I was married to an English man and lived in Malmesbury in Wiltshire. I learned about Æthelstan there because he is buried in the Abbey. It's a tiny town but they have a museum dedicated to him!
Son you don't get soft hands when your fighting wars with countries that can fight back for thousands of years lol seriously where you from? The English has been fighting wars with each other and the whole world for thousands of years invading and conquering France later destroying French empires then Spanish empire Dutch empire invading Turkey and most of Africa all of north America thrashed all useless aboriginal peeps ( ok the British thermonuclear bombs dropping on them in Australia in the 50s was wrong) shooting them for trying to eat us was totally justified I mean after conquering everybody we then fought each other then after Germany tried to take us on 😂😁😃😅😄 twice we thrashed them and also paid for Frances and Belgians and Russia's war with 4 million men we destroyed the German army bit by bit cost millions of men but hey I served in the British army and served in Iraq I seen that nasty world only ww1 would of x60 worse but the massive British fleet destroyed the gay little German fleet then we thrashed the Turks Austria then after the USA enter the war to ehh fight one battle, the British had to invade Russia created the Baltic states and invade Ukraine and Caucasian states to stop communism from spreading yes we actually fought the enemy hot not cold then ww 2 most of the British army 4 million men had to be sent to India Burma because Japanese was the main threat to the empire, leaving 3 million in Britain we only sent half a million to France the Germans didn't have a surface fleet only uboats trying to starve us but control of the air might of helped but in 1940 we blew them out the sky we sank there navy 20 year earlier so Germany lost the west but the east was where Nazi wanted to set up empire so they sent 75% of there army and air force to invad and after killing 30 million Soviet people the Russian turned them around and annihilated them alone, but the English have war and resistance in there blood there bred for war I mean the working class and poor the middle class rejects in metropolitan London have soft hands and cocks almost worse than the Americans,
Athelstan, Edward the Elder and Alfred the Great Son, Father and Grandfather three of the greatest rulers in English history, What a lineage. What a shame the foundations of England are often overlooked and ignored by the Education system as if the Norman invasion was the starting point which swept away the culture of all that went before. I think the World Wars helped this narrative for those wanting to distance England from its Germanic/Danish roots.
Nip English nationalism in the bud by not telling the people how they became who they became. People of Anglo-Saxon descent are generally working class as of 1066 so all those in power generally prefer to gloss over the English pre Norman overlords. Many of those in power today can trace their ancestry back to those who crossed the channel in 1066 and it's not just the Aristocracy or Monarchy.
@@dontgivamonkeyz And yet those ancestors absorbed our culture and married English people. So we had the last laugh! By the way, there are plenty of people in power with non Norman roots, we can thank social mobility for that.
Well I guess William the conqueror decended from Rollo who was a Northman so swings n roundabouts :D It is a shame though as so much happened between the Romans leaving and 1066 that I feel it should be taught, I doubt most kids in the UK school system would even know that England was once the central hub of a great northern empire
Genetics trace my English roots to well before Saxon times but my family name is from Saxon/Angle/Jute origins - genetic analysis shows that the Angle/Saxon/Jute influx accounts for a tiny percentage (although> Norman) of the gene pool of most traditional English families, so the vast part of the gene pool of English peoples predates that period but also predates Celtic culture too. Nationlism remains an ignorant and devisive idea that everyone would be better off rejecting - judge people (if you must) by their character, not their imagined origins.
I've been a huge fan of Aethelstan since Michael Wood's documentary entitled "In Search of the Dark Ages...Aethelstan" which aired around 1980. I appreciate your video, the detail and effort that went into making it. I'd lived just outside Gloucester for 3 years in the 70s and really enjoyed the history and gorgeous countryside of the area. It's no wonder there were so many Roman Villas found within 30 miles of Gloucester, it's beautiful and fertile.
I watched that and so enjoyed it, very informative, I love hearing the Anglo Saxon language, the amazing Michael Wood can speak the language, 🇬🇧🏴🇬🇧
Michael Wood is one of the best TV historians of recent years , his series about the village of Kibworth is definitely worth seeing if you haven't already seen it .
the other kings cant defeat Æthelstan coz he was trained growing up by the Lord of Bebbanburg, Uhtred son of Uhtred, born a Saxon, raised as a Dane. Destiny is ALL!
😂😅😊 the Vikings got slaughtered by the Saxons and English 95,% of the time the Viking were really good at beat the Saxon undefended churches and monestrys .....get back to watching your gay vikings son the English have war in there blood that's why they conquer and invaded all 12 countries lol
@@acecolnaco6587 Calm down big fella. We know your fingers ache with the rage of all nerds before, but lest thy Cheetos go forever, calm you ponies and rest thy Diet Coke. Nerd rage will not prosper beyond the Kingdom of your Mothers basement. Seek wisdom, not from D&D, but from real work, the trades. Get a skill and become a man. The original comment was a joke, you will learn in time, heavy one. My work here is done.
@@acecolnaco6587moden day England is built on saxon an vikings we all decend from both we could be full viking ancestry or full saxon or a mix but vikings never left like the German saxons
I was so excited to find your videos today! I am absolutely fascinated by the ancient kings of England, and that you have been focusing on the characters from The Last Kingdom is such a bonus. Your videos are terrific. Thank you!
Can someone tell me what happened that monk kid in The Last Kingdom? What did Brida do to him when he was all bloody on his stomach? Or did she cut off his balls?
The whole saga of the Anglo Saxon/English Kings right the way through from Alfred the Great (or even before) through Edward the Elder, Aethelstan and Prince Edmund, Aethelred II and his sons Aethelstan and Edmund Ironsides all the way up to Edward the Confessor and the last - Harold Godwinson is very poorly understood by most English people, and yet was absolutely crucial to the formation of England - and "Great Britain". Why has there never been a film about the most famous English battle - Hastings??? This is why it's a really good thing that people are now investigating these times for themselves and making these RUclips videos to inform people of their early heritage. Fantastic.
Maybe the powers that be don’t want the plebs to realise that in a roundabout way the Vikings conquered England through William the Conqueror, descendant of Danish/Norman Viking Rollo 🤔
The ruling elite don't want people to know that the English are the victims of colonialism by the Norman's and their ancestors to this very day. Let's face it the English have been ruled by one foreigner after another for a millenia. French Normans/plantagenets for 300+ yrs then Welsh (Tudors) then Scots (Stuarts) a Dutch Orange bloke some Germans (Hanoverians) then more Germans (saxe Coburg gotha) aka the Windsors. Even before 1066 were subjugated by Danes, the British Establishment gave away all their overseas lands they conquered but still held on to the English ones.
@@ambitiousram On top of that, even "Vikings" did not consider themselves Viking; vikings were never a nation or an ethnicity, they never called themselves Vikings, it was something they did (go on a viking - raiding, by boat), so calling them Norse, Northmen or, as the English did - Danes (as they called all Scandinavians) would be more accurate.
