The Entire Timeline For The Last Kingdom Explained
"The Last Kingdom" is really two stories in one. The series tells the story of Uhtred of Bebbanburg, the eventual Lord of Northumbria, but it also explains how the various kingdoms across Britain came to be united as England. The series takes its inspiration from Bernard Cornwell's "The Saxon Stories" novels, and it's every bit as bloody and brutal as its source material.
Netflix's show is a historical epic, rushing through a huge swath of history. The series begins in the year 866 when Uhtred is just 10 years old, and the ending of "Seven Kings Must Die" carries Uhtred all the way to his presumed death in 924. Despite that, the show isn't exactly meticulous in how it lays out its timeline. For one thing, fans will definitely notice that by the end of the concluding film "Seven Kings Must Die," Uhtred isn't looking all that much older than he did way back in season 1.
TV quirks aside, the history explored in "The Last Kingdom" is as rich as the show's many characters. People fall in love, get sick, and die. Kingdom's rise and fall, and by the time things are finally settled, the world has been truly changed forever. "Seven Kings Must Die" changes the book's ending, bringing a satisfying conclusion to Uhtred's story. Uhtred has a hero's journey like no other, and we're here to lay out the entire timeline of "The Last Kingdom" from beginning to end.
Beginning in tragedy
"The Last Kingdom" opens in the year 866 and wastes no time introducing audiences to the brutal world of ninth century Britain. Series protagonist Uhtred is only 10 years old when we first meet him, but his life is about to go through a dramatic change. Uhtred's father is a Saxon and the Lord of Bebbanburg, a territory in Northumbria. Bebbanburg, like the rest of Britain, faces violent invasion and occupation from legions of Danish warriors. Uhtred's father dies in battle against the Danes, and Uhtred himself is taken captive.
Uhtred isn't the only child that the Danes kidnapped into slavery. There's also a young Saxon girl named Brida, who quickly grows close to Uhtred. The two of them are given to the Danish warlord Earl Ragnar the Fearless, but instead of mistreating his new captives, Ragnar decides to raise the children as his own.
Uhtred and Brida grow up alongside Ragnar's biological children, Thyra and Ragnar the Younger. Both Saxon children value the Danish religion and way of life, and they see Ragnar as their own father. Years pass, but tragedy strikes their new family when Ælfric, Uhtred's uncle and the new Lord of Bebbanburg, learns that his nephew is alive. Ælfric hires another warlord, Kjartan, to kill Uhtred, and though the children escape the battle, Earl Ragnar is killed.
An oath sworn
As a young adult, Uhtred finds himself orphaned for a second time. To make matters even worse, he can't turn to the other Danes for help as they've come to believe that he killed Earl Ragnar himself. Uhtred, Brida, and Ragnar the Young are desperate to avenge their father's death and to rescue their sister Thyra from Kjartan's henchman Sven. With nowhere else to turn, they decide to travel to Wessex in the hope that Uhtred's Saxon lineage will grant him a visit with the king.
King Æthelred of Wessex is mortally wounded in a battle with the Danes, and shortly after Uhtred's arrival, Æthelred's brother Alfred is crowned king. That doesn't sit well with Æthelred's son Æthelwold, but he'll get his chance for revenge later. The new King Alfred does agree to meet with Uhtred, and he makes a tantalizing proposition. If Uhtred will swear to work on the king's behalf for one year, Alfred will give him the men he needs not just to kill Kjartan, but also to carry the fight on to Bebbanburg and reclaim his homeland.
Brida hates the deal that King Alfred has offered, but Uhtred sees no other path forward for them. He agrees to work for Alfred, but he promises Brida and Ragnar that when the time is right, he'll be there to help them kill Kjartan. For the time being, Uhtred will remain in Wessex, while Brida and Ragnar, who aren't welcome amongst the Saxons, will search for any Danish assistance.
A new family
King Alfred accepts Uhtred into his service because of Uhtred's family history and combat expertise, but the king doesn't exactly trust his new conscript. Alfred is a devout Christian, whose greatest dream is to unite the kingdoms of Britain under one leader and a single religion. Uhtred, on the other hand, isn't openly hostile to Christianity, but continues to practice the pagan beliefs he grew up following with the Danes.
