The Last Kingdom (2015) [/]
Apr 02 2025
The Last Kingdom is a five-season British historical drama set during the early 10th century following the course of uniting the various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms into England whilst those same kingdoms are beset by Viking invaders coming to conquer and make a new home in the British Isles.
Based on Bernard Cornwell's novels (who also wrote the Sharpe novels which I love and I think he has another series set during the American Revolution) the main protagonist is the fictional Uhtred of Bebbanburg (Alexander Dreymon). HIs father is betrayed, Uhtred is sold to the Vikings and he loses his ancestral home (in Northumbria, which borders Scotland) to his uncle. Uhtred is raised from about 10 years old as a Viking so he grows up a man of two worlds (a big theme of the show is the struggle of Christians vs Pagans).
After his adopted family is betrayed (again instigated by Uhtred's uncle) he ends up going to the Saxons and serving under the Wessex King Alfred (David Dawson) as a mercenary and Viking expert and as the seasons go on he rises through the ranks to become a minor lord. Meanwhile there is politics amongst Wessex (in the southern coast), Mercia (in the middle), Northumbria (in the north) and the various Viking domains and Uhtred is in the middle of it all. He also has many loves who tend to die or go mad or other bad ends to make room for his next love.
Lots of outdoor scenes and middle age structures. British production so they try to make it historically accurate (and Cornwell also writes his novels to be historically accurate but with some fictional characters) and many of the characters are historical (though to be fair the histories are not that detailed). Good battle scenes and I like the tactics shown. I like how the "major" cities are really just walled towns or partly walled towns.
Each season follows two novels so plot progresses fairly rapidly over the course of an 8 or 10 episode season. I did find the last couple of seasons less good possibly because I was used to the series so it was getting old hat. But it's also nice that at the end of the series there are conclusions and Uhtred's story is done.
I like the setting and I think it combines nicely with Pendragon RPG. Although Pendragon is more set in the mid to late Middle Ages and it's Anglo vs Saxon there the theme of invaders is much the same. The Vikings here have their own codes of honor vs what the Christians have and that's very Pendragon. Politics and the various adventures in The Last Kingdom can all be brought into a Pendragon campaign.
The Last Kingdom is a good not great series but I'm glad I watched it because it gives me a resource for the next time I run Pendragon.
Based on Bernard Cornwell's novels (who also wrote the Sharpe novels which I love and I think he has another series set during the American Revolution) the main protagonist is the fictional Uhtred of Bebbanburg (Alexander Dreymon). HIs father is betrayed, Uhtred is sold to the Vikings and he loses his ancestral home (in Northumbria, which borders Scotland) to his uncle. Uhtred is raised from about 10 years old as a Viking so he grows up a man of two worlds (a big theme of the show is the struggle of Christians vs Pagans).
After his adopted family is betrayed (again instigated by Uhtred's uncle) he ends up going to the Saxons and serving under the Wessex King Alfred (David Dawson) as a mercenary and Viking expert and as the seasons go on he rises through the ranks to become a minor lord. Meanwhile there is politics amongst Wessex (in the southern coast), Mercia (in the middle), Northumbria (in the north) and the various Viking domains and Uhtred is in the middle of it all. He also has many loves who tend to die or go mad or other bad ends to make room for his next love.
Lots of outdoor scenes and middle age structures. British production so they try to make it historically accurate (and Cornwell also writes his novels to be historically accurate but with some fictional characters) and many of the characters are historical (though to be fair the histories are not that detailed). Good battle scenes and I like the tactics shown. I like how the "major" cities are really just walled towns or partly walled towns.
Each season follows two novels so plot progresses fairly rapidly over the course of an 8 or 10 episode season. I did find the last couple of seasons less good possibly because I was used to the series so it was getting old hat. But it's also nice that at the end of the series there are conclusions and Uhtred's story is done.
I like the setting and I think it combines nicely with Pendragon RPG. Although Pendragon is more set in the mid to late Middle Ages and it's Anglo vs Saxon there the theme of invaders is much the same. The Vikings here have their own codes of honor vs what the Christians have and that's very Pendragon. Politics and the various adventures in The Last Kingdom can all be brought into a Pendragon campaign.
The Last Kingdom is a good not great series but I'm glad I watched it because it gives me a resource for the next time I run Pendragon.