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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====
