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On April 26, viewers can return to the intricate world of The Last Kingdom when Season 4 premieres on Netflix. As you settle in to watch the continuing clash between the Anglo-Saxons and the Danes, you may find yourself asking, is The Last Kingdom based on a true story? While the show is an adaptation of the historical fiction novels The Saxon Stories by Bernard Cornwell, there is a grain of truth in Uhtred's journey to claim his birthright.
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The series takes place during the period right before the birth of the United Kingdom, and when it comes to the reign of Alfred the Great, the show has proven to be fairly historically accurate even as it uses a mix of real figures from history as the basis for its main character, Uhtred. Season 4 will continue to mix blend history and fiction even as it moves past Alfred's death to chronicle the events in The Pagan Lord and The Empty Throne, books seven and eight in Cornwell's series.
May 21, 2020 The Last Kingdom star Alexander Dreymon, who plays Uhtred, told RadioTimes.com that it was one of his favourite shooting locations: “It is just the most gorgeous place in the forest, with these. Place names from the Alfred The Great series by Bernard Cornwell TLK = The Last Kingdom TPH = The Pale Horseman TLOTN = The Lords of the North SS = Sword. Apr 23, 2020 A big part of The Last Kingdom 's appeal is the way it mixes history with fiction to tell a story that is brutal, daring, and, above all, compelling. There's no need for the series to stick.
In a 2015, Cornwell revealed in an interview with Medievalists that while he enjoys including historical elements in his novels, he considers himself a storyteller first. 'I never forget that I must be primarily a storyteller, not an historian,' he said. 'The history will always take second place to the plot. I suspect (hope) that people read historical novels for entertainment, not education, but they can still be portals to history. A good historical novel should entice some readers to discover more, but it isn't my job to educate!'
The Netflix series seems to follow the same philosophy. Ultimately, The Last Kingdom's primary goal is to entertain and remain faithful to Cornwell's book series. Cornwell is passionate about history himself, and it was delving into his own ancestry and realizing how few people truly understand how England came to be that inspired the story.
In Oct. 2015, Cornwell told The Guardian of the series, 'It's about the origins of England, how these different kingdoms come together, and it is told through the eyes of this fictitious character, bringing in ideas of revenge, identity and quest, mixing that with real history.'
The show's hero, Uhtred, is fictional, but he interacts with many important figures from England's past, including the now deceased Alfred and his son Athelstan. A big part of The Last Kingdom's appeal is the way it mixes history with fiction to tell a story that is brutal, daring, and, above all, compelling. There's no need for the series to stick entirely to the facts. It can encourage viewers to delve deeper into the birth of England without turning itself into a history book.
Like all of the best historical fiction series, The Last Kingdom knows when to draw on the momentous battles and trials of the past, and when to embellish history with well-earned character moments. For history buffs, the series truly does present the best of both worlds.
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Ethelwich is one of the locations mentioned in The Last Kingdom, which is a popular historical drama series airing on Netflix. Fans have heard the location being pronounced in a number of different ways, and they are keen to find out where in England it is. Express.co.uk has everything you need to know about Ethelwich, and the name the city is known by in modern times.
Where is Ethelwich?
Fans of The Last Kingdom have heard some of the cast members use the name Ethelwich to describe a particular setting in the series.
The name of the city during the Anglo Saxon period, during which the series is set, is actually Eoforwic which is pronounced ‘Eferwich’.
Fans may be interested to hear the city eventually became what is known today as York – in the northeast of England.
Flextoon asked on Reddit where abouts the city was in the series, having first heard the term in season two.
They said: “Does someone know how the city is called where Uthred meets Beocca (where the uprising is)? It is pronounced like this “ethelwich” but I cannot find the city on the internet.”
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The series follows Uhtred of Bebbanburg (played by Alexander Dreymon) who was born a Saxon but was raised by Danes after his homeland was raided.
Uhtred was Christened and looked after by Father Beocca (Ian Hart), and the pair become great friends throughout the series.
Suaveponcho explained how the modern day name for the city both characters are seen together in is York.
They said: “When they first ride up to locations on the show they always do the thing where they translate the old English name to modern English like they always do with Winchester/Witanchaester.
“Like someone else said Eoforwīc (pronounced like “Eferwich”) is an old English name for York, which you heard as Ethelwich. So yeah its York, which was the center of Viking rule in Northumbria.”
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Ravrahn added: “The city is Eoforwic, modern York. They’re pronouncing it like “efferwich”, which is not much like the original pronunciation but I suppose it does the job.”
The name of York has changed across the centuries, with the Romans calling it Eboracum. When the Anglo-Saxons arrived in the North of England they made the city the capital of Deira – a Northumbrian kingdom.
Somewhere along the line the name of the city changed to Eoforwic, most likely as a result of Anglo-Saxon speech, and the name meant ‘wild boar settlement’.
According to England North East, the Anglo-Saxons mixed up the words ebor and eofor, with ebor meaning yew tree and eofor meaning wild boar.
The history website said: “In 865 AD the Danes captured the North and in 876 Halfdene the Dane made Eoforwic the capital of the Viking Kingdom of York.
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“Later in 918 AD a mixed race of Norwegian-Irish Vikings settled at York and for many years York was subordinated to the Viking stronghold at Dublin.”
The Roman name of Eboracum was regularly used in writing, as most records were written in Latin, whereas Eoforwic was used in everyday speech.
King Alfred Of Wessex The Last Kingdom Map
Anglo-Saxon England was made up of a number of separate kingdoms, with the main kingdoms being Mercia, East Anglia, Northumbria and Wessex.
All four kingdoms feature in the series, and Eoforwic falls into the kingdom of Northumbria.
In the series, Alfred the Great (David Dawson) makes it his mission to unite the four kingdoms to create one England.
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Throughout the series fans learn the old English names for towns and cities, as they are written as they would have been pronounced in Anglo-Saxon times.
For example, Uhthred’s kingdom of Bebbanburg was later known as Bamburgh, and is home to the landmark Bamburgh Castle.
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Dunholm later becomes Durham and Loidis would eventually become Leeds, as author Bernard Cornwell explains in his books – The Saxon Stories.
The Last Kingdom Map Bebbanburg
The series is inspired by the books and it brings Cornwell’s characters to life, whilst introducing some new characters and plots.
The Last Kingdom Map
The Last Kingdom is available to watch on Netflix now
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