HistoryExtra
type: channel
link: https://www.historyextra.com
description: Home of Britain’s bestselling history magazine and award-winning podcast
date: 2025-02-12T13:12:52.000Z
update period: hourly
update frequency: 1
update base: 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00
items: The astonishing Æthelstan
items: If King Alfred was great, was Æthelstan even greater?
items: Ælfweard and Æthelstan: were they rivals for the throne of Wessex?
items: The battle of Brunanburh: the forgotten fight that changed British history
items: Bamburgh Castle: The Real Bebbanburg of The Last Kingdom
items: Seven Kings Must Die ending explained: what next for England?
items: Seven Kings Must Die: the real history behind the Last Kingdom movie
items: Seven Kings Must Die: what to expect from The Last Kingdom movie
items: The real Uhtred of Bebbanburg: the historical inspirations for The Last Kingdom’s hero
items: The Last Kingdom: real history and historical accuracy

The astonishing Æthelstan
type: item
date: 2023-04-14T17:26:18.000Z
creator: Tom Holland
subject: Anglo-Saxon
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: Historical people
subject: Seven Kings Must Die
subject: The Last Kingdom
description: Son of Edward the Elder and grandson of Alfred the Great, Æthelstan (or Athelstan) was the first West Saxon king to effectively rule over the whole of England, with the whole of Britain coming to acknowledge him as overlord during the course of his reign. Historian Tom Holland describes how the brilliant Anglo-Saxon king managed to forge a new country
encoded: Early in the 12th century, a tomb in the abbey of Malmesbury was briefly opened. A monk named William took the chance to inspect the skeleton that lay inside it. The dead man, so he reported, had been of average height and slender build. Not everything in the coffin, though, was bones. Traces of hair were still to be seen – and these too the monk studied attentively. “It had been,” so he recorded later, “blonde in colour, and beautifully twisted into golden braids.” William of Malmesbury had good reason to take an interest in such details. Sent to the abbey as a child, he had grown up with a justifiable pride in its history. More than anyone, he appreciated the significance of the man whose braided hair he had so carefully noted. Æthelstan, a king who over the course of his reign had brought the whole of Britain to acknowledge him as overlord, had been laid to rest in Malmesbury some two centuries before, in AD 939. During his lifetime, he had been a formidably generous patron of the abbey. Of all the many shrines to which he had been devoted, “he had honoured none as more holy than Malmesbury”. It was thanks to his generosity that it could boast a particularly awesome relic: a fragment of the True Cross. The monks’ devotion to their long-dead patron was only to be expected. View Green Video on the source website William’s horizons, though, were far from bound by the limits of his monastery. Fascinated by the past since a child, it was his ambition to write a comprehensive history of England. That one of his parents was actually a Norman did not in any way inhibit him from declaring his motivation to be “love of my country”. The sheer antiquity of the English state, far from being despised by its conquerors, tended instead to be both prized and respected by them – for it added lustre to their rule. A Norman anointed as ‘King of the English’, no matter that his native tongue was French, ruled as the heir of those same kings who had first, long before the slaughter at…

dreamstime xxl 105284948-a11bb8d.jpg
width: 1023
height: 714

If King Alfred was great, was Æthelstan even greater?
type: item
date: 2023-04-14T17:15:51.000Z
subject: Anglo-Saxon
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: Historical people
subject: Seven Kings Must Die
subject: The Last Kingdom
description: Alfred the Great's achievements are dwarfed by those of his grandson Æthelstan. So why, asks Sarah Foot, is the former still venerated while the latter is overlooked?
encoded: Was King Alfred (reigned 871–99) really the greatest Anglo-Saxon king? Certainly he remains the best-remembered – even if it’s only for burning the cakes. But should it really be his grandson Æthelstan (reigned 924–39) – now largely forgotten – whom we celebrate as the most significant pre-Conquest monarch? Alfred was a highly successful military leader who, in a battle at Edington in AD 878, resoundingly defeated the Danish army that had almost conquered Wessex. In the ensuing period of peace he launched a programme of educational reform that transformed the use of English as both a literary and a governmental language. Yet Alfred only ruled the West Saxon people, and those in the western part of the Midland kingdom of Mercia not under subjection to the Danes. When he died (the sole remaining native king in England), the east Midlands, East Anglia and Northumbria all lay in Danish hands. View Green Video on the source website Who was Æthelstan? Æthelstan, on the other hand, was the first king to rule all England and laid claim to an imperial overlordship over the whole of Britain. His military prowess brought him direct authority over not just Wessex and Mercia, but the Danelaw (the name given to the area of northern England where Vikings settled) and the kingdom north of the Humber. Celtic rulers from elsewhere in the British Isles subsequently submitted to his authority. He crushed a rebellion of the Scots king in AD 934, attacking his realm with a land and sea force and ravaging as far north as Caithness. When Æthelstan defeated a combined Norse-Scots-Northumbrian force at the battle of Brunanburh in AD 937, a contemporary poem entered into the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle recalled: "Never yet in this island before this was a greater slaughter of a host made by the edge of the sword since the Angles and Saxons came hither from the east, overcame the Britons and won a country." Read more | Why can't we find the battlefield of Brunanburh? Foreigners also recognised Æthel…

