Uhtred the Bold, the real historical figure who inspired The Last Kingdom, wasn't raised by Vikings like his onscreen counterpart, but he did fight against the Danes, unite Northumbria, and spark a blood feud that lasted for generations.
NetflixAlexander Dreymon in The Last Kingdom as Uhtred of Bebbanburg, a character based on the real-life Uhtred of Bamburgh.
The show The Last Kingdom follows the story of Uhtred of Bebbanburg, a Saxon who is raised by Vikings, works for Alfred the Great, and fights for the lands that rightfully belong to him. Much about Uhtred’s story is fictional, but the character is based on a real historical figure known as Uhtred of Bamburgh or Uhtred the Bold.
The real Uhtred lived in the 11th century, more than 100 years after his onscreen counterpart. During this tumultuous time in English history, the kingdom of Northumbria, where Uhtred lived, faced constant threat from both Vikings and Scottish invaders. Although the region had thrived independently between the seventh and ninth centuries, the incessant conflict ultimately took its toll on the kingdom.
By the 10th century, Northumbria was dwindling. It was divided into two parts: a Danish-controlled region centered on York and an Anglo-Saxon region ruled from Bamburgh in the north. It was within this fragile political climate that Uhtred the Bold ascended to power.
Though young, Uhtred proved himself to be a capable leader, fighting back for his people’s freedom against the ever-looming threat of Scottish invasion. However, he also found himself stretched thin by his oaths, shifting his allegiances as the political climate around him changed as well. This ultimately led to his assassination, sparking a blood feud that lasted for generations.
This history served as the loose inspiration for Bernard Cornwell’s The Saxon Stories. The novels were subsequently adapted into the Netflix series The Last Kingdom, in which Alexander Dreymon rose to fame as Uhtred of Bebbanburg. However, the real Uhtred’s story was just as fascinating.
Inside Uhtred The Bold’s Rise To Power
Wikimedia CommonsBamburgh Castle, once the seat of power in Northumbria.
The real-life Uhtred the Bold was born in the late 10th century into the influential House of Bamburgh. His father, Waltheof I, governed northern Northumbria from the fortress of Bamburgh, a strategic stronghold against raids. Unlike Uhtred of Bebbanburg, however, Waltheof’s son was not raised by Vikings.
In 1006, the invasion of Durham by Malcolm II of Scotland disrupted the status quo at Bamburgh. According to the De Obsessione Dunelmi, a 12th-century text, Waltheof was “of great age and so too old to make a stand against the enemy.” To the south, Ealdorman Ælfhelm of York likewise refused to take action.
So, it fell to Uhtred to rally his people and push back against the Scots.
Uhtred of Bamburgh assembled a force of warriors from Bernicia and Yorkshire to fight off the Scottish invaders. His bravery earned him the nickname “Uhtred the Bold.” When English King Æthelred II heard of Uhtred’s success, he broke tradition to honor his courage, as recorded in De Obsessione Dunelmi: “[W]hilst his father, Waltheof, was still living, [Æthelred] gave him as a reward for his prowess and the way in which he fought, his father’s earldom adding the earldom of York.”
Public DomainKing Æthelred II, also known as Æthelred the Unready.
This unified northern and southern Northumbria under Uhtred’s rule — but his loyalty to the English king would soon be tested.
How The Real Uhtred The Bold’s Story Differs From Uhtred Of Bebbanburg’s
In The Last Kingdom, Uhtred of Bebbanburg fights for Alfred the Great, who ruled from 871 to 899. Of course, the actual Uhtred lived more than a century after the events onscreen take place, so he never met King Alfred. Instead, he made alliances with a variety of 11th-century leaders.
At the time of the siege of Durham, Uhtred of Bamburgh was married to a woman named Ecgfrida. However, upon returning home with his new titles, he dismissed his first wife and wed Sige, the daughter of a wealthy family. Although his motives for this new union are unconfirmed in the historical record, Sige’s father’s high position in York society suggests that Uhtred was seeking to establish political alliances.
Then, in 1013, another invasion prompted Uhtred to take action. That year, King Sweyn Forkbeard of Denmark launched an overwhelming invasion of England. Many Saxons recognized that this was a losing battle and swore fealty to Sweyn — including Uhtred. Æthelred was forced into exile in Normandy, and Sweyn was accepted as king.
Public DomainThe short-lived king Sweyn Forkbeard.
This new leadership lasted all of five weeks.
In February 1014, Sweyn died suddenly, and Æthelred seized the opportunity to reclaim his throne. Uhtred once again swore allegiance to the king. This time, he solidified their alliance through marriage, taking Æthelred’s daughter Ælfgifu as his wife.
This did not last long, either. A year later, Sweyn’s son, Cnut, followed in his father’s footsteps and launched his own invasion of Northumbria — and Uhtred of Bamburgh would not survive the resulting conflict.
Conflict With Cnut, Betrayal, And Death
The true story of Uhtred the Bold’s death is perhaps even more compelling than the bloody onscreen downfall of Uhtred of Bebbanburg. It was sparked by a shift in the English political landscape in 1015 and 1016 in the form of the resurgence of Danish power under Sweyn’s son, the Viking king Cnut.
This time, however, Uhtred initially resisted Cnut’s invasion and subsequent order to turn against King Æthelred. According to De Obsessione Dunelmi, Uhtred told Cnut, “No reward could persuade me to do what I ought not to. I will serve the king as long as he lives. He is both my lord and father-in-law, by whose gift I enjoy enough riches and honor. I will never betray him.”
Then, Æthelred died in April 1016. Cnut once again ordered Uhtred to submit to him, and this time he agreed. The new king summoned Uhtred to a peace meeting — but his intentions were not pure. En route, Uhtred and his 40 men were ambushed and murdered by a nobleman named Thurbrand the Hold, seemingly on the orders of Cnut.
Public DomainKing Cnut as portrayed in the Genealogical Chronicle of the English Kings.
This, of course, differs greatly from the death of the fictional Uhtred of Bebbanburg, who is gravely wounded in the midst of a bloody battle.
In any case, Uhtred of Bamburgh was dead — and a blood feud that spanned generations followed.
What Happened To The Descendants Of The Real-Life Uhtred Of Bebbanburg?
About a decade after Uhtred’s death, his son, Ealdred, avenged him by murdering Thurbrand. In response, Thurbrand’s son, Carl, slayed Ealdred. Then, 50 years later, Ealdred’s grandson Waltheof II had most of Carl’s sons and grandsons killed, seemingly bringing a grisly end to the feud.
Wikimedia CommonsBernard Cornwell, the author of The Saxon Stories who claims to be a descendant of Uhtred the Bold.
Uhtred of Bamburgh’s lineage continued on — purportedly all the way to English author Bernard Cornwell. The writer claimed in a 2014 interview with Entertainment Monthly that there was “someone named Uhtred who lived in the late ninth and early 10th centuries, and I am descended from him.”
This apparent connection inspired Cornwell to write The Saxon Stories, a fictional account of a Northumbrian king named Uhtred of Bebbanburg that served as the source material for Netflix’s The Last Kingdom.
“I suppose if I’d grown up knowing I had such a distinguished ancestry I might feel much closer to the family,” Cornwell said, “but finding them so late is really just a curiosity, though a nice one!”
Still, there’s no denying the success of Cornwell’s stories and the wide appeal of his own version of Uhtred — even if he is a far cry from the real Uhtred of Bamburgh.
After learning about the real historical figure who inspired the character Uhtred of Bebbanburg, read about the execution of Scottish rebel William Wallace. Then, go inside the true story of Robert the Bruce.