The Last Kingdom and the movie were very well done fiction, not an historical documentary. Not so far from the true to be completely BS (screenplay simply filled with fantasy things that we don't know), well acted and accurate in portraiting costumes and battles. But just fiction, never forget It and never mix It with true history.
Iam so facinated with the story and it begun when i watched the whole episode of the last kingdom, searching for Uthred i found out that all the characters were all real and thier stories although some are twisted. I am really hooked in thier history..
What a great job you did with the videos. There’s so many videos and books on English history they’re a dime a dozen but your knowledge and narration grabs my interest in a different way, it’s a lot of fun to listen and hard to stop watching. I love it, keep them coming and thank you!!
The Anglo-Saxons were awesome, when united they were strong, resilient and fierce warriors that won battle after battle against the Danes. It's sad Alfred the Great does not get much credit.
Bruh they could kick ass before they were united. It took 30-50 years before the Franks would defeat the Saxons and Frisians. And despite losing many battles and wars. Killed hundreds of thousands of Franks. And the Saxons and Frisians in Britain destroyed remnants of Roman forces and private auxiliary units and later Welsh armies or each other in Britain.
@@noahtylerpritchett2682 well said, true. Though they foght each other because of the heptarchy rivalry, the Anglo-Saxons fought hard against every foe and eventually unified England under æthelstan, against a coalition!
@@Fatherland927 yes. Both British and continental Anglo-Saxons were powerful. Losing battles? They still killed so many enemies that it often would feel like defeats. There were still Jutes and Angles left in Denmark. No way they were simply absorbed. They probably put up tough rebellions to resist Danish occupation before the inevitable conquest. Besides, Angles, Danes, Geats, Jutes, Saxons, Frisians, all made up a culturally genetically overlapping cline of continuum of cultures. Disregarding the arbitrary North Sea and North Germanic boundaries. Plus as my quora answer shows. Angles and Saxons are lists of hundreds of tribes in a confederation
But Alfred does get credit , - its in his Title "The Great" ,the only English king to be called thus. Aethelflead ,his daughter and the "Lady of the Mercians" must have been astounding , - what a woman, In a time of Male kings ,she made all the minor kings submit to her ... She didnt live long enough to unite all of England properly but she would have .. Aethelstan - Alfreds Grandson was taught or tutored by Aethelflead and united all of Britain including the Scots Welsh Strathclyde and Danish kings who all submitted to him ,- until the Battle of Brunanburgh ...All credit to Bernard Cornwall,the author of the fictional but based on fact "Last Kingdom" books for helping to throw some light into the Dark ages .Enthralling subject .Why Hollywood didnt get into the act ,i have no idea but the "Vikings" film of some years ago starring Kirk Douglas Tony Curtis etc is also a thrilling watch .
@@amyholbrook9419 Amy, that is an unexpected word choice, to be honest I had to Google it. Is " inexorable " a normal word you use in your daily vocabulary ? I have NEVER heard that word used in a sentence in my entire life.
This was super interesting to watch. I had never heard of any of this as it's not covered in our education system but through TLK I got to hear about him. I really like videos going into the historcial aspect to understand more. I love Aethelstan in the series and the movie. I actually enjoyed him even more in the movie because of his character development and actually having dialogue outside of being in battles all of the time. It gave Aethelstan a lot of depth and showed the change of him being in the series vs the many years later being in the movie. I think the movie especially showed some of the qualities I am learning about him here and proved himself a strong king. For TLK, it is so early in his life as king that I wished there was more time in the movie to see his later years as well (too bad Netflix refused another season). Harry Gilby who played Aethelstan is such an amazing actor.
Ecgbert (grandfather to Alfred) should not be overlooked when talking of the ancestors of the likes of Athelstan... it was ecgbert who broke the mercian supremeecy, and started Wessex on its road to success, and thus, a very important figure in England’s history
@@pinklady3885 Hi dear Pink Lady! Oh! Sorry hear that, I didn't know! Glad all went well and you are home! Wish good recovery for you. Make sure you have plenty of rest! Blessings nice lady🙏🏻 Thank you, I'm not to bad, had appts this morning and I got here later to listen to Ollie. I might have more surgeries in near future. We just celebrate our lives at the moment, because God is Good isn't?🕊 I already listened the video twice, love these histories. Wish great day dear one🌻 See you next!
@@Elke-j8m Thank you so much for your response. Yes God is good and helps us to stay strong. Ollie does such good interesting history and his voice is so delightful... I enjoy these interesting times and unusual names. I will now rest.... see you next week. 💃🍎😴😴🤗❤️🏵️🐝💐🌳🥀🌼🌸🌻🍁🍀
@@pinklady3885 You are welcome dear Pink! Yes, I love listen to him also, he and his brothers has the most beautiful voice to narrate stories. And Ollie has the magnificent one for those kind histories. I imagine him as one of the Kings or Vikings, while he narrate them! Lol Silly me😄 Okay, I go back to my rest too. 6:52pm here already! Good night and good rest! 🌻🌼🍂🦋🌹🦩🤗 Yes, see you next week!
Edward was misrepresented in Kingdom. Aethelstan's early life was spent with his aunt, the formidable Lady of the Mercians; with that example it's no surprise he grew up to be such a bad ass.
If only you had some input in constructing the character of Aethelstan in the Last Kingdom finale movie, 7 Kings Must Die! There was no hint of the warrior king's strength, determination, scholarship, and achievement!
I managed to make it through a season and a half of GoT, before completely losing interest. I never watched Vikings or The Last Kingdom because I thought they would be the same kind of shows. However, I've always been interested in the early English kings, and I've been loving your biographies of the historical figures from TLK. They definitely made me interested enough to start bingeing the series. It's fantastic, and 100X better than GoT. The fact that it's based on actual history makes it much more interesting for me.
I agree, TLK is good.:) The Vikings at first was entertaining, but it's more fantasy than history. And I still cringe at Uppsala being a temple in the Norwegian mountains.😬 (It was and is a famous historical city on the coast of Sweden, next to Stockholm.) In the Vikings they took huge liberties and combined at least 2 centuries of history, like Rollo duke of Normandy was on the first ever viking raid to Lindisfarne... The storytelling in the last seasons of the Vikings sucked so much in my opinion that I didn't want to waste my time, even though it would be kind of interesting to know what happened in the end.
