The Last Kingdom

The Last Kingdom is a British historical fiction television series based on Bernard Cornwell's The Saxon Stories series of novels. The series was developed for television by Stephen Butchard and premiered on 10 October 2015 on BBC Two. For the second season, Netflix would co-produce the series. In 2018, the series was acquired by Netflix who continued to solely produce the series for three more seasons.[1] The series lasted for a total of 46 episodes across five seasons, with the final season airing on 9 March 2022. A feature-length sequel that is set to conclude the series, titled Seven Kings Must Die, is set to premiere on 14 April 2023 on Netflix.[2]

The Last Kingdom

King Ludwig II of Bavaria was an enigmatic figure who was deposed in 1886, mysteriously drowning three days later. Eccentric to the point of madness, history tells us that in the years before he died Ludwig engaged in a worldwide search for a new kingdom, one separate, apart, and in lieu of Bavaria. A place he could retreat into and rule as he wished. But a question remains: did he succeed?

The kingdoms of Britain are at war. Many have already fallen to the invading Danes, leaving the great kingdom of Wessex standing alone and defiant under the command of King Alfred. You are one of the great commanders and politicians in this war-torn land known today as England. Both Saxon and Dane armies openly battle for dominance, and it is up to you to title the scales of power. To claim these lands, you will need to tread a dangerous path between both sides of the conflict.

The streaming giant and producer Carnival Films confirmed that Season 5 of The Last Kingdom will be the last, bringing an end to a historical drama that originally started life on the BBC six years ago.

Netflix's The Last Kingdom saw its final season last year, but the conclusion of Uhtred, son of Uhtred's story will premiere in April via a two-hour film, Seven Kings Must Die. The Last Kingdom takes its plotline from Saxon Stories, a book series by Bernard Cornwell, which is made up of several novels that tell Uhtred of Bebbanburg's story. The Netflix adaptation broke down its adaptation into five seasons that saw Uhtred march from being a Saxon by birth, as "Uhtred of Northumbria," into being captured by the Danes and adopted by the Viking Ragnar (Peter Gantzler) to become "Uhtred Ragnarsson."

Now called Bamburgh, the village once known as Bebbanburg rests in what is currently known as Northumberland on the Northeast coast of England. As noted in The Last Kingdom, Northumberland was previously known as "Northumbria" and was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom. Bebbanburg was the capital Northumbria.

In real life, Alfred the Great protected England from submission to the Danes, so if Uhtred were real, as presented by The Last Kingdom, their relationship would be pretty complex. Alfred the Great, or Alfred of Wessex, was born in Wantage, Berkshire, in 849 to King Aethelwulf, who ruled over the West Saxons. As the real-life Danes conquered and plundered various kingdoms in England, Alfred was going through his teen years into his early 20s until; finally, the Danes approached Wessex. When the Danes came to Wessex, King Alfred was 21 years old. Although his brother died in battle, Alfred would continue to maintain a stronghold against the Vikings in Southern England.

Seven Kings Must Die will be the conclusion of The Last Kingdom and is expected to cover parts of the last three of Cornwell's novels. It is widely assumed that the movie will feature the decisive Battle of Brunanburh, one of the most influential battles in the history of the British Isles. The Last Kingdom season 5's ending set up Seven Kings Must Die by finally reuniting Uhtred with his ancestral home of Bebbanburg and setting up Aethelstan as a contender for the throne once his father, King Edward, dies.

Uhtred's first conversation with Alfred in The Last Kingdom takes place in Alfred's library, and the two often talk about how history will remember them. When the two of them are in conflict, Alfred tells Uhtred he will never be remembered by anyone and that his name will be forgotten when he dies. Uhtred is obviously upset by that notion, knowing full well that Alfred would have been long dead without him. Uhtred knows that he has played a larger role than most in protecting Saxon kingdoms, and it would be singularly unjust for his name to be left out of the histories.

Emily Cox is also confirmed to be returning as Uhtred's childhood friend-turned-nemesis Brida, whose season 5 appearance has been revealed in a first-look photo from season 5, after the character was last seen giving birth alone in the woods.

But peace rarely lasts long and, although King Edward (Timothy Innes) agreed to allow the Danes one kingdom of their own, he appeared more determined than ever to realise his father's dream of a unified England in the season 4 ending.

Rumcofa is set to be an important new locale in season 5, as the settlement where Uhtred lives with his merry men Finan, Sihtric and Osferth, as well as the families they have created since we last saw them.

The fateful battle also happens to be the historical moment where Cornwell chose to end Uhtred's story in last year's War Lord, so it would make sense for the television series to mirror that climactic moment.

When invading Vikings kill his Saxon nobleman father in battle, young Uhtred is kidnapped by Norsemen who raise him as one of their own while the Vikings continue their attack on England's various kingdoms. Years later, a now-grown Uhtred (Alexander Dreymon) -- accepted as neither Saxon nor Dane -- finds himself faced with the task of claiming his birthright under the weight of his heavily divided loyalties. Meanwhile, the ambitious King Alfred (David Dawson) of Wessex, which is THE LAST KINGDOM standing, makes plans to unite England and spread Christianity.

Uhtred is an English boy, born into the aristocracy of ninth-century Northumbria. Orphaned at 10, he is captured and adopted by a Dane and taught the Viking ways. Yet Uhtred's fate is indissolubly bound up with Alfred, King of Wessex, who rules over the only English kingdom to survive the Danish assault.

The struggle between the English and the Danes and the strife between christianity and paganism is the background to Uhtred's growing up. He is left uncertain of his loyalties but a slaughter in a winter dawn propels him to the English side and he will become a man just as the Danes launch their fiercest attack yet on Alfred's kingdom. Marriage ties him further still to the West Saxon cause but when his wife and child vanish in the chaos of the Danish invasion, Uhtred is driven to face the greatest of the Viking chieftains in a battle beside the sea. There, in the horror of the shield-wall, he discovers his true allegiance.

In the last years of the ninth century, King Alfred of Wessex is in failing health, and his heir is an untested youth. The Danes, who have failed so many times to conquer Wessex, smell opportunity.... First comes Harald Bloodhair, a savage warrior leading a Viking horde, who is encouraged to cruelty by his woman, Skade. But Alfred still has the services of Uhtred, his unwilling warlord, who leads Harald into a trap and, at Farnham in Surrey, inflicts one of the greatest defeats the Vikings were ever to suffer.

I never knew one could get instantly addicted to a TV program so quickly, and I never know i would love a program about a old era like the last kingdom so much! How beautifully filmed and geniusly written omg and the backgrounds and storylines, I became an instant fan, hope it never ends! 041b061a72