There is a suggestion that he’s not actually from a royal lineage and may have been from a noble family in Western Mercia. “Aethelred is a figure who sort of becomes beholden to Alfred. It’s interesting that the word ‘Lady’ or ‘hlǣfdīġe’ is used for her because that is the female equivalent of the word ‘Lord’, and lordship is that bond that holds the warrior society together in this period.” Aethelred likely worked for Alfred and didn’t plot against him In a version of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in the 10 th century, there’s a reference to the loss of the thanes, or warriors, who were dearest to her at the taking of Derby, so there’s a sense of that lordly relationship.
“There is a version of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle written from a Mercian perspective that really plays up Aethelflaed’s achievements, which indicates that there were people looking toward her as an inspirational leader. I can’t remember whether it’s invented by Bernard or invented for the series.” Aethelflaed, Lady of Mercia, was a real inspirational leader “Historical question about the paternity? Sadly, I don’t think there is. ” There’s no reason to think that Aethelflaed’s daughter wasn’t Aethelred’s biological child That aspect of a Queen, or King’s wife being there at the court emerges in the historical records at different times in the Anglo-Saxon period. Sometimes royal women were provided with far more legal authority as a result of a queenly title. “The idea of a Queen’s guidance is an important aspect of early Medieval royal power.
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Subscribe Aelswith would have advised son Edward on how to rule
It does bring in the historical evidence for Alfred as a young man – as indicated in Asser’s biography of Alfred – that he is said to have regretted his earlier wild youth!” It’s possible, but it’s equally possible that he might just be some more distant relation. There was the appearance of a certain Osferth in the will of King Alfred where he’s referred to as ‘my kinsman’. “That came from a suggestion by Jinty Nelson back in the 1980s.
It’s potentially a term that means him being a king of the Angles in Mercia and the Saxons in Wessex, looking towards a larger kingdom, a larger realm.” There may be historical evidence for Osferth being King Alfred’s illegitimate son “Towards the end of his reign, Alfred is calling himself the King of the Anglo-Saxons, ‘Rex Angul-Saxonum’ is the term. That could be part of Alfred’s outlook as a Christian ruler in terms of his sense of intense internal Christianity and his sense of introspection as a ruler.” Alfred did seek to unite the kingdoms into one England “There’s enough evidence to be able to say that Alfred was affected by bouts of chronic ill health. Most of the Northumbrians in this period had to have some kind of Danish connection in order to survive, so it’s likely he did.” King Alfred did suffer from ill health “ Uhtred is a significant person in Northumbria in the early 11 th century so there certainly was a historical Uhtred, just not in the 9 th century. Uhtred is fictional, but inspired by a real historical figure “I want people to use it to engage with the actual history.” “There is an inevitability that people sometimes engage more with the characters as they’ve been represented in the drama than with the actual historical characters, but this is something that allows a kind of hook,” says Lavelle. Does the portrayal worry Lavelle, a lecturer in Early Medieval History at the University of Winchester, and The Last Kingdom’s historical advisor? The TV series, and the Bernard Cornwell novels on which it’s based, have clearly employed dramatic licence. In fact, sources suggest that Aethelred cooperated with his wife, and may well have done the bidding of King Alfred as a kind of puppet king. But what say the history books? Is there evidence that the real Aethelred was such a swine? Aethelred’s a dangerous egotist driven by self-regard, with no concern for his people.
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Toby Regbo’s character in the series is a cowardly, scheming, abusive rapist who tries to have his wife murdered and plots to overthrow his father-in-law, King Alfred of Wessex. In Netflix historical drama The Last Kingdom, “complete shit” doesn’t begin to cover Aethelred. That’s exactly the question we’re asking. “The leading question I think you’re asking,” he laughs, “is was he really such a complete shit?” Den of Geek is speaking to Professor Ryan Lavelle about Early Medieval ruler ealdorman Aethelred of Mercia.
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