Thoroughly enjoyed the tenth instalment in a fantastic series. It’s a fine example of how a worthy warrior must possess a shrewd mind to second guess his enemies, and plenty of charisma to attract loyal followers, besides a trusty sword-arm that has slain many a foe. But a romantic interest and making the occasional error of judgement only cements his human side.

The Saxons – like many other epic peoples throughout history – had their glowing moments: Alfred the Great, Ethandun, Stamford Bridge. Despite defeat at the Battle of Hastings it was hard fought by both sides. It seems the Viking blood is ever-present; while Alfred set into motion the requisites for a unified Engaland, Cnut the Great was a Dane who earned his name by holding sway over a powerful empire encompassing England, Norway, and Denmark! What would Alfred have thought to this? Ironically, Cnut was one of the best kings England ever had, besides which he was a Christian, and culturally tolerant, so I’ve a feeling Alfred would have approved. A second irony is William of Normandy’s lineage, descended from Viking forebears. Like I said, the Viking blood runs deep. Even with the Norman Conquest, such new overlords weren’t accepted overnight. Hereward of Wake (supposed to have hailed from Bourne in Lincolnshire, but there might be heated conjecture over this) is one such example of a Saxon ‘rebel’. Nobody’s certain whether he survived the Scourge of the North campaign – which was perhaps more to thwart further Danish ambitions (ever-persistent!) and assimilate vestiges of Daneland culture.

I’ll be sure to watch episode 2 of series 2 ‘The Last Kingdom’. Personally though, I often refer to the series as the ‘Uhtred Chronicles’.

Robert Douglas