@@elainelouve Isn't it funny when you stick with a show for years, then lose interest right at the end? I've watched every season of The Walking Dead, religiously, then it just completely lost me during its final season. At least you're a bit interested in knowing how Vikings ended. After watching the first 4 TWD episodes this season, I realized that I just don't care. They're still introducing new groups and new characters, when I think that the last season should have been focused just on the core characters. So many characters come in and go on that show, there are people who have been on for 3-4 years and I still don't know their names. The show just became too big in terms of the cast. I know that my 2 favourite characters, Daryl and Carol, survive because they're doing a spinoff show...that's really all I need to know. I love history, and I realize that when I watch a historical TV show or movie, there's going to be some liberties taken with actual events for the sake of brevity and entertainment. But when they start fudging with the facts to the point where they are actually presenting a version of history that is just grossly inaccurate, that will make me lose interest very quickly. If the inaccuracies in Vikings was as bad as you say, I can understand your frustration, and why you lost interest in the show. Isn't Viking/Norse history interesting enough as it is....did they think they could make it more intetesting by playing with the facts??
@@Terri_MacKay yes, that's so true. They could have easily made it about generations, because they already have the sons of the original hero become the main focus. And now there's a spinoff series that goes further in history. The Icelandic sagas also tell about the families and the origin of the heroes, so that would work even in a more fantasy context (they utilized those old tales and added mythological characters, and I'm ok with that, because it fits the theme, but I wanted more historical and cultural accuracy to back it up).
him being gay makes it woke even tho english kings were known for their promiscuity? i dont get it lol did u not want them to be historically acurate?@@MICHAEL-wg2lh
You will absolutely LOVE it. It is sooooo good. Definitely one of my all time favorite shows. I wish they had done more seasons but I look forward to the movie. :)
Then you literally learned nothing because Uhtred never even existed at that time. The entire show is an obfuscation of real history. Cromwell should be ashamed, especially injecting his supposed ancestor into the mix. Alfred didn't need an Uhtred. Didn't need some pagan advisor. Certainly didn't need his daughter rescued from Danes. With the exception of some names, places and events, the entire show is a complete fantasy out of Cromwell's puny little mind. Who shits on their own ancestry like that? Lol He should seek help, he's got a screw loose. I'd never dump on my lineage like that.
I'm going to take an educated guess and say that his brother died from having too much steel/iron in his body. Mainly in the form of a sword thru his heart.
I also think he was killed, how he died is in no source I could find though was probably covered up…. Aethelstans reign wasn’t recoded that well though compared to his grandfather Alfreds
@@historyprofiles It would make sense for that time frame. A lot of potential claimants to a throne were killed. The projection of strength, power and ruthlessness seem to have been more important to a long lasting reign than honor, peace and love. Especially in that Era, where there were so many different "kingdoms" where each and every king, earl or nobleman did whatever they could or had to to gain more power, prestige and riches. The line of succession wasn't as important as it later became with the Witan having the power to choose somebody else, so if a younger brother was a potential threat, then they had to die. Often for the good of the people to avoid civil war.
I just read the Sarah Foot biography so now I'm an Æthelstan fan and want to know more about him. I was born in Kingston-u-Thames but didn't learn much about him growing up, which was a big fail on behalf of our history teachers! What comes across from the book is how he was a pioneer of 'branding' wearing a crown instead of a helmet and getting his face on the coinage, which was an important way to reach a lot of folk who didn't read. Also that his reign encourage the enlightenment of academia, the church, the written law and proclamations which form much of what we know about him. I can't get over how he isn't more famous than he should be.
Liked this vid and liked this early union of England. There should be a sequel to Last Kingdom, around his life, right after where the seven king film ended.
The "Great Battle" Was A Great Example Of How One Can End Up Winning A Battle -- To Only End Up Losing More Than Those They Defeated. Did Any Of Them Ever Heard Of The Word "Retreat?" It Was Awful, And Unnecessary, For So Many To DIE Over Spoils And Kingdoms That Was So Easy Lost (In So Little Time).
I love the truth of The last Kingdom. I sometimes think I am a distant relative. My ancestors came from Denmark, Scandinavia and England. Great Britain.
I have seen how he fights and cares in "The Last Kingdom." I wish he ruled all of 🇬🇧 not just because he may 😕 have been King of all England, but also for being the greatest king 😢 that ever lived.
Very interesting subject. I was waiting for the ads to play out and came upon something called the Celtic Holocaust could you look into that I'm trying to contain my subscriptions here. And I'm not really interested in another one.
If I was a part of all that I wouldn't see the point. You live you rule you fight until you die and for what? So your kingdom can have peace? It eventually all falls back into war. Such a bloody history.
It would make sense if you lived within those times. If you had to go to war or you had to make peace it had to be done because you wanted to live comfortably in your life.
It seems the speculations of the writers of Last Kingdom are not so outrageous as I suspected. It might be one of the best historical fictions put to screen. I felt season 5 and the final movie was a bit rushed, but in the end well done.
Vinland Saga takes place nearly 100-years after this. Vinland Saga was not inspired by the unification of England but the conquest of England by Canute as its backdrop, with Thorfinn’s expedition to Canada being the main focus.
Is called seven Kings must die and it is totally awesome I wish and hope that they could do more about Richard I just adore this movie and the series The last Kingdom
@@nathanielanderson4367 I’m well aware of that. That’s where the image from him is from, still by putting the one in Vikings too which isn’t the same one. He isn’t in that show whatsoever nor is Edward.
I think in the Vikings it was supposed to be Aethelstan's son who becomes the great king. Or something. Can't remember how that turned out, if they ever got to it, and I quit watching when Ivar was in Russia.
Yes they are related through edward the confessor who was a cousin to William the conqueror and Edward i is descended from William the conquerer and Edward the confessor is descended from ethelstan
The movie absolutely ruined the series for me it was just awful no idea how the TV show was done so well and then the movie was absolutely fumbled, if was seriously one of the worst movies I've sat thru and my blood was boiling the entire time.
Well maybe that's because Uhtred never actually existed at that time.....lol The whole show is preposterous. It does a giant disservice to real Wessex, Mercian and Northumbrian history, and the history of the AngloSaxons overall.
@@poopoosplatter99 Maybe it is cause you are British; but you come off sounding like an arrogant condescending smart a**. Most people that have read the books or watched show know he didn’t exist at the time and that the real Uhtred; Uhtred the Bold, lived in the 11th century. By the author; Cornwell based Uhtred off ancestor, the real Uhtred of Bamburgh. I myself always think the books are better than the shows. I enjoyed the show though. It does a pretty good job of portraying Saxon England. But there aren’t as many records to go off of from that time. I think it gives us an idea of the type of men Alfred needed to unite a country. Alfred himself was an incredibly intelligent man who was a good military strategist. But he wasn’t out there leading armies. He was constantly sick by his mid 20s so he wasn’t capable of leading armies on the field as he got older. And it was never said he was a great warrior and only great tactician. He knew how to put his commanders in place and to make decisions they gave him victory. But yet we know not one of the names of any of his commanders or warriors. Who was leading his armies? Who was his best sword that was training his men how to fight some of the best warriors in the world? I would speculate that in real life Alfred was also smart enough to use the servers Danes or Northmen and give them land or a high salary to lead his armies. I would assume his top warriors were probably Danes, Scots, Welsh, or Irish (all warrior cultures) who then trained Saxons and lead Alfred’s armies.