As a test of Uhtred's loyalty to the crown, Alfred arranges to have him married to a Christian woman named Mildrith. Uhtred still has feelings for Brida, but he agrees to the marriage, only to discover that Mildrith's family is deeply in debt. It's now Uthred's responsibility to come up with the money. Over the next couple of years, Uhtred serves the king, pays off his family's debt, and has his first son, who is also named Uhtred.
For a brief time, everything seems to be going Uhtred's way. He crosses paths with the Danish warlord Ubba, who loses to Uhtred in single combat and comes to believe that Uhtred did not kill his father. Back in Wessex, Alfred is concerned with a recent Danish attack on a small settlement. He believes that Uhtred assisted the Danes in the attack and sentences him to death. The only upshot is that Uhtred's friend Leofric offers to give him death by combat, securing his entry to Valhalla.
Taken captive
Uhtred's incredible story nearly ended a lot sooner. At King Alfred's orders, Uhtred and Leofric are forced to fight to the death. Before either of them can strike a killing blow, an army of Vikings invades Wessex. The city is thrown into chaos, giving Leofric and Uhtred a chance to escape. As they make their way out, they cross paths with Brida, who's helping lead the Danish charge into Wessex. Uhtred and Leofric continue their escape without her, and along the way, they end up assisting Alfred and his son to escape.
After the battle at Wessex, Alfred learns that his son is gravely ill. He agrees to let Uhtred assist in a pagan ritual that may save his son's life. In one of the earliest and most consequential examples of supernatural influences in "The Last Kingdom," Alfred's son is saved, but it costs the life of Uhtred's young boy. Mildrith asks Uhtred to leave and never sees her again.
Now that Uhtred is back in the king's good graces, the two of them begin planning how to retake as much territory from the Danes as possible. The Battle of Edington acts as the dramatic conclusion to season 1. Uhtred leads Alfred's forces to victory, but the Saxons take Brida and Ragnar captive in the process. Uhtred's split loyalties are just beginning to be tested.
Tested loyalties
Season 2 opens in 879, a short time after the ending of season 1. Fighting between the Saxons and Danes remains fierce, but thanks to Uhtred's assistance the tide is beginning to turn. Unfortunately, Uhtred has yet to achieve any of his own goals. Bebbanburg is still lost, Kjartan is still alive, Thyra remains a captive of Sven, and now Brida and Ragnar are being held in custody by King Alfred.
Still, the fight must go on. Uhtred helps to free a man named Guthred, who is quickly named the new king of Northumbria. After rescuing Guthred, Uhtred forms some new relationships. He and Guthred's younger sister Gisela fall in love. Around the same time, Uhtred meets Sihtric, Kjartan's son. Sihtric hates his father and promises to help Uhtred bring him down.
Guthred is planning the best way to attack Kjartan's stronghold, but he sees no way forward without some serious reinforcements. Luckily there's a Lord with an army on offer, but unluckily it's Ælfric, Uhtred's uncle. Ælfric has learned that his nephew is alive, and he agrees to lend Guthred his men if he kills Uhtred. Guthred can't bring himself to execute his friend, but he also desperately needs Ælfric's support. Guthred betrays Uhtred by selling him to slavers who kidnap him and take him far away from Northumbria.
Ending old grudges
Uhtred finds himself trapped on a slave ship heading to an unknown destination. He and the other captives are forced to row the ship and shuck water from it when it springs a leak. All the while they're beaten and starved, and Uhtred has no idea if he'll ever be able to make his way back to Britain.
Meanwhile, in Northumbria, Ælfric is furious to learn that Guthred didn't kill Uhtred as he promised. He still agrees to lend Guthred an army, but only if he can marry Gisela. While Guthred agonizes over this new decision, back in Wessex Alfred is concerned about Uhtred's absence and sends Ragnar to find him. Eventually, the brothers are reunited and the slavers are killed, but on their way home Uhtred accidentally kills a Christian priest while rescuing Gisela.
When Alfred learns what Uhtred has done, he threatens to punish Brida and Ragnar unless Uhtred once again agrees to serve the king. With no other choice, Uhtred agrees, and Alfred prepares to send everyone into battle against Kjartan. Before leaving for battle, Uhtred gets married to Gisela.