GettyImages-535792409-69790c8.jpg
width: 4014
height: 2765

Ælfweard and Æthelstan: were they rivals for the throne of Wessex?
type: item
date: 2023-04-14T16:30:35.000Z
creator: Professor Ryan Lavelle
subject: Anglo-Saxon
subject: Period
subject: Seven Kings Must Die
subject: The Last Kingdom
subject: TV interest
description: Seven Kings Must Die pits half-brothers Æthelstan and Ælfweard against each other in its opening act: but how true to history is their clash for the crown? Historical consultant Ryan Lavelle considers what real history tells us about Ælfweard, and why Æthelstan may not have been first choice for king of Wessex…
encoded: Seven Kings Must Die, the eagerly awaited successor film to The Last Kingdom, sees conflicted hero Uhtred of Bebbanburg encountering a new generation of England’s history. It begins with King Edward the Elder’s death, a character whose somewhat tempestuous relationship with Uhtred dominated season 5 of the show, allowing the focus to shift to the reign of Aethelstan. The film depicts Æthelstan as rightful heir to the thrones of his father, whose first concern is fending off a challenge from his “traitor” half-brother and rival claimant Ælfweard. In the show, Æthelstan is the presumed and rightful king, and that Ælfweard’s claim is that of an upstart. Real history, though, suggests that the succession might not have been quite so clear cut. Might Edward have wanted to carve up his dominions between his eldest sons? On the podcast | Michael Wood introduces listeners to the fascinating life of 10th-century ruler Æthelstan How did Edward of Wessex die? It is the fallout from Edward’s death – off-screen, in the opening minutes of the film – that reverberates through Seven Kings Must Die, though no detail is given as to how he meets his end. Real history offers us a few clues, but not many. Edward is known to have died in July AD 924 near Chester, during or shortly after fighting a Mercian rebellion. He was buried in New Minster in Winchester – a monastery he himself had commissioned – close to his father, Alfred the Great, and mother, Ealhswith. Read more | Who was Edward the Elder? A brief guide to the Anglo-Saxon king Ælfweard and Æthelstan: who were the candidates to succeed Edward the Elder? The real Æthelstan (ruled AD 924-39) has been hailed by some historians as the first king who could credibly claim to rule ‘England’. He was Edward’s eldest son, born to Ecgwynn around AD 894. From his father’s ‘Kingdom of the Anglo-Saxons’, Æthelstan conquered Northumbria and pushed his authority across the island of Britain. He proved able to match the political aspirations tha…