Edgar was the first king of Engla Lond not Aethelstan. The latter claimed to be Emperor of Britain not king of England. He merely ruled Wessex and the recently annexed Mercia. Northumbria remained outside the West Saxon Imperium. The Problem is that some modern historians impose anachronistic interpretations on the past. 'England' was only dimly emerging the in the C10th. The notion of the angelcynn, based on Bede's C8th invention of the gens anglorum, was developed in the court circle of Alfred of Wessex to legitimise his claims imperial rulership and to justify his conquests of the other Anglo-Saxon kingdoms which had never been ruled by the West Saxon Kings. The 'English' in the Danish occupied lands were robbed of their ethnic identity. It was political smoke and mirrors.
He was known as the overlord of Briton having brought all the Kings to heel. So although he may have not "officially" been the first King of England, he was certainly more powerful than Kings of England having dominion over Scotland as well. I suppose he paved the way for Kings of England, and although he may have not been known by the title it fits
I looked for an explanation as to why the character of Aethalstan in The Last Kingdom turned out to be gay. According to some historians the fact that he didn't marry or have children and put gold rings in his hair suggested he was gay. Seems that it was a rather long shot to come to that conclusion but if fits nicely into the current trend of trying to tick as many diversity boxes as possible. Having Uhtred make Aethalstan swear never to marry conveniently tied up any loose ends in the show.
Excellent video . Athelstan was truly a great king ,a worthy successor to his grandfather and deserves to be better known and appreciated.
I was married to an English man and lived in Malmesbury in Wiltshire. I learned about Æthelstan there because he is buried in the Abbey. It's a tiny town but they have a museum dedicated to him!
"Was" Were his teeth too crooked and his hands too soft that you had to end the marriage? :P
Son you don't get soft hands when your fighting wars with countries that can fight back for thousands of years lol seriously where you from? The English has been fighting wars with each other and the whole world for thousands of years invading and conquering France later destroying French empires then Spanish empire Dutch empire invading Turkey and most of Africa all of north America thrashed all useless aboriginal peeps ( ok the British thermonuclear bombs dropping on them in Australia in the 50s was wrong) shooting them for trying to eat us was totally justified I mean after conquering everybody we then fought each other then after Germany tried to take us on 😂😁😃😅😄 twice we thrashed them and also paid for Frances and Belgians and Russia's war with 4 million men we destroyed the German army bit by bit cost millions of men but hey I served in the British army and served in Iraq I seen that nasty world only ww1 would of x60 worse but the massive British fleet destroyed the gay little German fleet then we thrashed the Turks Austria then after the USA enter the war to ehh fight one battle, the British had to invade Russia created the Baltic states and invade Ukraine and Caucasian states to stop communism from spreading yes we actually fought the enemy hot not cold then ww 2 most of the British army 4 million men had to be sent to India Burma because Japanese was the main threat to the empire, leaving 3 million in Britain we only sent half a million to France the Germans didn't have a surface fleet only uboats trying to starve us but control of the air might of helped but in 1940 we blew them out the sky we sank there navy 20 year earlier so Germany lost the west but the east was where Nazi wanted to set up empire so they sent 75% of there army and air force to invad and after killing 30 million Soviet people the Russian turned them around and annihilated them alone, but the English have war and resistance in there blood there bred for war I mean the working class and poor the middle class rejects in metropolitan London have soft hands and cocks almost worse than the Americans,
@@liamsnow4642 She said English, not American
@@liamsnow4642 0
Having such experience must've grand I'm a little jealous 😉
Athelstan, Edward the Elder and Alfred the Great Son, Father and Grandfather three of the greatest rulers in English history, What a lineage. What a shame the foundations of England are often overlooked and ignored by the Education system as if the Norman invasion was the starting point which swept away the culture of all that went before. I think the World Wars helped this narrative for those wanting to distance England from its Germanic/Danish roots.
Nip English nationalism in the bud by not telling the people how they became who they became.
People of Anglo-Saxon descent are generally working class as of 1066 so all those in power generally prefer to gloss over the English pre Norman overlords.
Many of those in power today can trace their ancestry back to those who crossed the channel in 1066 and it's not just the Aristocracy or Monarchy.
@@dontgivamonkeyz And yet those ancestors absorbed our culture and married English people. So we had the last laugh!
By the way, there are plenty of people in power with non Norman roots, we can thank social mobility for that.
Well I guess William the conqueror decended from Rollo who was a Northman so swings n roundabouts :D
It is a shame though as so much happened between the Romans leaving and 1066 that I feel it should be taught,
I doubt most kids in the UK school system would even know that England was once the central hub of a great northern empire
Genetics trace my English roots to well before Saxon times but my family name is from Saxon/Angle/Jute origins - genetic analysis shows that the Angle/Saxon/Jute influx accounts for a tiny percentage (although> Norman) of the gene pool of most traditional English families, so the vast part of the gene pool of English peoples predates that period but also predates Celtic culture too. Nationlism remains an ignorant and devisive idea that everyone would be better off rejecting - judge people (if you must) by their character, not their imagined origins.
Watching these history videos always reminds me that what remains of us after our death are our names and our deeds.
Indeed Luis! All that will be left of us is what we did in life…. Thank you so much for watching!!
@@historyprofiles the soul lives on
@@desirejohnson2124 no
That was good to hear. In those days Kings really had to work hard and needed vision.
And kings of today takes all our money😑1mil a year for a princess🤡
I've been a huge fan of Aethelstan since Michael Wood's documentary entitled "In Search of the Dark Ages...Aethelstan" which aired around 1980. I appreciate your video, the detail and effort that went into making it.
I'd lived just outside Gloucester for 3 years in the 70s and really enjoyed the history and gorgeous countryside of the area.
It's no wonder there were so many Roman Villas found within 30 miles of Gloucester, it's beautiful and fertile.
I watched that and so enjoyed it, very informative, I love hearing the Anglo Saxon language, the amazing Michael Wood can speak the language, 🇬🇧🏴🇬🇧
@@Boudicca15 You might enjoy Simon Roper's channel. He has videos where he speaks Anglo-Saxon and Old English.
@@MrVvulf Yes or maybe she will enjoy that season/episode
where Floki gets enough of
Athelstan 😂🤷♂️😂
@@dennisolesen6188 Haha. Different Aethelstan, but I get and appreciate the joke.
Michael Wood is one of the best TV historians of recent years , his series about the village of Kibworth is definitely worth seeing if you haven't already seen it .
the other kings cant defeat Æthelstan coz he was trained growing up by the Lord of Bebbanburg, Uhtred son of Uhtred, born a Saxon, raised as a Dane.
Destiny is ALL!
