The Last Kingdom Series. The major difference between the two shows lies in the fact that while Vikings accentuate the Scandinavian story of the Vikings, The Last Kingdom leans more on their English counterparts. In reality Danes washed at least once a week. The Last Kingdom showcase the plot where all the kingdoms have been taken under the rule of Viking Danes but one kingdom Wessex remains intact. Having a hero your audience can get behind is important. Vikings is coming to an end, with just the final half season to air. Much like Vikings, the clothes are just wrong. With one following the Viking arc and the other the birth of England, these two apparently similar shows ended up striking out in very different directions.Â, Why The Last Kingdom is actually very different from Vikings. No eye shadow (Lagertha and others in Vikings as well). Because of this, Encyclopedia Britannica has almost no information about him. Ragnar wishes to raid the British Isles, but the jarl insists there is no such place. However others felt Vikings dipped in quality from season four onwards while The Last Kingdom is an ‘engrossing’ series with ‘great action, no storyline gaps or filler that wasn’t relevant’. Please see my blog on Shield Walls here: https://www.aldsidu.com/blog/shield-walls-of-our-heathen-ancestors Please see my blog on Shield Walls here: © 2023 by Name of Site. He was seized by King Aella of Northumbria and killed by being thrown into a pit of snakes. The series shows the Danish and Anglisc armies using swords as their primary weapon in battle. Not even towers are erected. Scholars consider Saxo in regards to Lagertha and Ragnar to be fictional. Bjorn Ironside going to the extreme North Norway in biker leather and no furs or skins to keep him warm, no hat, etc was just silly... No Norwegian would have done such a thing, much less dive naked into the freezing cold waters while having no furs later to keep him warm. Better than Barley! Nope, not at all accurate. Better than Barley! Lets take a look at the inaccuracy issues for both shows. Those "sins" were hidden from the people, and there was no better place to hide your sins than in the church. King Ecbert did not have an affair with his daughter in law, and Ecbert's son was not the happy cuckold. 7 Shows Like Vikings That You Should Watch if You ... - MSN Enjoy that amazing final battle among danes (vikings) and saxons full of amazing fights and effects. At a glance, The Last Kingdom is merely retreading ground covered in Vikings, but from a Saxon perspective. Ragnar was the son of the Swedish king Sigurd Hring and a cousin of the Danish king, Gudfred. History With A Touch Of ‘Soapie’ Vikings includes everything that makes binge-watching of the … He was married three times: to the shield maiden Lagertha (3rd wife, assuming Saxo is not fictional, as scholars believe him to be), to the noble woman Dôra (first wife), and to Aslaug (2nd wife). Norse tactics were to only fight when they had the advantage, took their enemy by surprise, and to avoid the death tolls of pitched battles. Both depict the conflict between Nordic people and their Saxon victims. The battle armor appears to be mostly leather scales when in fact iron chain mail or just normal clothes would dominate battlefields, and the Danish horses have headgear that gives the impression they have horns. Here, however, some may pause. Proudly created with, https://www.aldsidu.com/blog/shield-walls-of-our-heathen-ancestors. Would not have happened. King Alfred had little control over Cornwall. Alfred the Great was not a bastard child. Many suggest he had what is known today as Crohn's disease. The Danes all look like they haven’t washed in months. Vikings is inspired by historical events. In terms of hair styles, Scandinavians would be aware of the incredibly biting cold. Norse peoples had all sorts of dyes, and preferred red, yellow, blue, green, etc. Game of Thrones | 11 Best Historical TV Shows Like Vikings. He merely owned a few estates in the north-east. English was the language of the hated English enemies who’d been conquering their land for the better part of 400 years, and even Cornishmen who spoke English wouldn’t have spoken it to each other. With enough time lapsed for everyone who will finish Game of Thrones to have finished Game of Thrones, people may be looking for their next fix of medieval-esque drama, sex, and blood — meaning most likely either Vikings on Amazon Prime or The Last Kingdom on Netflix. Last Kingdom wins the historical accuracy prize as it build its narrative around the rule of Alfred the Great. The once very entertaining show became far less entertaining when Travis Fimmel left (Ragnar was killed), as Ragnar's sons have not been embraced by fans of the show to the same level that Ragnar was, not even close. The Cornish appear to speak English. The Saxon Stories tell the tale of Alfred the Great and his descendants through the eyes of Uhtred, an English boy born into the aristocracy of ninth-century Northumbria, captured by the Danes and taught the Viking ways. The Last Kingdom features some of the most famous and influential figures from the early years of England, incorporating them into the fictional story of … Much of