TLK-28-04-21-STILLS-MP-63-e8dcad5-e1646829839648.jpg
width: 620
height: 413

The battle of Brunanburh: the forgotten fight that changed British history
type: item
date: 2023-04-14T15:48:39.000Z
creator: Julian Humphrys
subject: Anglo-Saxon
subject: Period
subject: Seven Kings Must Die
subject: The Last Kingdom
subject: TV interest
subject: Viking warfare
description: King Æthelstan’s victory at Brunanburh in AD 937 may just be one of the most important battles ever fought on British soil, yet today it is virtually unknown. Julian Humphrys explores what happened over an entire day of hard and bloody fighting, and why the events on that long-lost battlefield echoed through the centuries
encoded: Half a century after Brunanburh – the victory of the men of Wessex and Mercia over an alliance of Scots, Strathclyde Britons and Norsemen from Ireland – it was still being called “the great battle”. Indeed, it has been described as one of the most defining battles in British history. It helped the Anglo-Saxon king Æthelstan consolidate his hold over his Wessex kingdom and create a more unified England, while it has also been argued that the strong resistance put up by his enemies prevented the whole of Britain from being forcefully united into one imperial power. Despite its significance, few today have heard of the battle of Brunanburh in AD 937, and even fewer think they know where it was fought. The battle of Brunanburh: quick facts When was it fought? AD 937 Where? Great Britain (precise location disputed) Why? Allied invasion of northern England Who was involved? Kingdom of England, led by Æthelstan Kingdom of Scotland, led by Constantine II Kingdom of Strathclyde, led by Owain I Viking kingdom of Dublin, led by Olaf Guthfrithson Who won? After a day of fighting, according to some accounts, it was an English victory What led to the battle of Brunanburh? Ever since he’d been crowned king of the Anglo-Saxons in AD 925, Æthelstan had been steadily extending his authority. After his grandfather, Alfred the Great, had halted the Danish conquest of England, his father, Edward the Elder, recaptured the East Midlands and East Anglia from the Danes in AD 917. Building on these solid foundations, Athelstan pushed north. Two years after becoming king, he took over the last remaining Viking kingdom at York, extending his rule up to the Scottish border. In AD 934, he invaded Scotland, possibly because its king, Constantine, had broken a peace treaty. Read more | Aelfweard and Aethelstan: were they rivals for the throne of Wessex? After gathering his forces at Winchester, he marched north, picking up reinforcements on the way and paying a visit to the shrine of St Cuthbert a…

Screen-Shot-2020-04-29-at-3.49.07-PM-f7c3ab4.png
width: 604
height: 483

Bamburgh Castle: The Real Bebbanburg of The Last Kingdom
type: item
date: 2023-04-14T14:52:50.000Z
creator: Paul Bloomfield
subject: General History
subject: Period
subject: Seven Kings Must Die
subject: The Last Kingdom
subject: Trends-Entertainment
subject: TV interest
description: The long-awaited film Seven Kings Must Die, bringing the story of Uhtred, son a Uhtred and The Last Kingdom to a thrilling climax, has finally arrived on Netflix. But where was Bebbanburg, the ancestral home that obsessed our Anglo-Viking hero? Travel journalist and history fan Paul Bloomfield explores the history of Bamburgh Castle
encoded: Over five dramatic seasons of The Last Kingdom spanning several decades, protagonist Uhtred, son of Uhtred has endured a rollercoaster existence. Born an Anglo-Saxon noble but raised as a Dane, he’s been orphaned and adopted, betrayed – more than once – and sold into slavery. He’s won and lost battles and loves, switched allegiances, consorted with kings and with Vikings. Throughout it all, though, one obsession has dominated his hopes and schemes: a determination to reclaim his birthright – his ancestral home, Bebbanburg. Is Bebbanburg a real place? Uhtred himself, hero of Bernard Cornwall’s hugely popular Last Kingdom novels and the BBC/Netflix series based on them, is a composite character, albeit named for at least one real medieval noble from Northumbria. But Bebbanburg, the fortress on which Uhtred is fatefully fixated, is far from fictional. Today it’s known as Bamburgh Castle. Read more of our content on Seven Kings Must Die Seven Kings Must Die: the real history behind the Last Kingdom movie Seven Kings Must Die spoiler-free preview Seven Kings Must Die ending explained: who are the seven kings? The hulking stone citadel that now guards the Northumberland coast south of Lindisfarne from atop its dolerite outcrop largely dates from after Uhtred’s era of Viking-on-Saxon conflict. But the castle’s history stretches back centuries earlier, and its tumultuous and often violent tale continues through the Middle Ages and beyond. It’s a story populated by Vikings, saints, kings, conquests and conflict. Where is Bebbanburg? Like so many castles around Britain, Bamburgh was planted in a border region. This is a liminal point where land meets sea, standing between the peoples of what’s now Scotland and England, the territories of the Anglo-Saxons and the Danelaw, paganism and Christianity. Today it’s just 15 miles south of the Tweed, which marks the modern border with Scotland. In the Iron Age, a Celtic people now commonly known as the Votadini inhabited the area. The…

