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[[File:The-Last-Kingdom-season-3-1524490.jpg|thumb|<i>The Last Kingdom</i> in the third season takes place in the 890s, the last years of Alfred's reign.]]
==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 more greatly in their raids. In 892-94, Wessex was far more prepared for renewed Dane raidsthan 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 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>
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>
