(" Episode 1.2")Īfter Alfred goes off to prayer, Father Beocca reveals to Uhtred that he has kept the land charter papers of Bebbanburg safe and shown them to Alfred so he is aware Uhtred is the Ealdorman of Bebbanburg by right. The idea of a single kingdom called England has to begin in Wessex, the last remaining kingdom. It is his hope that one day, all kingdoms in England will be united as one, under one god. He tells Uhtred of the importance of the written word not only for documentation but also for legacy. In Alfred's hall are thousands of scrolls, in which he writes down the comings and goings and happenings of all friends and enemies that his spies have managed to gather. Alfred is rather reserved in his opinions of the two newcomers, distrusting all pagans and Danes by nature. Once Uhtred and Brida arrive in Winchester, Father Beocca takes them to see Alfred. They must fight the pagans with Christian prayers and the blood of English men. Edmund calls for Wessex aid, but the council decides against it, admitting that they are now the last standing kingdom of England. The Danes have now hostilely taken over East Anglia and captured its pious king, Edmund. (" Episode 1.2")Īlfred's brother, Æthelred, currently sits the throne, and the two share the same ideals of ridding England of the invasive Danes lest all of England fall to their pagan savagery. Alfred tells him that if the stories are indeed true, he would be glad to welcome him into his service. Beocca believes the story of Uhtred murdering his Danish master, and believes that he will be an asset to them. He also informs Alfred of a former Saxon slave Uhtred, whom Beocca had known as a child. After Father Beocca spots a servant of Alfred's walking out of his room, buttoning up her shirt, Beocca reminds him of his duty to God's work and tells him not to give in to temptation. Winchester, Wessex Alfred is a godly man as well as a scholar, but suffers from weaknesses of the flesh, both in the form of sexual temptation as well as sickness. King Alfred defeated the Norse at the Battle of Edington, secured a treaty defining his kingdom and the Danelaw with Earl Guthrum, and made Guthrum convert to Christianity under the name King Æthelstan of East Anglia. His father was King Æthelwulf, and he succeeded his brother King Æthelred following battle against the Danes. Alfred is a king of cunning, bravery, wisdom, piety and intelligence, who uses his deep Christian beliefs and innate drive towards a Kingdom of the English to gain alliances and defeat his enemies. He eventually styled himself as the "King of the Anglo-Saxons", and is driven by a vision for a united Kingdom of all the English (England). He was the prince, later King of the Wessex. Matters of the heart are not." -Alfred to Edward Īlfred of Wessex was a main character in both The Saxon Stories novel series, and The Last Kingdom television series acting as the overarching protagonist from Season 1 to Season 3 and as the posthumus overarching protagonist for the rest of the series. But I soon realised that, as well as it being a burden, it is a privilege, to lead our people. "Do you believe that I wished for my brother to be killed in battle? And for the crown to be placed upon my head? I did not.
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