GettyImages-119048928-722a4f5-e1681483622538.jpg
width: 620
height: 412

Seven Kings Must Die ending explained: what next for England?
type: item
date: 2023-04-14T14:39:23.000Z
creator: Kev Lochun
subject: Anglo-Saxon
subject: Period
subject: Seven Kings Must Die
subject: The Last Kingdom
subject: TV interest
description: The Netflix film wants to wrap a bow on both The Last Kingdom series and the establishment of England as a unified nation. But the real history tells us that the dream of England had only just begun. Plus: who were the real seven kings mentioned in the title?
encoded: After five seasons of The Last Kingdom and the finale film Seven Kings Must Die, the story of the formation of England through the eyes of Uhtred of Bebbanburg has drawn to close. But what can real history tell us about what happens next? Spoilers for Seven Kings Must Die follow. Not seen the film yet? Check our spoiler-free Seven Kings Must Die preview or our spoiler-heavy Seven Kings Must Die real history. Seven Kings Must Die ending explained: what happens next? The alliance of Scots, Vikings and Britons is shattered at the battle of Brunanburh, with the kings of Scotland, Strathclyde, Shetland, Orkney and Man all stumbling from the field as broken men, humbled by the loss of their heirs. Only Anlaf has any fight left in him, though his exaltations that the alliance can weather this defeat falls on deaf ears. Realising his cause is lost, he asks Constantine for a ship to take him back to Ireland. The King of Scots turns, silently, and walks away. Meanwhile in Bebbanburg, Uhtred pledges Northumbria to Æthelstan, who in turn names his lands ‘England’, making him King of the English. The dream of England seems secure, with Æthelstan – the film tells us in its closing moments – reigning for 15 years. That is how Seven Kings Must Die ends. But as far as the real history goes, the dream of England was anything but secure. Let’s start with Æthelstan’s reign: he did rule for 15 years, but in total; not 15 after the battle of Brunanburh in AD 937, which took place 13 years into his kingship. Nor did he assume the title of King of the English after the battle. He came to the throne as King of the Anglo-Saxons in AD 924 and adopted the mantle of King of English in AD 927, after he had seized York and coerced the kings of Wales, Scotland and Strathclyde to accept his overlordship. Read more | Why is it so difficult to find the battlefield of Brunanburh? Just two years after Brunanburh, in AD 939, Æthelstan died at Gloucester and was succeeded by his half-brother Edmund. The …

TLK-0802Stills-MP-134-f8fedfb-e1681482984510.jpg
width: 620
height: 413

Seven Kings Must Die: the real history behind the Last Kingdom movie
type: item
date: 2023-04-14T14:38:29.000Z
creator: Kev Lochun
subject: Anglo-Saxon
subject: Period
subject: Seven Kings Must Die
subject: The Last Kingdom
subject: Trends-Entertainment
subject: TV interest
description: Uhtred of Bebbanburg may not have really existed in Anglo-Saxon England, but there is plenty of real history in Seven Kings Must Die, the feature-length finale to The Last Kingdom
encoded: Seven Kings Must Die is the culmination of the story that began in The Last Kingdom, spanning decades of real history. At its core is the struggle between Saxons and Danes in the 9th-and 10th-century when England was not one nation, but a series of independent kingdoms variously overrun or ravaged by Vikings. What started as a simple revenge story – that of the dispossessed Uhtred of Bebbanburg reclaiming his ancestral home from an usurping uncle – swiftly became a history-adjacent Vikings versus Anglo-Saxons epic. Among the hero’s travels and deeds across five seasons, he found himself in the Kingdom of Wessex, where he encountered Alfred the Great, dreaming of creating a single nation – something that wouldn't be achieved until the reign of his grandson, Æthelstan. This final chapter is the story that Seven Kings Must Die tells. Spoilers for Seven Kings Must Die follow. Not seen the film yet? Check our Seven Kings Must Die preview for spoiler-free hints about what real history can tell us and find out about the history of Bamburg Castle, the real Bebbanburg. The Vikings | A short course from HistoryExtra Academy Member exclusive | Join Professor Ryan Lavelle for our four-week course on the Viking period, covering everything from trading and raiding, to daily life. Explore the course now When is Seven Kings Must Die set? The film begins in AD 924, with the death of Edward the Elder. The ensuing instability sets events in motion, creating both a succession crisis within the kingdoms of Wessex and Mercia, and precipitating the formation of an alliance between Scots, Vikings and Britons to challenge Saxon dominance over the British Isles. For Uhtred, last seen contented as lord of Bebbanburg at the end of season 5, that means he must pick sides once more. Read more | What’s happened in The Last Kingdom so far? Catch up with our series recap and breakdown of the real history Why is the film called Seven Kings Must Die? The film’s title is an allusion to a prophecy that…