The Battle of Dunholm could not have gone better for our heroes. Uhtred, Brida, and Ragnar lead the charge into Kjartan's stronghold. In the chaos of the battle, Thyra is freed from her prison cell, and she kills Sven herself. Then Ragnar comes face to face with Kjartan and kills him, finally avenging his father's death.
Love and marriage
The second half of season 2 skips ahead three years. The fighting between the Saxons and Danes never stopped, but in that relatively peaceful period, plenty of characters found time for love. After freeing herself from Sven, Thyra came to Wessex and eventually got married to Father Beocca. Uhtred and Gisela are happily living together, and they've had two children: Young Uhtred, who later goes by the name Oswald, and Stiorra.
King Alfred also has marriage on his mind. He arranged for his daughter Æthelflæd to be married to Æthelred, the Lord of Mercia. Æthelred is a violent and terrible husband, but Æthelflæd doesn't tell anyone, partly out of concern for her father's larger ambitions. Æthelred is an important ally to Wessex in the fight against the Danes.
Alfred sends Uhtred and Æthelred to retake London from the Danish brothers Erik and Sigefrid. Unbeknownst to the king, Æthelred decided to bring his wife along to the fight. Uhtred helps win back London, but the brothers escape with Æthelflæd as their captive. They plan to ransom her back to King Alfred, but as their plan plays out, Æthelflæd and Erik fall in love. Uhtred and Æthelred go to negotiate Æthelflæd's release, but when their plan goes sideways the Battle of Beamfleot breaks out. During the battle, Sigefrid kills his brother when he realizes that Erik has feelings for their Saxon prisoner, but Æthelflæd gets revenge by killing Sigefrid.
Bad timing
The third season picks up the story in 892, six years after the end of season 2. King Alfred's age is beginning to show. Worried that he doesn't have much time to live, Alfred begins planning to transfer power to his son Edward. He asks Uhtred to train Edward as a warrior, but Uhtred is reluctant to take on the task. Alfred's daughter Æthelflæd has given birth to a son, but her husband Æthelred begins to suspect that the boy might be Erik's child, not his.
Don't think for a second that the battles raging across Britain have died down. There's a new Danish enemy in town. A warlord named Bloodhair is building up a new army to attack Wessex, and he's got help from Skade, a powerful seer with mystic abilities. Bloodhair is especially bent on killing Uhtred, who he knows as the Dane Killer.
Uhtred takes a small force to Bloodhair, intending to stop the attack on Wessex before it can begin. Bloodhair manages to escape, and Skade puts a curse on Uhtred. The fight didn't go as well as Uhtred had hoped, but there's worse news waiting for him when he gets home. Gisela died giving birth to their third child, Osbert.
Broken allegiances
Uhtred is distraught when he learns that his wife has died, but not everyone in Wessex is disappointed to lose a pagan woman. When a priest insults Gisela, Uhtred lashes out and accidentally kills the man — he's developed a real habit of doing that. King Alfred is furious about what Uhtred has done and demands that Uhtred swear lifelong allegiance to the crown of Wessex if he wants to avoid punishment. Uhtred has other ideas. He briefly captures Alfred and by threatening the old man's life manages to escape the city.
Now that he's burned his bridge with the Saxons, Uhtred decides to make his way to a Danish encampment. There he's reunited with Ragnar and Brida, but they aren't necessarily thrilled to see him. Brida in particular mistrusts Uhtred after all the time he's spent working for King Alfred. Ragnar tells Uhtred that they have no intention of slowing their attacks on the Saxons.
Before too long, Bloodhair arrives at Ragnar's camp. He wants them to join forces and capture Wessex. Behind the scenes, Alfred's nephew Æthelwold has been manipulating Bloodhair. He thinks that he can use the Danish forces to help claim the crown for himself. Uhtred refuses to join the fight and says that Ragnar's conjoined army will crumble because the different factions have no loyalty to each other. Not long after Uhtred leaves, Æthelwold secretly murders Ragnar in his sleep.
Blood and curses
King Alfred learns that Uhtred and a small group of men are planning to fight a chunk of the Danish army at Beamfleot. Edward wants to send soldiers from Wessex to help them, but Alfred refuses. At this point Alfred is largely bedridden because of his illness, so Edward uses the opportunity to go behind his back and sends help to Uhtred, who's then able to fend off the Danes.
