If you've watched The Last Kingdom, you've probably wondered how much of Uhtred's story actually happened. After all, King Alfred was real, the Viking invasions were real, and the struggle to create England was very real. So it stands to reason that Uhtred of Bebbanburg, played by Alexander Dreymon, might have been wandering around ninth-century England getting himself into trouble, too.
Well, there really was an Uhtred of Bebbanburg. But he wasn't quite the fellow we meet in the series. For one thing, he lived more than a hundred years later.
Who Was the Real Uhtred?
The historical figure most closely associated with the character was Uhtred the Bold, a powerful nobleman who ruled Northumbria in the early 11th century. He was involved in the complicated politics of northern England, where the English, Danes, and Scots were regularly fighting over territory and power.
Uhtred the Bold was a real warrior and political leader, and his life included shifting allegiances, military campaigns, and a particularly unpleasant ending. In 1016, he was murdered after being summoned to a meeting under a promise of safe conduct.
That certainly sounds like someone who could have appeared in The Last Kingdom. The trouble is that King Alfred died in 899, long before Uhtred the Bold became a prominent figure. The two men never met, much less spent years arguing about loyalty, religion, and the future of England.
Why Did Bernard Cornwell Invent a Different Uhtred?
Here's where the story gets particularly interesting.
Bernard Cornwell, who wrote the novels on which The Last Kingdom is based, was adopted. When he met his biological father as an adult, he discovered that his family ancestry could be traced back to the Saxon rulers of Bebbanburg, including men named Uhtred.
Cornwell had already been interested in writing about the creation of England, particularly the struggle between Alfred's kingdom of Wessex and the invading Danes. Discovering his family connection gave him a way to tell that story through the eyes of a fictional warrior.
Rather than writing a biography of Uhtred the Bold, Cornwell borrowed the name, family background, and ancestral home, then moved his character backward in history to the time of Alfred the Great.
It was a convenient arrangement. Cornwell got a character with genuine historical roots, but one whose adventures he could invent without having to explain why they weren't in the history books.
Did Uhtred Really Help Create England?
Not the Uhtred we know from the show. His relationships with Alfred, his children, and the various Danish leaders are fictional, even though many of those people actually existed.
But the larger historical story is genuine. Alfred defended Wessex against the Vikings, his successors expanded their power, and the various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were gradually brought together into what became England.
Cornwell placed his invented Uhtred in the middle of those events, allowing viewers to experience the history through someone who wasn't particularly enthusiastic about taking orders from kings.
And that might be the most entertaining part of the arrangement. We get to watch a man help build a country while spending much of his time complaining about the people trying to build it.
The Bottom Line
Uhtred of Bebbanburg wasn't a real person in the way The Last Kingdom portrays him. He was inspired by historical figures, particularly Uhtred the Bold, but his adventures alongside Alfred the Great belong to fiction.
The history surrounding him, however, is largely rooted in actual events. That's part of what makes the series so compelling. You can enjoy Uhtred's story without knowing much about Anglo-Saxon England, then discover that many of the battles, rulers, and political struggles really happened.
And considering how complicated the real history was, you can hardly blame Cornwell for wanting one fellow to guide us through it.