TLK-S-31-02-22-BTS-MP-1260R-d5d67cc-e1681481493422.jpg
width: 620
height: 413

Seven Kings Must Die: what to expect from The Last Kingdom movie
type: item
date: 2023-03-27T07:05:25.000Z
creator: Kev Lochun
subject: Anglo-Saxon
subject: Period
subject: Seven Kings Must Die
subject: The Last Kingdom
subject: TV interest
description: When will the film sequel to The Last Kingdom series be released, and what do Bernard Cornwell’s books (and actual history) tell us about what to expect from Uhtred of Bebbanburg, Aethelstan and the future of Anglo-Saxon England? Spoilers for season 5 of The Last Kingdom
encoded: Everything seemed golden for Uhtred, son of Uhtred at the end of season 5 of the The Last Kingdom. No longer is he Uhtred of Bebbanburg in name only, but lord of what we now call Bamburgh Castle in his own right. Moreover, he is at peace. For all his oaths and all the questionable places they have taken him throughout the popular Netflix historical series, he is now content in his ancestral home, acting as a barrier between King Constantine II of Scotland and Edward the Elder of Wessex and Mercia. And yet there are dark clouds on the horizon, which forms the basis of Netflix’s follow up film, Seven Kings Must Die. The synopsis promises more bloodshed: “Following the death of King Edward, a battle for the crown ensues, as rival heirs and invaders compete for power. And when an alliance comes seeking Uhtred’s help in their plans, Uhtred faces a choice between those he cares for most, and the dream of forming a united England.” Read more | Catch up on what's happened and the real history of all five seasons of The Last Kingdom What is the plot of Seven Kings Must Die? Season 5 of The Last Kingdom took Uhtred’s story up to the end of The Flame Bearer, the tenth book in Bernard Cornwell’s epic saga, which culminates in Uhtred finally reclaiming his ancestral home of Bebbanburg. That leaves three books left for adaptation: War of the Wolf, Sword of Kings and War Lord. With Edward dead, it is likely we will see a succession crisis between Aethelstan and his half-brother Aelfweard, grandson of Wessex noble and season 5 antagonist Aethelhelm. Speaking on the HistoryExtra podcast at the time of War Lord’s release in 2020, Cornwell told us exactly how his books would end: with one of the lynchpin clashes in all of British history, the battle of Brunanburh in AD 937. “The battle marked the beginning of England, so obviously had to be included in the series,” Cornwell told us. This was the battle that made the ‘dream of England’ pursued by Alfred the Great a reality. It is where…