this book parallels the TV series "The Vikings." The Last Kingdom, set in the 9th century, follows the path of Uhtred son of Uhtred, the son of an English nobleman, kidnapped by the Vikings and raised as a Dane, while Vikings… In The Last Kingdom we follow Uhtred, son of Uhtred. Lagertha flat out murdered her husband, and was not abused by him, assuming Saxo is correct. Then the Princess is put on trial for adultery, has an ear lopped off, only to later have an adulteress affair with the King responsible for chopping her ear off for adultery, is "odd" to say the least. The exploits the sons of Ragnar accomplish in the show are given very little screen time, the focus is on the "family drama." The Last Kingdom (TV Series 2015– ) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Evidence to the contrary, they were a happily married couple for decades. To deliberately remove the hair from ones’ head when living in often icy conditions and sailing the open seas, would be insane. Better than Barley! Biker "sons of anarchy" leather was certainly not how "vikings" looked historically. Ad – content continues below Hence our escapist need for Barbarians, a new German historical drama that fills the gap while we wait for the next … Spears and Axes were the weapons of choice, also bows and arrows. While I can repeat this about the Last Kingdom, the English peoples did not call themselves "Saxons" anymore than they called the Danes "Vikings." On Vikings, Aslaug is the opposite of a warrior, and Lagertha is a shield maiden. One show adds a gritty realism to its essentially legendary story, while the other attempts to flesh out a series of dry chronicles that hint at a larger drama. No horned helmets. Please join us on the Facebook Group "Saxon Heathenry." The Last Kingdom The Missionary Ansgar was not the failure that Hirst (creator of Vikings) depicts being executed by queen Aslaug when he failed a test. A Saxon born, Danish adopted warrior who takes on the name Uhtred Ragnarson, referring to his Danish step-dad. No fortifications? Vikings is built around the somewhat murky history of a person who may just be just amalgamation of legends. His sons avenged him by invading England with the Great Heathen Army in 865 A.D. Proudly created with Wix.com. The Last Kingdom season 5 theories Season five will consist of another 10 episodes on Netflix, based on books nine and ten of The Saxon Stories: Warriors of the Storm and The Flame Bearer. The depiction of the Anglian King Edmund being captured and killed by the Danes could very likely be accurate. The Last Kingdom opens with an invasion in 866 CE, the Great Heathen Army, which Nordic legends claim was started by the sons of Lothbrok for his execution by King Aella of Northumbria in 865. Uhtred is a child and heir to Bebbanburg (Bamburgh) in Northumbria. (Incidentally, there is no real evidence to support his portrayal in the Last Kingdom as a malicious, abusive psychopath). ‘The Last Kingdom’ TV Review: How Saxons Beat the Vikings Weaving fact with fiction, BBC America’s powerful historical drama shows how faith … It is "odd" to me that the sons of Ragnar are portrayed as having civil wars against each other as the focus of their lives, and not doing the exploits together that made them famous in the Sagas. The Uppsala temple pictured as a wooden stave church in the mountains. He was baptized as a Christian, married a French princess and it was his great, great, great grandson, William the Conqueror, who invaded England in 1066 and became William I of England. The Anglish called all Northmen invaders "Danes" whether they came from Geatland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, or somewhere else. English and England. But he probably was filled with arrows, and did have a gruesome death. While people have always been sexually active with adultry etc throughout human history, the church strongly condemned it. Vikings The English called themselves Anglisc, (pronounced "Anglish") which is why the English language and the country is named after the Angles today, i.e. Vikings is coming to an end, with just the final half season to air. Sigurd was not murdered by Ivar, and the brothers did not try to kill each other or fight each other. Saxo is the only source for Lagertha, who is not even mentioned in the Norse Sagas. Earl Haraldson rules like a feudal lord, dominating the “Thing”, bullying and threatening everyone. The Battle of Edingdon: the Danes were driven into a fort and then besieged, and did not have an open battle on a plain as is depicted. The Norse Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok's children portrays Aslaug as a warrior queen. Rollo and Ragnar never met. The first series of eight episodes premiered on 10 October 2015 on BBC America, and on BBC Two in the UK on 22 October 2015. Crucifixion by Christians? © 2023 by Name of Site. It is quite similar to Vikings, minus the great Wardruna music and some great performances (Ragnar, Floki,...). If Alfred the Great were born a bastard, he would have been shipped off to a monastery and history books would not have mentioned him. A second series of eight episodes was aired on BBC Two in the UK in March 2017. Pitched battles were rare. Almost