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====Historical Background====
In 892-94, another large wave of Danish and other Viking invasions took place in Wessex, attacking the rich lands of southern England south of London. Several of the raids involved Danes coming from northern Europe but also Danes from East Anglia and Northumbria came. The Danes may have intended to stay in England if they had succeeded been more greatly in successful with their raids. In 892-94, Wessex was far more prepared for renewed Dane raids than they were in earlier invasions, as this time they had fortified places called <i>burh</i>(s) throughout much of Wessex (Figure 2). The Danes have set up several key defensive areas, including in the Thames Estuary and in Devon. They were led by Hastein, a chieftain who led one of the larger groups. However, numerous other Viking warlords were involved, which in some way may have complicated the success of their attacks. One group of Danes was, in fact, intercepted near Farnham, which is a small town today about 30 km west of London. There, the Danes were defeated and much of the treasures stolen during their raids were taken back. Later, the Danes were also defeated in 894 at the battle of Benfleet east of London.<ref>For more on the battles and conflicts of the 890s, see: Lavelle, Ryan. 2010. <i>Alfred’s Wars: Sources and Interpretations of Anglo-Saxon Warfare in the Viking Age</i>. Warfare in History. Woodbridge: The Boydell Press. </ref>
[[File:222w-95.jpg|thumbnail|left|250px|Figure 2. Burhs were important for the defense of England.]]
While in the novel Uhtred plays, once again, a key role in defending against the Danish raids, he eventually flees north to Northumbria after his wife had died giving childbirth. The key historical link and plot is the uncertainty of what would happen once Alfred died and how successful Wessex would hold on against Danish/Viking raids, particularly as Aethelwald, Alfred's brother, would likely make a move for the crown after Alfred had died. Although eventually Uhtred comes back to Wessex, after some time being involved in his own Viking raids in continental Europe and living with his Danish brother, Ragnar, he this time finds himself more closely allied to Æthelflæd, who is the wife of the Mercian lord Æthelred.<ref>For more on how the Danes from Northumbria and East Anglia began to conspire against Alfred, see: Abels, Richard. 2017. <i>Alfred the Great: War, Kingship, and Culture in Anglo-Saxon England</i>. Routledge.</ref>
When Alfred does die in 899, rebellion by Aethelwald starts that sees him combining his forces with invading Danes, Northumbria Danes, and Danes from East Anglia. Edward, son of Alfred, had succeeded Alfred but some see him as not the legitimate king, as Alfred took the crown from Aethelwald early in his reign because Aethelwald was seen as incompetent and unable to lead against the Danes. The <i>Anglo-Saxon Chronicle</i> suggests Aethelward may have been recognized as king in Northumbria at this time. Aethelwald also convinces the Danes that he is the rightful king in Wessex, although he is unsuccessful in convincing most nobles in Wessex of this. The Danes began raiding Wessex, which eventually led to an invasion by Wessex against East Anglia, specifically against King Eohric who had sided with Aethelwald. At a great battle, the Battle of Holme, Eohric, Aethelwald, and other prominent Danes die, although this is often considered a Danish victory as Wessex forces retreat from East Anglia for the time being.<ref>For more on the death of Alfred and succession, see: Campbell, James, Eric John, and Patrick Wormald. 1991. <i>The Anglo-Saxons</i>. Penguin History. London, England ; New York, N.Y., USA: Penguin Books. </ref>
Hastein is a key character in the conflicts that began in the 890s. We do not know if Hastein was the same as another Hastein mentioned in texts who had also raided wide areas in Europe. It is possible they are different people as otherwise, it would seem Hastein would have lived for a very long time and been involved in attacks throughout Europe. Hastein is shown as being a character willing to do whatever is needed to ensure his position. He is seen as orchestrating a significant part of the invasions and conflicts, although he was able to extricate himself from some of the key battles such as Benfleet.<ref>For more on Hastein, see: Hinds, Kathryn. 2010. <i>Vikings. Barbarians!</i> New York: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, pg. 49. </ref>
Edward is Alfred's legitimate son who becomes king after him. Edward is shown as being initially unsure and needing guidance, which Uhtred was to provide in matters of war and battle . Edward begins to gain confidence and establishes his own interests soon after Alfred's death by securing the crown and fighting in East Anglia to defend his interests. He gained valuable battlefield experience in Farnham and Benfleet.<ref>For more on Edward, see: Higham, N. J., and David Hill. 2001. <i>Edward the Elder, 899-924</i>. London ; New York: Routledge. </ref>
Æthelflæd, who eventually led the Mercians, is shown as an intelligent character who eventually convinces Uhtred to come back and serve the Mercia and Wessex despite the fact that he was at one point wanted for killing a priest. Nevertheless, her care Because she cared for Uhtred this helped her defend him against the people in Wessex anger while he was able who were angry with him. This permitted Uhtred to defend her from those who plotted against her, including her own husband who . Her husband sought to make Merica fully independent from Wessex , but was unable to do their poor resource statefailed because the country lacked sufficient resources.<ref>For more on Æthelflæd, see: Arman, Joanna. 2017. <i>The Warrior Queen: The Life and Legend of Aethelflaed, Daughter of Alfred the Great</i>. Amberley Publishing.</ref>
In the 890s, Alfred's weak health has begun to catch up to him and he knew it. He began to groom his son Edward and prepare him for the challenges that were ahead. First, fighting Alfred wanted to fight to secure the crown, then keeping keep the Danes and Viking raids at bay, and finally expand and forge the dream of England that Alfred possessed. While the first two goals were clear and having the <i>burh</i> and a military system created by Wessex could prove effective, uniting a country was more complex, as no one had to convince other Anglo-Saxons to accept the idea of England. Alfred did begin to make plans for this by marrying his daughter to the Mercian lord and placing that lord under him, but creating something larger was he struggled to create a challengemore secure alliance.<ref>For more on how Alfred spent his last years, see: Abels, Richard Philip. 1998. <i>Alfred the Great: War, Kingship, and Culture in Anglo-Saxon England</i>. The Medieval World. Harlow, England ; New York: Longman, Chapter 9. </ref>
Æthelwald is portrayed as a character often drunk and largely incompetent, although this could largely be an artifact of history where he ultimately did not rule the crown. He was given great wealth and land by Alfred on his deathbed but Æthelwald always wanted the crown and he saw his chance during a period of renewed Dane and Viking attacks. He did not anticipate perhaps that his nephew would also be willing to fight so hard for his claim to the crown and this mistake probably oversight cost him his life.<ref>For more on Æthelwald, see: Jones, Gwyn. 2001.<i> A History of the Vikings</i>. 2nd ed. London ; New York: Oxford University Press. </ref>
====Historical Accuracy====
====Summary====
The fact that <i>The Last Kingdom</i> has continued for the third season shows that there is a strong appetite for stories from the early English history of England's making. It does help The show benefits from the reality that much of the this period's history of England is not that particularly well known, outside of some major battles, Alfred's death, and the subsequent rebellion. This though does make it a great opportunity allows the show to weave a captivating fictional story within this historical timeline, making for some entertaining watching even if it is fanciful.
====References====
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