😁😁😁The last kingdom
😂😅😊 the Vikings got slaughtered by the Saxons and English 95,% of the time the Viking were really good at beat the Saxon undefended churches and monestrys .....get back to watching your gay vikings son the English have war in there blood that's why they conquer and invaded all 12 countries lol
@@acecolnaco6587 Calm down big fella. We know your fingers ache with the rage of all nerds before, but lest thy Cheetos go forever, calm you ponies and rest thy Diet Coke. Nerd rage will not prosper beyond the Kingdom of your Mothers basement. Seek wisdom, not from D&D, but from real work, the trades. Get a skill and become a man. The original comment was a joke, you will learn in time, heavy one. My work here is done.
@@acecolnaco6587moden day England is built on saxon an vikings we all decend from both we could be full viking ancestry or full saxon or a mix but vikings never left like the German saxons
I was so excited to find your videos today! I am absolutely fascinated by the ancient kings of England, and that you have been focusing on the characters from The Last Kingdom is such a bonus. Your videos are terrific. Thank you!
Can someone tell me what happened that monk kid in The Last Kingdom? What did Brida do to him when he was all bloody on his stomach? Or did she cut off his balls?
@@emwjmannen2 that was uhtreds son, she cut it all off.
@@trustno1z Really, wow?!
@@emwjmannen2 🤣🤣🤣good job changing your question!! You asked about athelstan the bastard!! Two different people!!
Try reading about England’s history during civil wars. My God, Ii couldn’t get thru it.
The whole saga of the Anglo Saxon/English Kings right the way through from Alfred the Great (or even before) through Edward the Elder, Aethelstan and Prince Edmund, Aethelred II and his sons Aethelstan and Edmund Ironsides all the way up to Edward the Confessor and the last - Harold Godwinson is very poorly understood by most English people, and yet was absolutely crucial to the formation of England - and "Great Britain". Why has there never been a film about the most famous English battle - Hastings???
This is why it's a really good thing that people are now investigating these times for themselves and making these RUclips videos to inform people of their early heritage. Fantastic.
Maybe the powers that be don’t want the plebs to realise that in a roundabout way the Vikings conquered England through William the Conqueror, descendant of Danish/Norman Viking Rollo 🤔
The ruling elite don't want people to know that the English are the victims of colonialism by the Norman's and their ancestors to this very day. Let's face it the English have been ruled by one foreigner after another for a millenia.
French Normans/plantagenets for 300+ yrs then Welsh (Tudors) then Scots (Stuarts) a Dutch Orange bloke some Germans (Hanoverians) then more Germans (saxe Coburg gotha) aka the Windsors.
Even before 1066 were subjugated by Danes, the British Establishment gave away all their overseas lands they conquered but still held on to the English ones.
@@jenniferharrison4319 The Normans did not consider themselves Viking at all, that'd be like saying the French nobility were German
@@ambitiousram On top of that, even "Vikings" did not consider themselves Viking; vikings were never a nation or an ethnicity, they never called themselves Vikings, it was something they did (go on a viking - raiding, by boat), so calling them Norse, Northmen or, as the English did - Danes (as they called all Scandinavians) would be more accurate.
@@ambitiousram They are. Vikings are German also.
Thanks for the upload this morning!
Here just after watching the movie "seven kings must die" ....hits different
The Last Kingdom and the movie were very well done fiction, not an historical documentary. Not so far from the true to be completely BS (screenplay simply filled with fantasy things that we don't know), well acted and accurate in portraiting costumes and battles. But just fiction, never forget It and never mix It with true history.
@@margheritatimeus3400 well fiction draws people to the real history. I certainly enjoyed the movie. But eventually I will learn the real history.
@@sozibrahman8504 it drew me to the real history and I’m an Italian
@@margheritatimeus3400 i am not from UK (from India) yet I got into history related to the house of wessex after watching the series and movie
It's all bullcrap fake history especially female warriors which never happened especially in battles.
Thank you dear Ollie.
I enjoyed this piece of our history.
You have a delightful voice. 💃🍎👌
Thank you so much! It really means a lot!
Iam so facinated with the story and it begun when i watched the whole episode of the last kingdom, searching for Uthred i found out that all the characters were all real and thier stories although some are twisted. I am really hooked in thier history..
What a great job you did with the videos. There’s so many videos and books on English history they’re a dime a dozen but your knowledge and narration grabs my interest in a different way, it’s a lot of fun to listen and hard to stop watching. I love it, keep them coming and thank you!!
Love these keep them coming. I listen to you while I am at work, I absolutely love history and you do an amazing job! Thank you for doing this for us.
Thank you so much for watching! Your comment really means a lot to me!!
Really interesting case again HP - great video and the music was superb too
The Anglo-Saxons were awesome, when united they were strong, resilient and fierce warriors that won battle after battle against the Danes. It's sad Alfred the Great does not get much credit.
Bruh they could kick ass before they were united. It took 30-50 years before the Franks would defeat the Saxons and Frisians. And despite losing many battles and wars. Killed hundreds of thousands of Franks.
And the Saxons and Frisians in Britain destroyed remnants of Roman forces and private auxiliary units and later Welsh armies or each other in Britain.
@@noahtylerpritchett2682 well said, true. Though they foght each other because of the heptarchy rivalry, the Anglo-Saxons fought hard against every foe and eventually unified England under æthelstan, against a coalition!
@@Fatherland927 yes. Both British and continental Anglo-Saxons were powerful. Losing battles? They still killed so many enemies that it often would feel like defeats.
There were still Jutes and Angles left in Denmark. No way they were simply absorbed. They probably put up tough rebellions to resist Danish occupation before the inevitable conquest.
Besides, Angles, Danes, Geats, Jutes, Saxons, Frisians, all made up a culturally genetically overlapping cline of continuum of cultures. Disregarding the arbitrary North Sea and North Germanic boundaries.
Plus as my quora answer shows. Angles and Saxons are lists of hundreds of tribes in a confederation
But Alfred does get credit , - its in his Title "The Great" ,the only English king to be called thus. Aethelflead ,his daughter and the "Lady of the Mercians" must have been astounding , - what a woman, In a time of Male kings ,she made all the minor kings submit to her ... She didnt live long enough to unite all of England properly but she would have .. Aethelstan - Alfreds Grandson was taught or tutored by Aethelflead and united all of Britain including the Scots Welsh Strathclyde and Danish kings who all submitted to him ,- until the Battle of Brunanburgh ...All credit to Bernard Cornwall,the author of the fictional but based on fact "Last Kingdom" books for helping to throw some light into the Dark ages .Enthralling subject .Why Hollywood didnt get into the act ,i have no idea but the "Vikings" film of some years ago starring Kirk Douglas Tony Curtis etc is also a thrilling watch .
They are a Victorian fictional people. Same as 'celts'.
AEthelstan learned a great deal about warfare from Uhtred son of Uhtred !
Destiny is all!
Fate is inexorable, you mean...
