PicoBlog

So the final season of The Last Kingdom arrived in Netflix in early March.

After having watched all eps, which were released simultaneously on the platform, I have the following views on it below:

As per the other seasons, the season was very well done.

It’s historical fiction, of course. So not every point will match the established narrative.

However, Uhtred was his normal strong and noble self. All other characters were on point too, especially in seeing Athelstan gain the battle experience for him to one day unite all of England under his rule.

The season’s narrative was woven well, as Brida initially commenced her charge for vengeance from Iceland, recruiting King Siggtrgr’s brother Ragnvald in the process. This resulted in Uhtred’s children suffering - his son was castrated by her, and his daughter nearly was ousted as queen of Jorvik via an invasion led by Ragnvald.

Brida lost her daughter during the battle, and became very disillusioned with herself and her life at that point. The prime enemy though was Lord Aethelhelm, who was desperate for his son to be made king of Wessex, and for him to be eventual uniter of England. The latter episodes focused on this point, with Uhtred aiding King Edward the Elder to thwart Aethelhelm’s sinister designs.

Unlike the other seasons, an Anglo-Saxon was the prime enemy and not a Norseman. Whilst prior seasons had Guthrum, Skorpa of the White Horse, Cnut, or Haesten, the chief enemy was Aethelhelm, an ealdorman from Wiltshire. He had emerged as a thorn in the royal house of Wessex’s side when his daughter Aelflead married King Edward the Elder, and following the birth of their son Aelfweard, he wanted to ensure his bloodline formed the Wessex and eventual English royal path.

He had of course attempted to poison and kill Queen Ealswith (King Edward’s mother and widow to King Alfred the Great) in the Wessex royal villa, and in this season had ramped up his efforts to oust Edward, and place Aelfweard on the throne.

The resultant scheming saw him plot against Edward, though the king was wise to his acts though couldn’t act decisively as he needed not only his counsel but his military support. This of course ceased when Aethelhelm’s full extent was uncovered (with his daughter being inadvertently murdered in the midst of his schemes), and he resultantly committed suicide as self-penance for his crimes.

The internal intrigue was well-executed, and reflects roughly the real history. Athelstan succeeded Edward as king, though there was a plot to blind Athelstan by Aelfweard’s supporters which didn’t come to pass. Athelstan was considered by some to be a bastard (,i.e. illegitimate) and thus didn’t have the right to be king following questionable parentage. His mother, Eadwynn, may not have been married to King Edward the Elder, thus causing contention as being born to parents who were married was primary.

Aethelhelm seemed well-acted also, and whilst not a strong warrior, his depiction as an older man of power and means and connection seemed apt given the setting, and the history as it unfolded.

Edward came back this season sporting a well-developed beard, but also showed ruthlessness that his father, King Alfred the Great, seldom did.

His killing of the Mercian ealdormen, with his son Athelstan in the midst, showed a firm desire to take control and expand his power.

He also showed great pragmatism, in some cases quite brutally. He wanted to do everything to achieve his father’s dream of a united England, but this arguably cost him when Uhtred made Beddanburg a sovereign earldom. Uhtred didn’t wish to renew fealty to him, due to his acts in dividing Saxons and Danes in his kingdom. This could have made Edward see Uhtred as a potential enemy, though he himself might not have existed without Uhtred’s help. This goes back to his father and mother’s time in the Somerset marshes pre-Edington, as well as many key missions that King Alfred ordered Uhtred to perform. Edward seems like a prudent man - so maybe he would weigh in these acts before deeming Uhtred a menace.

Overall, Edward was an interesting departure from his father - he didn’t show the scholarliness which Alfred typified. Though whilst Alfred was as equally strong in battle as Edward, he seldom utilised brutality as a means to his ends.

Ealswith was, in earlier seasons, seen as a dutiful and loving queen/wife to King Alfred. She showed great antipathy to Uhtred, due to his raising as a Norsemen and rejection of Christianity. Alfred too shared this, but as a king had to be pragmatic, and came to love Uhtred over time. Ealswith only truly warmed to Uhtred after Alfred died, seeing his nobility, strength and honour, and being grateful for her life on many occasions due to his acts.

She did though come to Uhtred’s aid, over that of her son King Edward, and was instrumental in getting Uhtred’s daughter Storria to be pivotal in winning the battle at Beddanburg.

Ealswith was often depicted as a battleaxe and imposing - though she wasn’t a bad or malevolent person and perhaps as queen had become accustomed to wielding power behind the scenes within her household. Despite her terseness and impositions on occasion, she proved key in Uhtred eventually regaining his rightful earldom at Beddanburg.

Lord Aeldhelm had been a dutiful servant to Mercia - above all else. He did this via initially serving Lord Aethelred, who was Lady Aethelflead’s husband in earlier seasons. He then served Aethelflead as Lady of the Mercians, and then finally King Edward after he secured full control of Mercia.

This may mean, in the eyes of some, that he was a stooge or weak. But we saw that in the final battle’s preparations that he challenged Edward’s decisions where he felt prudent. And he supported Queen Ealswith in opposing Edward’s plans, and with her sided with Uhtred in the execution of his plan to stop Aethelhelm and regain Beddanburg.

Aeldhelm was a tower of honour and duty - and for his country more than any one leader or king. Like Uhtred, he valued service, and would do anything to ensure that he served in the most honourable manner possible.

King Alfred and Queen Ealswith’s eldest child, Lady Athelflead of Mercia died in this season, presumably from breast cancer.

Whilst very close to Uhtred, she like her father and brother relied on his strength and counsel to advance her goals.

With her win at Tettenhall, she helped in pushing forward her father’s dream of a united England.

At the end of season four, we saw Athelstan as a boy, whom King Edward had placed under the care of Uhtred.

In season five, Athelstan had grown to be a young man, roughly in his mid to late teens, and gaining both leadership and fighting experience from his father King Edward and Uhtred.

Whilst in the midst of several near misses, and fighting off enemies in the process, Athelstan’s place as the eventual realiser of his grandfather Alfred’s dream was secured.

He also took his time to move on his own path. He was less green over the course of the season, and was direct in getting Uhtred his earldom back and in defeating the Scots/Aethelhelm alliance at Beddanburg.

We first saw King Sigtryggr after he raided the Welsh kingdom of Deuherbath in season four. He married Uhtred’s daughter, Storria, and took over the Norse-led kingdom of Jorvik.

Unlike Guthrum, Cnut, or Haesten, he didn’t actively seek to counter Wessex, and was content to live in peace via leading a kingdom of Norsemen. However, this peace fell apart due to Lord Aethelhelm’s meddling and plotting. Whilst attack Aethelhelm and Athelstan’s army, he was eventually thwarted by King Edward and Uhtred, and as punishment he was sentenced to death. Uhtred offered him a warrior’s death worthy of Valhalla, and it was taken freely by Sigtryggr.

His death naturally hit Storria hard - though Sigtryggr wasn’t just a power-hungry monster. He wanted the best for his people, and this showed, despite the treachery of his brother, Ragnvald.

Part 1 finishes here, but I’ll have a deeper look at other aspects in the following pieces.

Athelstan

The eventual first king of England, in both this storyline and in real history, showed a lot of eagerness in

Does Lady Athelflead die??

Would King Edward the Elder die?

King Alfred the Great flashback??

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