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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 [[How Historically Accurate is season 1 of The Last Kingdom?|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====
====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>
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. Alfred wanted to fight to secure the crown, then keep the Danes and Viking raids at bay, and finally expand and forge the dream of England. 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 he struggled to create a more 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====
There is a great deal of creative liberty in this season. The 890s were recorded in the <i>Anglo-Saxon Chronicle </i>, which is the primary source for this period. We do not know how serious the Dane raids were but one gets a sense they became less successful as the English (Anglo-Saxons) began devising more effective defensive systems. The Danes were likely still a formidable threat and the fact they were campaigning throughout still much of England shows that. The major battles in this period were just outside of London and in an area near Cambridge. The entanglement of Danes with the English also becomes clear as by now many had begun to convert to Christianity and the politics of the Danes and English intersected. England itself would become a mixture of Danish and English influences. The fact that Alfred was still highly successful in manipulating the situation for his favor with Mercia and securing his son on the throne shows that he continued to be a wise ruler as he is depicted. The threat from Hastein may have not been so severe but the fact that Æthelwald could threaten the crown shows that Alfred had not properly dealt with the threats from within his wider family.
The portrayal of Uhtred vacillating between his temptation to join his brother Ragnar 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 contemplated whether there was their a chance to get at the kingdomtake Wessex. The lack of Dane unity or at least disunity and coordination in their military tactics was once again partly and strategies played a key role their downfall and this became clear. Although the <i>Last Kingdom</i> takes great liberty with the story in this season, along with several fictional, key characters such as Skade and Harald Bloodhair, the story is well set within another period of uncertainty in English history and makes these characters believable and seemingly central to the wider story of English unification.
====Summary====
====References====
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[[Category:British History]] [[Category:English History]] [[Category:Scottish History]] [[Category:Historically Accurate]] [[Category:Medieval History]]