all used spears and axes historically. Making a king out of a bastard and claiming Alfred the Great was a bastard son, is the most egregious historical inaccuracy in the show, as the people in that time period, hypocrites or not, did publicly refute all sorts of sexual sin, and feared their sins (sexual and non-sexual) were the reason why "God" was punishing them with Viking raids. The other, even more dramatic difference, is that these stories take place at two different points in English History. The Last Kingdom is by far the most historically accurate show of the two, as Vikings is just more Hollywood than "history." The Vikings have conquered most of England, leaving the Kingdom of Wessex under King Alfred the Great (David Dawson) — the only independent Saxon territory. It’s just so much easier and quicker to draw from the hip, as soldiers of the time would have done, than from the back. I also prefer the cinematography in Vikings. It is hit and run, get in, get the treasures, and get out, before the warning bells bring in troops. The Battle of Edingdon: the Danes were driven into a fort and then besieged, and did not have an open battle on a plain as is depicted. In 866, Leeds is a decent sized town, but in The Last Kingdom, it is a tiny farmstead with a handful of houses. What do we know of Ragnar Lodbrok? This test is "borrowed" from Continental Saxon sources, in the writings of Widukind of Corvey, his book "Deeds of the Saxons" from the 10th century. He distinguished himself with many raids and conquests, including the first siege of Paris, 846 A.D. Even sacking of monasteries is not a pitched battle. At a glance, The Last Kingdom is merely retreading ground covered in Vikings, but from a Saxon perspective. This is not an accurate description of a Heathen Thing in the open air with a law-speaker. Alfred the Great was very sick. Alfred the Great appeared in some more documentation, grounding him more as an historic figure, as can be seen by his comparatively fleshed-out entry in Britannica. In fact Ansgar (801-865) known as The Apostle to the North, not only lived a long life, but succeeded in winning many to Christ. 100% of the rest of the weapons and clothing is flat out wrong. They have no leg wraps, footwear that is too modern, no chain mail, and no helmets at all... Why? In a bizarre twist, the History Channel portrays the Vikings as settling without any semblance of security, with indefensible villages spread out in the open, without any form of stockade, fortification or protective measures. I can't resist mentioning this; the phrase "plowing a field" was a sexual phrase in Angle-land for sure. He threatens Ragnar with the confiscation of his property if he doesn’t get in line. Very rare. “The Last Kingdom” is fun and easy-to-read, well-written and brings to life King Alfred’s battles with the Vikings. He was not however, roped to a cross inside a church. Vikings begins with the Lothbrok's experiences during the raid of Lindisfarne in 793 CE, which historians point to as the start of the Viking Age. Creating a villain your viewers can enjoy rooting against is… However, these are not of Anglisc civilians killed by Norse invaders, but Norse settlers killed by brutal and treacherous Anglisc people! Vikings (6 Seasons) If The Last Kingdom had any television inspiration, it was this History channel … The Last Kingdom challenges players to control 13 new factions, including the Vikings themselves, the Saxons, Scots, Irish, Welsh and Norman, and to embark on a campaign to dominate the British Isles. First, both series seem to be riding the Thrones train, but more importantly, it seems as though The Last Kingdom is merely a riff off Vikings. From the similarities in the costume, to the strikingly similar tone and set, Vikings will remind you immediately of The Last Kingdom, and in the best way possible! Vikings pretty much has everyone in black and very dark brown. Despite these apparent similarities, however, the shows create their stories from almost opposite types of historical sources. The Last Kingdom is a British historical fiction television series based on Bernard Cornwell's The Saxon Stories series of novels. But no helmets at all? Many suggest he had what is known today as Crohn's disease. Chronologically, there is no way he could have been contemporary with Ragnar Lodbrok, let alone his brother, as stated above. Hence the name of the show focuses on the struggles of this last Kingdom to remain strong against the enemies and intruders. The Last Kingdom is set against the backdrop of the VIking invasions of Anglo-Saxon England (Netflix) Alfred the Great. No such horse armor has ever been discovered or even attested. The Last Kingdom and Vikings are historical fictions based upon the same historical event. Alfred the Great was very sick. The Last Kingdom versus Vikings I started to watch The Last Kingdom. Ivar was the oldest of the sons of Aslaug. Vikings is based on Norse history and mythology, while The Last Kingdom focuses on Uhtred of Bebbanburg (Alexander Dreymon) and is based on The Saxon Stories. Rollo (846 – 932 A.D.) seized Rouen in 876 A.D. and led the Viking fleet that besieged Paris 885-886 A.D. The Vikings of The Last Kingdom