@@amyholbrook9419 Amy, that is an unexpected word choice, to be honest I had to Google it. Is " inexorable " a normal word you use in your daily vocabulary ? I have NEVER heard that word used in a sentence in my entire life.
@@grover2727 No It's an old fashioned word, but used in Last Kingdom
It's the proper phrase from the original Bernard Cornwell books.
For the OG fans...
This was super interesting to watch. I had never heard of any of this as it's not covered in our education system but through TLK I got to hear about him. I really like videos going into the historcial aspect to understand more. I love Aethelstan in the series and the movie. I actually enjoyed him even more in the movie because of his character development and actually having dialogue outside of being in battles all of the time. It gave Aethelstan a lot of depth and showed the change of him being in the series vs the many years later being in the movie. I think the movie especially showed some of the qualities I am learning about him here and proved himself a strong king. For TLK, it is so early in his life as king that I wished there was more time in the movie to see his later years as well (too bad Netflix refused another season). Harry Gilby who played Aethelstan is such an amazing actor.
Very nice. Could you possibly do one on the actual differences between their laws ie. what was Dane Law vs. Anglo-Saxon Law?
Thank you for putting together the story of another one of my ancestors. Amazing.
Amazing to have him as an ancestor! I hope you enjoyed the content!
@@historyprofiles yes. Good job!
I find this actual history of England's early Kings fascinating. I'm going to follow you hoping for more.
Ecgbert (grandfather to Alfred) should not be overlooked when talking of the ancestors of the likes of Athelstan... it was ecgbert who broke the mercian supremeecy, and started Wessex on its road to success, and thus, a very important figure in England’s history
John you know a lot about Englands history 👍
Same one who fought against Ragnar?
The battle of Ellendun which was won by Ecgbhert against Mercia was won of the most decisive battles fought on English soil.
I agree John, that may have been an oversight on my part. Thank you so much for watching! And there might be an Ecgbert video on the way!
@@historyprofiles 👍😊
This is a very interesting time period to study. There is a lot of what ifs that can be made. Good job
Excellent summary of very interesting history! I love everything Viking! Thank You! Lois
What a great surprise video! This is the amazing Ollie with his awesome Medieval Histories. Thank you for your hard work
Hi there dear Elke.Hope you are well.
I am recovering from major surgery.
It is good to be home. 🍎💃🤗👌
@@pinklady3885
Hi dear Pink Lady! Oh! Sorry hear that, I didn't know! Glad all went well and you are home! Wish good recovery for you. Make sure you have plenty of rest! Blessings nice lady🙏🏻 Thank you, I'm not to bad, had appts this morning and I got here later to listen to Ollie. I might have more surgeries in near future. We just celebrate our lives at the moment, because God is Good isn't?🕊 I already listened the video twice, love these histories. Wish great day dear one🌻 See you next!
@@Elke-j8m Thank you so much for your response.
Yes God is good and helps us to stay strong.
Ollie does such good interesting history and his voice is so delightful... I enjoy these interesting times and unusual names. I will now rest.... see you next week. 💃🍎😴😴🤗❤️🏵️🐝💐🌳🥀🌼🌸🌻🍁🍀
@@pinklady3885
You are welcome dear Pink! Yes, I love listen to him also, he and his brothers has the most beautiful voice to narrate stories. And Ollie has the magnificent one for those kind histories. I imagine him as one of the Kings or Vikings, while he narrate them! Lol Silly me😄 Okay, I go back to my rest too. 6:52pm here already! Good night and good rest! 🌻🌼🍂🦋🌹🦩🤗 Yes, see you next week!
Thank you so much Elke!!
great video! tis the first of yours I've seen and I really enjoyed it! I'm looking forward to binging the rest of your channel!!
the anglo Saxon kings will certainly require greater study from me for they truly were an interesting bunch
They really were! Thank you so much for watching!
Ingle's were Spanish and Saxons were French
@@annychest718 Not german??
@@annychest718 Saxon = sons of Isaac.
I've watched all these now and more last kingdom is solely responsible for my sudden interest in Anglo Saxon and vikings histories
I have been watching the last Kingdom and this recount was really helpful and useful thank you you have a lovely voice too❤
Masterfully Made Mr. Kelly.
Thank you and God bless !:-) 🙏
I could listen for hours and WILL !!
Ollie your vids are so great i can't get enough of them lately😊.Thank you for your interesting and awesome narration❤🖤👋😘‼i
Hello
@@cyankirkpatrick5194 Hi Cyan😁👍
@@marinakaiser7639 👋
Alfred and AEthanlstan would be fuming what our country has become. ✝️ 🏴
awesome video Ollie loved it looking forward to your next vid mate
Thank you so much Jamie!
@@historyprofiles your welcome mate
I come from Stonehaven the little town at Dunottar Castle . I had no idea the Saxons made it that far north!
Who ever made this video, you done a bloody terrific job 👏 ❤️
I knew I recognized your voice! Great video.
After watching kingdom, I wouldn't expect son of Edward be such a bad ass
He was indeed ! Thank you so much for watching!
Edward was misrepresented in Kingdom. Aethelstan's early life was spent with his aunt, the formidable Lady of the Mercians; with that example it's no surprise he grew up to be such a bad ass.
Edward was no slouch in TLK, and he definitely wasn’t irl.
And the whole bloodline was badass, well apart from Aethelred the ‘unready’ of course.
Anglo-Saxon history has been poorly presented by tv shows over last decade very little is accurate.
If only you had some input in constructing the character of Aethelstan in the Last Kingdom finale movie, 7 Kings Must Die! There was no hint of the warrior king's strength, determination, scholarship, and achievement!
I managed to make it through a season and a half of GoT, before completely losing interest. I never watched Vikings or The Last Kingdom because I thought they would be the same kind of shows.
However, I've always been interested in the early English kings, and I've been loving your biographies of the historical figures from TLK. They definitely made me interested enough to start bingeing the series. It's fantastic, and 100X better than GoT. The fact that it's based on actual history makes it much more interesting for me.
I agree, TLK is good.:)
The Vikings at first was entertaining, but it's more fantasy than history. And I still cringe at Uppsala being a temple in the Norwegian mountains.😬 (It was and is a famous historical city on the coast of Sweden, next to Stockholm.) In the Vikings they took huge liberties and combined at least 2 centuries of history, like Rollo duke of Normandy was on the first ever viking raid to Lindisfarne...
The storytelling in the last seasons of the Vikings sucked so much in my opinion that I didn't want to waste my time, even though it would be kind of interesting to know what happened in the end.
@@elainelouve Isn't it funny when you stick with a show for years, then lose interest right at the end? I've watched every season of The Walking Dead, religiously, then it just completely lost me during its final season. At least you're a bit interested in knowing how Vikings ended. After watching the first 4 TWD episodes this season, I realized that I just don't care. They're still introducing new groups and new characters, when I think that the last season should have been focused just on the core characters. So many characters come in and go on that show, there are people who have been on for 3-4 years and I still don't know their names. The show just became too big in terms of the cast. I know that my 2 favourite characters, Daryl and Carol, survive because they're doing a spinoff show...that's really all I need to know.