Later Brida meets up with Uhtred and tells him about Ragnar's murder. She's worried that Ragnar's soul is trapped between Hel and Valhalla, and the two of them work together to help Ragnar pass on. Along the way, Uhtred learns that the only way to break the curse Skida put on him is to kill her without spilling a drop of her blood. When he sees an opportunity, Uhtred snaps Skida's neck, but not before she betrays Bloodhair by poisoning him.
As the Danish army approaches Wessex, Alfred discovers Æthelwold's plot and has him blinded as punishment. Alfred arranges Edward's marriage to a royal woman named Ælflæd in his last act as king. Edward is crowned just before the Danish army arrives. Because Edward came to Uhtred's aid earlier, Uhtred fights on behalf of Wessex. He once again manages to drive back the Danes, and he kills Æthelwold after discovering that he still had plans for stealing the crown for himself.
Battle at Bebbanburg
Time continues to flow, as seven years pass between seasons 3 and 4. In the interim, Uhtred and Æthelflæd have started up an affair. She's still married to the abusive Æthelred, but she manages to be with Uhtred from time to time because Æthelred is busy managing the affairs of Mercia.
It's been 26 since Uhtred's birth father died and his uncle Ælfric seized control of Bebbanburg. Uhtred is more desperate than ever to reclaim his homeland. When he learns that Bebbanburg has fallen on hard times, Uhtred goes to King Edward and asks for a small army to help him take the kingdom back. Edward declines Uhtred's request, so Uhtred decides to do the work himself. He takes a small group of friends and soldiers, including Thyra's husband Beocca, north to Bebbanburg.
Uhtred never gets the chance to kill Ælfric. Just as he arrives at Bebbanburg, Ælfric's son Wihtgar kills his father and claims the land for himself. Uhtred challenges Wihtgar to single combat, but Wihtgar refuses and kills Beocca himself as his men descend on Uhtred's small team. They barely manage to escape Bebbanburg and begin making their way to Æthelflæd's home in Mercia. As they travel, Uhtred happens upon the children of the Danish warlord Cnut. He kidnaps them, hoping to use them as leverage to get Cnut to stop his assault on Mercia.
Moving to Mercia
King Edward learns that Cnut's Danish army is heading for Mercia. He decides not to send any troops, believing that Æthelred and his army can defend their homeland alone. Unfortunately, Æthelred has taken his army north and isn't present for the battle. Uhtred's attempt at using Cnut's children to stop the attack doesn't work, and Mercia is decimated.
After the battle, Cnut relaxes with his men and Brida, who's been Cnut's lover since the events of season 3. Brida learns that Cnut had been collaborating with Æthelwold years earlier and was partly responsible for her brother Ragnar's death. She doesn't hesitate in killing him after learning the truth, and the Danish army is left without a leader.
On the other side of the conflict, Mercia is in a sorry state. Æthelred has returned, but he's gravely ill. Some kind of sickness is spreading throughout the land, and plenty of people on both sides die. When the illness finally claims Æthelred's life, Mercia is left without a ruler, and Æthelred has no sons to step into the position. King Edward arrives to help negotiate how Mercia should proceed from here, but he doesn't have many options. In an act of desperation, Edward asks Uhtred to take the throne because the people of Mercia trust him. Uhtred is reluctant because his real focus is still on Bebbanburg, but he ultimately agrees to become the Lord of Mercia.
Twists of fate
Uhtred can't be a Lord without also being a Christian. After years of holding fast to his pagan beliefs, Uhtred agrees to go through with the baptism in order to keep the peace in Mercia. It turns out that he didn't have to take things that far. Æthelflæd doesn't want Uhtred to rule Mercia because he's not actually from the land. She convinces Edward to let her take the throne, but Edward insists that she take a vow of celibacy if she wants to lead. She tells Uhtred about their agreement, and the two of them share one final kiss.
Uhtred's children are all growing up, and some of them are getting ready to make their own path in life, despite their father's wishes. Uhtred's oldest son has been talking to the priest in Mercia, and he feels a genuine connection to the Christian God. He decides to leave to pursue a holy life. Uhtred's daughter is also about to make a life-changing decision, but her path forward is less straightforward.
