The Last Kingdom

The Last Kingdom, published in 2004, was the first volume in what would become a series of 12 historical adventure novels, set in Britain in the late-ninth and early 10th centuries. The novels chronicle the bloody territorial wars between the English armies of the island’s then four kingdoms and the invading Danish armies, fierce Northern warriors known in contemporary pop culture as the Vikings. Bernard Cornwell was already an established and prolific writer of historical novels, known most prominently for a sprawling series set during the Napoleonic Wars. The era in which The Lost Kingdom is set marked the emergence of a modern united England under the aegis of Alfred the Great.

The Last Kingdom is narrated by Uhtred, the young Lord of Bebbanburg in Northumbria. The boy is a Saxon—English of German ancestry. During the opening skirmishes of the first wave of invading Norsemen in 866, however, Uhtred is captured by the Danes. The boy is adopted by one of the most powerful Danish warlords and raised as one of their own. Given this complex narrative perspective, the novel explores the implications of cultural and national identity even as the young, plucky Uhtred, uncertain whether he is English or Danish, Christian or pagan, dedicates his life to reclaiming his lost inheritance.

Tapping into the international craze over the long-running HBO series Game of Thrones, The Last Kingdom drew wide critical praise and enjoyed international success as a best seller in 17 countries. In 2014, The Saxon Stories, as the series came to be called, was optioned by the BBC and developed into a successful series that ran five seasons with more than 60 episodes.

This study guide uses the 2005 HarperCollins paperback edition.

Plot Summary

It is 866. When the invading Danish armies attack the fortress of Bebbanburg in the Kingdom of Northumbria along England’s northern coast, young Uhtred, only 10 and the last surviving son of the lord of Bebbanburg, is taken prisoner. Uhtred’s father is killed during the conflict. Ragnar Ragnarsson, one of the mightiest and most feared warlords among the Danes, is impressed by the moxie of the young Saxon and decides to take the boy under his wing and raise him as a sort of ward. Over the next several years, Uhtred embraces the Viking military culture and its pantheon of gods. He is schooled in the art of close-contact warfare and develops a keen sensibility for expert swordplay.

When Uhtred rescues Ragnar’s daughter from a sexual assault by Sven Kjartansson, the reptilian son of one of Ragnar’s closest advisors, Uhtred finds himself, despite his young age and Saxon birth, embraced as a major presence in Ragnar’s court. But his heroism makes an enemy of Sven and his father, Kjartan, who are both summarily exiled from Ragnar’s court. Sven’s father darkly promises revenge.

Over the next several years, Uhtred campaigns with the invading Danes as the roving battle-hardened army invades and then occupies the kingdoms of Mercia and East Anglia one by one, leaving only the southern kingdom of Wessex, under the control of Alfred. It is during this time that Uhtred learns that his uncle, Aelfric, has usurped his rightful throne in Northumbria. Aelfric has married Uhtred’s stepmother and plans to have a son. Uhtred vows to return to Bebbanburg and settle the score.

The Danish are bloodthirsty in war and ruthless in their occupation, savaging towns, emptying monasteries, pillaging farms, and torturing those who refuse to accept Danish command. Uhtred, for his part, is never entirely sure who he is or which side he is on. But one thing he is certain about is how he relishes the adrenaline rush of battle. Despite his age, he quickly earns a reputation as a fierce fighter. His position, however, is significantly compromised when Kjartan returns and sets fire to Ragnar’s great hall, trapping and then burning alive virtually the entire court, including the mighty Ragnar.

Uhtred understands Kjartan will be looking to kill him as well. Determined to survive, Uhtred abandons the Danes and joins Alfred in Wessex and pledges fealty to the Saxon king. In return for the king’s support, Uhtred takes a Saxon wife, learns to read and write (important virtues for the scholarly Alfred), and re-embraces Christianity and renounces the pagan gods.

The odds of defeating the Danes, however, look unpromising. The Saxons are outgunned, outmanned, outnumbered, and outplanned. However, they attack in a long and tense siege against the Danes, who are under the command of Guthrum, nicknamed The Unlucky. The siege ends with a tentative treaty, signed on the cusp of a long and difficult winter, that provides for a dual-occupation, ceding part of the island nation to the Danes. As part of the treaty, a number of prominent Saxons, among them Uhtred, are taken as hostages. But once the spring arrives, the Danes break the treaty. The wily Uhtred manages to escape even as the Danes, under the command of the ruthless warlord Ubba Lothbrokson, begin to systematically kill all the Saxon hostages. The Saxon army is now in disarray. Alfred, a king in name only, works to bring his ragged troops together.

The stage is set for what will be known to historians as the Battle of Cynuit, in which, despite the odds, the ragtag Saxons rally and defeat the much larger Danish army through the wily chess moves of Alfred himself. During the bloody battle, Uhtred distinguishes himself, slaying dozens of Danes. Then, in a dramatic sword showdown, Uhtred kills Ubba himself. After the battle is done, with Wessex once again under Alfred’s control, Uhtred vows to return to Northumbria and reclaim his rightful title.