I love history, and I realize that when I watch a historical TV show or movie, there's going to be some liberties taken with actual events for the sake of brevity and entertainment. But when they start fudging with the facts to the point where they are actually presenting a version of history that is just grossly inaccurate, that will make me lose interest very quickly. If the inaccuracies in Vikings was as bad as you say, I can understand your frustration, and why you lost interest in the show. Isn't Viking/Norse history interesting enough as it is....did they think they could make it more intetesting by playing with the facts??
@@Terri_MacKay yes, that's so true. They could have easily made it about generations, because they already have the sons of the original hero become the main focus. And now there's a spinoff series that goes further in history. The Icelandic sagas also tell about the families and the origin of the heroes, so that would work even in a more fantasy context (they utilized those old tales and added mythological characters, and I'm ok with that, because it fits the theme, but I wanted more historical and cultural accuracy to back it up).
GOT is is just as good.....
And yet we see film makers ridiculing these extraordinary men with no respect to their culture and heritage
Yes I know what you mean Netflix made a woke version of him and his boyfriend 🤦♂️ ridiculous
him being gay makes it woke even tho english kings were known for their promiscuity? i dont get it lol did u not want them to be historically acurate?@@MICHAEL-wg2lh
@@MICHAEL-wg2lh there was nothing woke about it
@@Huuuuuuuuuuuu107 the king having a fella was ...... Put in the script by .... Woke people shock horror obviously you are too lollll
@@MICHAEL-wg2lh I believe it was an excuse to make aethelstan not marry nor having kids
Of course Aethelstan was great. He was trained by Uhtred of Bebbanburg.
Uhtred was a fictional character, no doubt there were great generals helping the king
Destiny is all!
@Laura Golanch semi- fictional.
There was an Uhtred of Bamburgh (Bebbanburg), but he wasn't involved in any of the story we got in the show.
I'm going to start The Last Kingdom tonight.
Do it
@@historyprofiles today me and the wife are going binge watch as much as we can.
You will absolutely LOVE it. It is sooooo good. Definitely one of my all time favorite shows. I wish they had done more seasons but I look forward to the movie. :)
love the series..love,friends, revenge,loyal,satisfy all in one...
@@jscho8674 Uhtred is clearly an immortal, considering how many generations he lives through by the end.
Everything I know about this time I learned from The Last Kingdom and RUclips videos that correct The Last Kingdom.
Then you literally learned nothing because Uhtred never even existed at that time. The entire show is an obfuscation of real history. Cromwell should be ashamed, especially injecting his supposed ancestor into the mix.
Alfred didn't need an Uhtred. Didn't need some pagan advisor. Certainly didn't need his daughter rescued from Danes.
With the exception of some names, places and events, the entire show is a complete fantasy out of Cromwell's puny little mind.
Who shits on their own ancestry like that? Lol
He should seek help, he's got a screw loose. I'd never dump on my lineage like that.
Excellent, extremely enjoyable, thank you !!
Thank you so much, I can refer to this to help understand history
History never changes
I really enjoy your channel.
Very beautifully told. Great job
Very informative and interesting.
Thank you so much for watching!!!
I'm going to take an educated guess and say that his brother died from having too much steel/iron in his body. Mainly in the form of a sword thru his heart.
Iron poisoning
I also think he was killed, how he died is in no source I could find though was probably covered up…. Aethelstans reign wasn’t recoded that well though compared to his grandfather Alfreds
@@historyprofiles It would make sense for that time frame. A lot of potential claimants to a throne were killed. The projection of strength, power and ruthlessness seem to have been more important to a long lasting reign than honor, peace and love. Especially in that Era, where there were so many different "kingdoms" where each and every king, earl or nobleman did whatever they could or had to to gain more power, prestige and riches. The line of succession wasn't as important as it later became with the Witan having the power to choose somebody else, so if a younger brother was a potential threat, then they had to die. Often for the good of the people to avoid civil war.
Best comment
A great man for his time. Can you just imagine how hard life was then
I'm surprised at how much recorded history is not taught in school.
Who, in education departments, decides which history IS or is NOT important?
I know it’s a complete joke. If we learnt interesting immersive things about our ancestors things would be much better
I just read the Sarah Foot biography so now I'm an Æthelstan fan and want to know more about him. I was born in Kingston-u-Thames but didn't learn much about him growing up, which was a big fail on behalf of our history teachers! What comes across from the book is how he was a pioneer of 'branding' wearing a crown instead of a helmet and getting his face on the coinage, which was an important way to reach a lot of folk who didn't read. Also that his reign encourage the enlightenment of academia, the church, the written law and proclamations which form much of what we know about him. I can't get over how he isn't more famous than he should be.
Liked this vid and liked this early union of England. There should be a sequel to Last Kingdom, around his life, right after where the seven king film ended.
You mean a complete fabrication based on anachronistic claims?
Thank you fabulous video
Best King Ever!
The "Great Battle" Was A Great Example Of How One Can End Up Winning A Battle -- To Only End Up Losing More Than Those They Defeated. Did Any Of Them Ever Heard Of The Word "Retreat?" It Was Awful, And Unnecessary, For So Many To DIE Over Spoils And Kingdoms That Was So Easy Lost (In So Little Time).
To me the reluctance of the witan to proclaim him king of Wessex after Aelfweards death suggests he may have had something to do with it
Love this very interesting. Unfortunately it’s still going on in this day and age. Many men dying for the power hungry leaders.
I love the truth of The last Kingdom. I sometimes think I am a distant relative. My ancestors came from Denmark, Scandinavia and England. Great Britain.
"The truth of The Last Kingdom"
Entirely anachronistic and a complete fabrication. But ok.
Uhtred was the one who helped the king to achieve the dream of England 🇬🇧
Nope, he was in a completely different time period.
A good general helped the King, in Bernard Cornwell's books, Utrecht is that general, but he is fictional.
You mean 🏴 (🇬🇧 = UK)
Uhtred was roughly seventy years later after athelstan's rule. He was eaolderman of northumbria from 1010 till his death in 1016 😊
@Amrita Not entirely.
Very good video
I think this is going to be in season 6 or the movie they call it in last Kingdom
He was a great guy 🙂
I have seen how he fights and cares in "The Last Kingdom." I wish he ruled all of 🇬🇧 not just because he may 😕 have been King of all England, but also for being the greatest king 😢 that ever lived.
Very interesting subject. I was waiting for the ads to play out and came upon something called the Celtic Holocaust could you look into that I'm trying to contain my subscriptions here. And I'm not really interested in another one.