The Dane Sigtryggr attacks Winchester and manages to take the city. He also manages to capture Uhtred's daughter Stiorra and both of King Edward's children. Sigtryggr wants to use the children to negotiate peace, but he also has other intentions with Stiorra and treats her with extreme care. Edward, Uhtred, and Sigtryggr ultimately come to terms. Sigtryggr gets to keep the entire kingdom of Eoferwic, and Edward gets his children. Stiorra is also free, but she tells Uhtred that she loves Sigtryggr and wants to live her life with the Danes.
A future king
Season 5 picks up the story in 917, six years after Sigtryggr took Eoferwic. Edward is already thinking ahead to his eventual death and the need for a successor. He has an illegitimate son named Æthelstan, and he plans for the boy to one day take the crown. Edward asks Uhtred to more or less raise Æthelstan, and Uhtred agrees.
For all these years there has been relative peace across the land, but that's about to change. Æthelflæd gets sick and dies, which opens up a new opportunity for Edward. He marches his forces in and claims Mercia for himself, inching him closer to achieving his father Alfred's dream of creating a united England. Another person is about to bring that dream even closer, but he's doing it for his own purposes.
Æthelhelm of Wiltshire is doing his best to stoke a new war between Sigtryggr and Edward. Æthelhelm is the most powerful ealdorman in Wessex, and his daughter Ælflæd is married to Edward, but he wants more. Æthelhelm wants to weaken Edward and Wessex in order to one day place his own son on the throne. Edward takes the bait and leads an assault on Eoferwic. His men take the town, and he orders Sigtryggr's execution, but he lets Uhtred's daughter Stiorra go free.
Homecoming
Stiorra refuses to live with the Saxons, heading into the woods with some other Danes after Sigtryggr's execution. She hates Edward and has no warm feelings for her father either, but in her twisted anger, she actually lays the blame for her current situation on Brida. Stiorra believes that Brida's actions years ago set all these events in motion, and when she gets the chance, she shoots Brida through the chest with an arrow.
Uhtred is heartbroken after essentially losing both Brida and his daughter, but he doesn't have time to mourn. Æthelhelm has elevated his plans. He conspires with Constantin, the King of Scotland, and Wihtgar, Uhtred's evil cousin and current Lord of Northumbria. Because Bebbanburg and Northumbria sit directly between Scotland and the Saxon kingdoms, Uhtred knows that it's finally time to retake his homeland.
At first, Edward is reluctant to send troops into battle at Bebbanburg. No one supports Edward's hesitancy, and some soldiers, like the army of Mercia, even pledge to follow Uhtred into battle against the king's wishes. Edward eventually relents and the full force of the Saxons head toward Bebbanburg.
Though the battle is intense, Uhtred comes out victorious. He is now the Lord of Northumbria, and he uses his new authority to great effect. He establishes the kingdom as a safe haven for both the Danes and the Saxons. He also promises not to pledge his allegiance to either Constantin in Scotland or Edward in Wessex. Northumbria will be a buffer between the two.
Seven Kings Must Die
By the end of season 5, Uhtred has finally achieved his lifelong dream of reclaiming Bebbanburg, but his story is far from over. Uhtred's fate is tied to the kings of Wessex and their shared dream of a united England. At the beginning of "The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die," Uhtred learns of a prophecy that links the death of seven kings to the rise of England. Shortly afterward, King Edward dies, and the crown passes to his son Æthelstan, who Uhtred helped raise.
As king, Æthelstan has a secret to hide. He's in love with a man named Ingilmunder who claims to love him deeply. Ingilmunder convinces Æthelstan that now is the time to finally spread Christianity across all the land by starting a fresh war with Scotland. It turns out that Æthelstan is sadly too easily manipulated. Ingilmunder is actually a Danish spy. He wants to use a war between Wessex and Scotland to weaken both kingdoms and lead the Danes to a new level of power.
There are plenty of battles and bloodshed while Ingilmunder's plot unfolds and then is eventually discovered. By the end of the film, Uhtred once again finds himself leading a Saxon army into battle with the Danes. Uhtred's victory is decisive, but he's seriously wounded in the battle. He and Æthelstan speculate that Edward's death, and the death of five other heirs to the crown, may have helped fulfill the prophecy. Uhtred himself could be the seventh king. He swears Northumbria to Wessex, officially making Æthelstan the king of a united England.