The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die is the highly anticipated follow-up to the critically acclaimed and award-winning historical fiction series The Last Kingdom, a Netflix Original. Seven Kings Must Die, adapted by Martha Hillier from Bernard Cornwell’s War Lord, is the thirteenth and final novel in the Saxon Stories series. Uhtred of Bebbanburg and Alexander Draymon both bid their final farewells in the series finale of The Last Kingdom. Neither the number of English casualties nor whether or not Uhtred lived to old age at Bebbanburg are known. The dramatic climax of Uhtred’s tale was jam-packed with thrilling adventures and a few unexpected deaths. For a detailed explanation of everything that happened in the final, continue reading at tvacute.com.
An Explanation of the Finale of “The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die”
After King Edward’s death, Uhtred of Bebbanburg and his companions set out on an epic journey across a disunited England in search of a way to bring the country back together. The stage is now set for the decisive struggle that will determine the future of England and the British Isles. King Aethelstan and Uhtred formed an alliance so that the remnants of their armies might take on the troops of the kingdoms of Irland, and Scotland.
Uhtred, an accomplished strategist and battle leader, positioned his troops defensively at the foot of the hill, giving Anlaf’s army the upper hand. But this was planned, as King Aethelstan’s presence on the field of battle was meant to provoke an attack. Uhtred ordered his men to form a shield wall and retreat carefully to the forest line. In their haste, the enemy walked right into a trap, where hundreds of men were hurt when they tripped over spikes planted in the grass. While Uhtred’s men weren’t ultimately victorious thanks to the trap, they did gain some valuable extra time. However, Father Pyrlig would be hurt during the march, leading Uhtred to assume that he had been killed in action.
Seven Kings Must Die” Finale The battle of Brunnanburh Explained!
While having a numerical advantage, Alfan’s army ran into a shield wall in this epic fight. The Scottish soldiers who attacked Aethelstan’s flank, nevertheless, had a configuration called a Swine Wedge, that could perhaps break through the protective wall. But the shield wall turned the line such that it was facing the trees. One of the leaders, Uhtred, came up with a strategy to reverse the outcome of the war. He gave Edmund orders to send signals to the horsemen hiding in the forest so they could surprise the enemy and encircle them among wall & the charging horsemen. This strategy paid off, and the subsequent battle resulted in the deaths of a large number of enemy troops, killing numerous princes.
The story as a whole depicts a battle fought with clever tactics on each side and finishes with Uhtred’s troops emerging triumphant.
The furious battle between King Aethelstan and Ingilmundr caught Uhtred’s attention. Uhtred, fearing for the monarch’s life, would often run through battlefields in an attempt to save him. Unfortunately, due to his advanced age or because he temporarily relaxed his guard in an effort to save the monarch, Uhtred was gravely wounded on multiple occasions. Uhtred saw King Aethelstan kill Ingilmundr, and he saw Father Pyrlig, who had been wounded, alive before he passed out. According to the legend, Anlaf’s army was routed in combat, and the monarchs who sacrificed sons in the conflict fled in terror. After the conflict, Finnand and Sihtric discovered Uhtred to be seriously hurt, and King Aethelstan put Ingilmundr to death for treachery. The people of Bebbanburg worried about Uhtred’s safety as he was sleeping after the war. In his last seconds, Uhtred vowed allegiance to Aethelstan, establishing him as the legitimate ruler of Northumbria.
In Seven Kings Must Die, Uhtred probably dies at the end. The film’s closing scene, however, is ambiguous about what will happen to him. Even though Finan says in the voiceover that Uhtred’s destiny was unknown in the chronicles, his vision of Valhalla suggests that he is near death. This gives readers the freedom to decide for themselves what happened to Uhtred. Considering the severity of his wounds at the Battle of Brunanburh, it’s hard to imagine his making it, but if he was definitely dead, the film wouldn’t have left the ending so open. The viewers of The Last Kingdom have become emotionally invested in the character of Uhtred, therefore it is appropriate to leave his ultimate fate up to them. Overall, the narrative presents a conflict with important repercussions for all parties involved, culminating in the unification of England under a single ruler and the demise of Uhtred, a legendary character in the Viking world.
