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__NOTOC__[[File:The-Last-Kingdom-seasonUhtred-Alexander-3Dreymon-15244902.jpg|left|thumbnail|300px|left350px|<i>The Last Kingdom</i> in the third season takes place in the 890s, the last years of Alfred's reign.]]__NOTOC__
'''Warning this article contains Spoilers!!!'''
Read our previous articles on the historical accuracy for [[What How Historically Accurate is the Historical Accuracy season 1 of The Last Kingdom Season 1?|Season 1]] and [[How Historically Accurate is Season 2 of Last Kingdom?|Season 2]] of The Last Kingdom.
The TV series <i>Last Kingdom</i> , based on 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, continues for a third season, this time concentrating in the later years of Alfred the Great's reign. This was a period of renewed conflict with tensions and uncertainty as to how successful the unification process of England would survive future Danish onslaught. The approximate time in which the season takes place is between 892-899.
====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 has setup 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 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>
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 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 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 succeed 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 recognised 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>
====Key Characters and Significance====
[[File:The-Last-Kingdom-season-3-1524490.jpg|thumbnail|350px|left|<i>The Last Kingdom</i> in the third season takes place in the 890s, the last years of Alfred's reign.]]
In Season 3, Uhtred appears to possibly change his loyalties as he leaves Wessex after his wife dies. This is because he killed a priest who had insulted her after her death. Uhtred is initially the governor of London and, although Merica, led by Æthelred, technically rules London, it is Wessex that has the real authority. In fact, Mercia is not allowed to have a king but only a lord, keeping Wessex in charge of its affairs and creating tension between the two although they are generally united against the Danes. After leaving Wessex for some time, Uhtred comes back and serves Æthelflæd as he cares for her and keeps his oath to her to protect her. He thus continues fighting for Wessex and serving under Edward, the son and successor to Alfred.
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> <dh-ad/> 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>
====Summary====The portrayal of Uhtred vacillating between his temptation to join his brother Ragner and the Danes and try to stay loyal to the English who often were ungrateful demonstrates also the period in which the story takes place. As a king became physically weaker, enemies of Wessex did begin to contemplate if this was their chance to get at the kingdom. The lack of Dane unity or at least coordination in their military tactics was once again partly their downfall and this became clear. Although the fact that <i>The Last Kingdom</i> takes great liberty with has continued for the story in this third season, along with several fictional, key characters such as Skade and Harald Bloodhair, shows that there is a strong appetite for stories from early English history. The show benefits from the story reality that this period's history of England is not particularly well set within another period known, outside of uncertainty in English history some major battles, Alfred's death, and makes these characters believable and seemingly central the subsequent rebellion. This allows the show to the wider weave a captivating fictional story of English unificationwithin this historical timeline, making for some entertaining watching even if it is fanciful.
==Summary==References====The fact <i>Last Kingdom<references/i> has continued for a third season shows that there is a strong appetite for stories from the early history of England's making. It does help that much of the period's history is not that well known, outside of some major battles, Alfred's death, and subsequent rebellion. This though does make it a great opportunity to weave a captivating fictional story within this historical timeline, making for some entertaining watching even if it is fanciful.