TLK-S-21-02-STILLS-MP-109-2b25677-e1679749601398.jpg
width: 620
height: 413

The real Uhtred of Bebbanburg: the historical inspirations for The Last Kingdom’s hero
type: item
date: 2022-03-09T14:07:43.000Z
creator: Professor Ryan Lavelle
subject: Anglo-Saxon
subject: Period
subject: Viking
subject: Seven Kings Must Die
subject: The Last Kingdom
subject: Trends-Entertainment
subject: TV interest
description: The Last Kingdom draws a great deal from history, but is the character of Uhtred of Bebbanburg among them? The formidable warrior of the TV series may be a fiction but, writes Professor Ryan Lavelle, he has parallels in real history – not least an 11th-century ealdorman named Uhtred, who fought the Vikings and married the daughter of King Æthelred II…
encoded: Uhtred of Bebbanburg, the hero of Netflix’s The Last Kingdom and it's fimale film Seven Kings Must Die (not to mention Bernard Cornwell’s novels of the same name) is a fierce and cunning warrior. Born a Saxon and raised a Dane, “Uhtred, son of Uhtred” (so the show calls him) is a man of conflicting loyalties, bound by the many (often inadvisable) oaths he makes, and driven by a desire to regain his lost birth right – the Northumbrian coastal fortress of Bebbanburg. It’s a real place: today we know Bebbanburg better by its medieval name, Bamburgh Castle. Seven Kings Must Die: everything you need to know Catch-up on real history that underpins the fictional adventures of Uhtred, son of Uhtred Plus, who are the seven kings? Find out and learn what's next in store for Anglo-Saxon in our explainer of Seven Kings Must Die's ending Uhtred’s adventures in The Last Kingdom are set against the great events of the Viking Age. Through him, we’ve witnessed the bloody activities of the 9th-century Great Heathen Army, the defence of the kingdom of Wessex under Alfred the Great (who reigned from AD 871 to AD 899), and the political turbulence in the different kingdoms across England following Alfred’s death. We’ve seen the ascension of Edward the Elder in Wessex, the triumphs of Æthelflæd in Mercia, the failed rebellion of Alfred’s nephew, Æthelwold, and now, in Seven Kings Must Die, the rise of the man to fulfil Alfred's dream of England, Æthelstan Read more | Who were the key players in the struggle to succeed Alfred the Great? Though this fictional Uhtred moves deftly throughout these events, even in exile from Bebbanburg he remains linked to the great fortress, to Northumbria at large, and to the Vikings who settled in northern England. His interests sometimes lie with Wessex and Mercia, but Uhtred’s loyalties remain conflicted throughout the series, and it is often in these conflicts, including within Uhtred himself, that the heart of the drama lies. Is Uhtred of Bebbanburg re…

TLK-Season-5-image-1-705fb72-e1646822302467.png
width: 1233
height: 822

The Last Kingdom: real history and historical accuracy
type: item
date: 2022-03-09T13:50:22.000Z
creator: Kev Lochun
subject: Anglo-Saxon
subject: Period
subject: Viking
subject: Seven Kings Must Die
subject: The Last Kingdom
subject: Trends-Entertainment
subject: TV interest
description: The Last Kingdom, based on the novels of Bernard Cornwell, re-tells the history of King Alfred the Great and his desire to unite the many separate kingdoms into what would become England. Here, we recap the real history behind the show...
encoded: When is The Last Kingdom set? It is the story of the struggle between Saxons and Danes in 9th-and 10th-century England, when England was not one nation but a series of independent kingdoms variously overrun or ravaged by Danes. The era of Lindisfarne and raiders from the sea is long past – by this point in history, the Vikings in Britain are settlers, lords and kings. A follow up film, Seven Kings Must Die, releases on Netflix on 14 April. The Last Kingdom summary: what's the story? The Last Kingdom season 5 plot The Last Kingdom season 5: the real history The Last Kingdom season 1: recap and real history The Last Kingdom season 2: recap and real history The Last Kingdom season 3: recap and real history The Last Kingdom season 4: recap and real history The Last Kingdom summary: what's the story? This tale plays out from the perspective of Uhtred of Bebbanburg, a man born a Saxon and raised a Dane, grappling with his persistently split loyalties between his oaths (of which he makes many), his conflicting cultural identities, and his quest for retribution. What starts out as a tale of straightforward revenge – reclaiming his ancestral home in Northumbria from his usurping uncle and avenging the murder of his adoptive Viking father – rapidly extends into a history-adjacent Vikings versus Anglo-Saxons epic, as Uhtred finds himself in the Kingdom of Wessex, where Alfred the Great has dreams of expelling the northmen from all the realms of 'England' and creating a single nation, something that wouldn't be achieved until the reign of his grandson. The show is based on the Saxon Stories novels of Bernard Cornwell (now renamed as the The Last Kingdom series owing to the show’s success). The final, 13th – War Lord – was published in October 2020. View oEmbed on the source website How many seasons of The Last Kingdom are there? There are five seasons of The Last Kingdom, all of which are now available to stream on Netflix, but this is not the end for Uhtred, son of a Uhtred. A…

TLK-27-05-21-STILLS-MP-90-1811c59.jpg
width: 5906
height: 3937