I’m reading a book on him right now.
by history uthred was born in 971 and aethalstan was born in 894 😪😪 but lord uthred was one of the greatest warrior of his ages🙌🙌
Hey uthred did not exist there was a person named uthred in reality but not how Netflix depicts him
If I was a part of all that I wouldn't see the point. You live you rule you fight until you die and for what? So your kingdom can have peace? It eventually all falls back into war. Such a bloody history.
very true
And yet nothing changes
It would make sense if you lived within those times. If you had to go to war or you had to make peace it had to be done because you wanted to live comfortably in your life.
he kept his word to Uhtredto never marry or have children so his brother could clame the thrown, I allways wondered if he stuck to his word or not xxx
What Castle is at the start of the video?
Aethelstan a great warrior king, strong grandson of Alfred the great.
It seems the speculations of the writers of Last Kingdom are not so outrageous as I suspected. It might be one of the best historical fictions put to screen. I felt season 5 and the final movie was a bit rushed, but in the end well done.
Lol ok.
Yeah Uhtred never existed at that time and literally nothing he did in the show actually happened....but okay.
That was very interesting
So Vinland Saga is inspired by this history...no wonder it hits so deep, it's inspired by true stories.
Vinland Saga takes place nearly 100-years after this. Vinland Saga was not inspired by the unification of England but the conquest of England by Canute as its backdrop, with Thorfinn’s expedition to Canada being the main focus.
Let's see what the Seven Kingdoms must die got for us as the sequel of The last kingdom
Is called seven Kings must die and it is totally awesome I wish and hope that they could do more about Richard I just adore this movie and the series The last Kingdom
Why do you hyper-blue the eyes in your thumbnails?
AEthelsten wasn’t in the show Vikings. The ones that were?! Were not him whatsoever. Jut different AEthelstens at the time.
He was in Last Kingdom ya numpty
@@nathanielanderson4367 I’m well aware of that. That’s where the image from him is from, still by putting the one in Vikings too which isn’t the same one. He isn’t in that show whatsoever nor is Edward.
@@brooke6549 I don't remember seeing any pictures from Vikings?
@@rhzyo the description.
I think in the Vikings it was supposed to be Aethelstan's son who becomes the great king. Or something. Can't remember how that turned out, if they ever got to it, and I quit watching when Ivar was in Russia.
Question; Æthelstan and long shanks blood relatives?.
Yes they are related through edward the confessor who was a cousin to William the conqueror and Edward i is descended from William the conquerer and Edward the confessor is descended from ethelstan
It's Aethelstan (pronounced Athelstan) and Ecgwine (pronounced Edgewin). "Ae" as in Aelfred.
Indeed uthred wasn't mentioned in the Chronicles...history never recorded that as king Alfred said
That's because Bernard Cornwell created him.
Very sad because of this I hate Alfred
Not RUclips suggesting this video to me the day after I finish the last kingdom series
What about Utterd? I am confused
here after last kingdom season 5
The movie absolutely ruined the series for me it was just awful no idea how the TV show was done so well and then the movie was absolutely fumbled, if was seriously one of the worst movies I've sat thru and my blood was boiling the entire time.
I agree with you. I only liked the last scene where he dosnt know to go to Valhalla or sty alive
“It will not be written that Alfred did stand on the shoulders of Uhtred.”
Well maybe that's because Uhtred never actually existed at that time.....lol
The whole show is preposterous. It does a giant disservice to real Wessex, Mercian and Northumbrian history, and the history of the AngloSaxons overall.
@@poopoosplatter99 Maybe it is cause you are British; but you come off sounding like an arrogant condescending smart a**. Most people that have read the books or watched show know he didn’t exist at the time and that the real Uhtred; Uhtred the Bold, lived in the 11th century. By the author; Cornwell based Uhtred off ancestor, the real Uhtred of Bamburgh.
I myself always think the books are better than the shows. I enjoyed the show though. It does a pretty good job of portraying Saxon England. But there aren’t as many records to go off of from that time. I think it gives us an idea of the type of men Alfred needed to unite a country.
Alfred himself was an incredibly intelligent man who was a good military strategist. But he wasn’t out there leading armies. He was constantly sick by his mid 20s so he wasn’t capable of leading armies on the field as he got older. And it was never said he was a great warrior and only great tactician. He knew how to put his commanders in place and to make decisions they gave him victory.
But yet we know not one of the names of any of his commanders or warriors. Who was leading his armies? Who was his best sword that was training his men how to fight some of the best warriors in the world? I would speculate that in real life Alfred was also smart enough to use the servers Danes or Northmen and give them land or a high salary to lead his armies. I would assume his top warriors were probably Danes, Scots, Welsh, or Irish (all warrior cultures) who then trained Saxons and lead Alfred’s armies.
Why no sons!? Or daughters? That's what I can't figure out about him.
Too busy fighting and that. Betrayal most everywhere. Unable to trust therefore unable to reproduce? Just 💭:)
Some people can’t have children.
he is in love with uhtred
How he died?
@0:24 "mediaEVAL"...Freudian slip? 🤣
Triva: Does anyone know where he is buried A: Malmsbury Abbey Wiltshire 🤗🤷♀️
Anglos had such beautiful noses tbh.
Destiny is all!
Edgar was the first king of Engla Lond not Aethelstan. The latter claimed to be Emperor of Britain not king of England. He merely ruled Wessex and the recently annexed Mercia. Northumbria remained outside the West Saxon Imperium. The Problem is that some modern historians impose anachronistic interpretations on the past. 'England' was only dimly emerging the in the C10th. The notion of the angelcynn, based on Bede's C8th invention of the gens anglorum, was developed in the court circle of Alfred of Wessex to legitimise his claims imperial rulership and to justify his conquests of the other Anglo-Saxon kingdoms which had never been ruled by the West Saxon Kings. The 'English' in the Danish occupied lands were robbed of their ethnic identity. It was political smoke and mirrors.
He was known as the overlord of Briton having brought all the Kings to heel. So although he may have not "officially" been the first King of England, he was certainly more powerful than Kings of England having dominion over Scotland as well. I suppose he paved the way for Kings of England, and although he may have not been known by the title it fits
There were kings of england before Edgar like ethelstan edmund I eadred eadwig the all fair
Aethelstan did not claim to be the "Emperor of Britain"
Where the fuck do you clowns come up with this shit?
Was he really light in the loafers?
I believe it's very possible America was named fer Mercia.
Was he not the first king as you say..??
Found out a while back that I'm related to King Æthelstan on my dad's side.
Would be a great film.
I looked for an explanation as to why the character of Aethalstan in The Last Kingdom turned out to be gay. According to some historians the fact that he didn't marry or have children and put gold rings in his hair suggested he was gay. Seems that it was a rather long shot to come to that conclusion but if fits nicely into the current trend of trying to tick as many diversity boxes as possible. Having Uhtred make Aethalstan swear never to marry conveniently tied up any loose ends in the show.
....or he was just pious.