex, dies, although the Anglo-Saxons are successful in temporarily halting the Danish advance. There is truth to Alfred's brother perhaps being injured and killed in battle as depicted in the series. Rather than the son of Æthelred taking power, it was Alfred that was chosen, something unexpected and discussed in the series, as he was seen as more fit to rule. This was done through the <i>witan</i>, which was a council that represented an early democratic selection process where they would choose who would rule as well as pass judgment on various affairs. The battle where Æthelred is fatally injured might be fictionalized or could be based on several battles where the Anglo-Saxons did have some success in limiting the Danish advances. Still, Wessex failed to stop the Danes completely and had to pay off the Danes for temporary peace. The show depicts the peace conference between King Alfred and Ubba. The character Ubba was a historical figure who did cause much trouble to the Anglo-Saxons.<ref>For more on Alfred, see: Smyth, A. P. (1995). <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0198229895/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0198229895&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=2fcf3b5e58c27811cd0a6eb61b0b5615 King Alfred the Great]</i>. Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press.</ref> The next major encounter in the show was the Battle of Cynwit, which occurred in 878. The battle in the series depicts the Danes besieging Wessex's forces led by Odda the Elder. The Danish leader was Ubba, who was killed in the battle. The Danes had surrounded the Anglo-Saxon army on a hill and likely expected them to surrender, as they had little water, but the Wessex army attacked and was able to defeat the Danish army. The Raven banner was taken by the Anglo-Saxon army and it was a major battle in which the Wessex king Alfred did not lead. In the series, the year of the battle is different and the credit for killing Ubba went to Uhtred. However, as shown in the series, it was an important battle for the Wessex kingdom and Odda was the likely leader of Wessex during the battle, where the Anglo-Saxons did, in fact, pull off a surprising victory. In effect, it is likely that the Anglo-Saxons were encamped on the hill during the real battle and made a surprise attack on the Danes. This was a turning point as it now showed the Anglo-Saxons could fight major battles against the Danes and be victorious.<ref>For more on the Battle of Cynwit, see: Jones, G. (2001). <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0192801341/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0192801341&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=ff5b5676acff27932d33829e68aa84b0 A history of the Vikings]</i> (2nd ed). London ; New York: Oxford University Press, pg. 238.</ref>
The next major encounter in the show was the Battle of CynwitEdington (Figure 2), which occurred in 878. The battle in the series depicts pitted Guthrum of the Danes besieging the Wessex forces led by Odda the Elder. The Danish leader was Ubba, who was killed in the battleagainst Alfred. The Danes had surrounded the Anglo-Saxon army on a hill and likely expected them assumed Alfred to surrender, as they had little water, but the Wessex army attacked and were able be significantly weakened after being forced to defeat Danish armyflee. The Raven banner battle was taken characterized by Alfred summoning his fyrds, or the Anglo-Saxon popular army from different parts of his kingdom, that gathered to fight the Danes. This allowed Alfred to create a greater force and it was a major battle in which demonstrated he retained the Wessex king Alfred did not leadloyalty of his ealdormen despite his earlier losses. In the seriesOnce again, the year of ability for the battle is different Saxons to muster a large force and launch an attack likely surprised the credit for killing Ubba went to UhtredDanes. However, Egbert's stone was used as shown in the series, it was an important battle meeting point for the Wessex kingdom and Odda was fyrds in the likely leader of series as well as in the Wessex during chronicles describing the battleevents. In effect, it is likely that much of these events are true historically. The battle, unlike the Anglo-Saxons were encamped on series, involved an encounter of the hill during armies where the real battle. Additionally, it is possible that Odda Danes were driven into a fort and his army were able to surprise besieged afterward. In the Danes with their resilience and win series, the main battle.<ref>For more on is only depicted as a pitched encounter and the Battle of Cynwit, see: Jones, G. (2001). <i>A History of the Vikings</i> (2nd ed). London ; New York: Oxford University Press, pg. 238siege was not shown.</ref>
<references/>
Updated January 5, 2018
{{Contributors}}
[[Category:British History]] [[Category:English History]] [[Category:Historically Accurate]] [[Category:Medieval History]]