are running roughshod over poor ninth-century England, raiding the country’s fractious kingdoms more or less with impunity. The Anglisc did not use rectangular shields, but would have used circular shields. While Cornwall is now an almost-entirely English-speaking region, in the 9th century they’d have all spoken Cornish. Here's a series that will instantly immerse you in a vast… Characters overlap as well. Uhtred is a child and heir to Bebbanburg (Bamburgh) in Northumbria. Shield Walls in both Vikings and The Last Kingdom are completely wrong. They did fear "losing too many men" as The Last Kingdom portrays. Therefore, Rollo is one of the ancestors of the present-day British Royal family. In reality, the use of swords was extremely rare during this time period, as swords were typically viewed as being a status symbol for the wealthy as well as those of high military ranking. Aethelflaed, The Lady of the Mercians, ruled the prominent English midland kingdom for seven years following the death of Aethelred. There are scenes of massacres of civilians, women and children, depicted in Vikings. Better than Barley! These two TV shows have brought droves of people into Asatru, like it or not. And the idea that Germanic and/or Norse peoples did not know where Britannia was (calling it "England" which is also an anachronism) is ludicrous. In an interview with Entertainment Monthly, he explained how the impulse for the series came from a desire to illustrate how the Saxon kingdoms began to find a common identity: "Americans know [where their country came from], they even have a starting date, but the English just seemed to assume that England had always been there, so the idea of writing a series about the creation of England was in my head for a long time." Extremely rare. Ragnar invaded Paris in 846 AD, therefore, he could not have also raided Lindesfarne in 793 AD. The Last Kingdom is based on the novels by Bernard Cornwell (The Saxon Stories -- definitely worth a … The Last Kingdom too talks about Ragnar and Alfred the Great, two characters whose lives have been talked about in the epic show Vikings. The Last Kingdom is as … In fact, they were together in what was called "The Great Heathen Army." Well, glad the show got that right. The stories, then, occur in two different generations. Vikings follows the expansion of the Viking culture while The Last Kingdom follows King Alfred the Great's efforts to hold out against that invasion, an effort that led to the foundations of an English identity. It is this last point that actually led Bernard Cromwell to write the series The Saxon Stories, books that provide the basis for The Last Kingdom. The Danish Viking invasion of England. Vikings & The Last Kingdom: How Accurate are these Shows Historically? BBC America’s sprawling, arresting eight-part historical miniseries The Last Kingdom proves that there’s room enough on television for more than one Viking invasion. First aired in 2013, Vikings is a show that The Last Kingdom seems to have gotten inspiration from. Ragnar was 40 years earlier than Rollo, and Rollo was not Ragnar's brother. There would have been no back scabbards, as not only was that impractical, but also dangerous to those behind (friendly forces) anyone with a back scabbard. The Last Kingdom begins in 866, the year that Vikings first seized control of York. Please check out our other blogs at www.aldsidu.com. Bjorn Ironside was a younger child of Aslaug, not Lagertha. Therefore, those involved in the path of Asatru and/or Historically based Heathenry should be prepared to know a few facts about these TV shows. Considering that the Vikings were invaders, they took extraordinary measures to erect comprehensive fortification structures, normally in circles, surrounded by a moat and sharpened stakes, with all their habitations neatly organised within this fortification. This is commented on by English sources who consider the Danes strange and effeminate for it. The Norse Sagas identify Ragnar Lodbrok as the father of Ivar the Boneless, Björn Ironside, Halfdan Ragnarsson, and Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye (but not Ubba). The Last Kingdom is by far the most historically accurate show of the two, as Vikings is just more Hollywood than "history." I would recommend this book for the young adult crowd who has enjoyed the “Harry Potter” series. The Seer could easily be cast in Star Wars or Star Trek, literally. Despite these apparent similarities, however, the shows create their stories from almost opposite types of historical sources. It was Ivar, the eldest, who blood-eagled Aella, if we are to believe the sources. The difference is most clearly seen in the contrast between the first focal character of Vikings, Ragnar Lothbrok, and the first focal historical character of The Last Kingdom, Alfred the Great. Most of what we know about Lothbrok comes from legends woven around the Vikings and the occasional reference in a chronicle. The Last Kingdom TV Shows Based on Books As Alfred the Great defends his kingdom from Norse invaders, Uhtred -- born a Saxon but raised by Vikings -- seeks to claim his ancestral birthright. Shield Walls in both Vikings and The Last Kingdom are completely wrong.