Saxon Stories book 1 · 2004
The Last Kingdom
In the ninth century, the Danes overrun the English kingdoms. Uhtred, the young son of the lord of Bebbanburg in Northumbria, is captured and raised by a Danish earl, Ragnar, until fate draws him to Wessex and its king, Alfred.
Spoiler-free summary written for The Recurring Cast.
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Book facts
- Author
- Bernard Cornwell
- Series
- Saxon Stories, book 1 of 13
- Published
- 2004
- Setting
- Set in Wessex
- Characters charted
- 4
- Chart confidence
- High
The Last Kingdom on screen
- The Last Kingdom (2015–2022, series, BBC Two, then Netflix). Alexander Dreymon plays Uhtred, born a Saxon and raised by Danes, torn between two peoples as King Alfred fights to unite England.
Who is in The Last Kingdom
4 recurring or key characters from Bernard Cornwell’s chart. Introduces Uhtred of Bebbanburg, Father Beocca, Brida and Ragnar the Younger.
Lead 1
- Uhtred of BebbanburgFirst appearanceSaxon lord raised by Danes
Major 2
- BridaFirst appearanceSaxon girl raised with Uhtred
- Ragnar the YoungerFirst appearanceUhtred's Danish brother
Minor and cameo 1
- Father BeoccaFirst appearanceUhtred's childhood priest
Also featuring these characters
Other Bernard Cornwell books that share the most characters with The Last Kingdom.
- The Lords of the North2006 · Saxon Stories · 4 shared charactersBuy on Amazon
- Sword Song2007 · Saxon Stories · 4 shared charactersBuy on Amazon
- The Burning Land2009 · Saxon Stories · 3 shared charactersBuy on Amazon
- Death of Kings2011 · Saxon Stories · 3 shared charactersBuy on Amazon