The Last Kingdom Season 3 Poster
Warning this article contains Spoilers!!!
Read our previous articles on the historical accuracy for Season 1and Season 2 of The Last Kingdom.
The TV series Last Kingdom, based on the Saxon Tales series written by Bernard Cornwell, continues for a third season, this time concentrating in the later years of Alfred the Great’s reign. This was a period of renewed conflict with tensions and uncertainty as to how successful the unification process of England would survive future Danish onslaught. The approximate time in which the season takes place is between 892-899.
In 892-94, another large wave of Danish and other Viking invasions took place in Wessex, attacking the rich lands of southern England south of London. Several of the raids involved Danes coming from northern Europe but also Danes from East Anglia and Northumbria came. The Danes may have intended to stay in England if they had been more successful with their raids. In 892-94, Wessex was far more prepared for renewed Dane raids than they were in earlier invasions, as this time they had fortified places called burh(s) throughout much of Wessex (Figure 2). The Danes have set up several key defensive areas, including in the Thames Estuary and in Devon. They were led by Hastein, a chieftain who led one of the larger groups.
However, numerous other Viking warlords were involved, which in some way may have complicated the success of their attacks. One group of Danes was, in fact, intercepted near Farnham, which is a small town today about 30 km west of London. There, the Danes were defeated and much of the treasures stolen during their raids were taken back. Later, the Danes were also defeated in 894 at the battle of Benfleet east of London.[1]
Read the rest of the article at DailyHistory.org
Categories: Historically Accurate
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