When Uhtred neglects to inform Æthelstan of the meeting, Æthelstan distrusts his old friend and mentor, and sets into motion a plan to seize Babbenburg. He sends an envoy to Uhtred, trying to gain his support, but Uhtred does not want to be dragged in on either side. (Guthrith is allowed to keep his throne, but Æthelstan places a strong garrison in Eoferwic, Guthfrith's capital, to keep him in line.) Constantin, king of Alba, Northumbria's northern neighbour, grows concerned and starts forging an alliance against Æthelstan. He orders Uhtred to capture the fleeing Guthfrith and turn him over, which Uhtred does. Furthermore, Æthelstan's Christian advisors have told him that an oath to a pagan is not binding.įinally, he breaks his promise and invades Northumbria. Æthelstan had given Uhtred his oath to never fight him or invade his native Northumbria while Uhtred lived.įor many years, Æthelstan kept his word, but having gained control of the Saxon kingdoms of Mercia and East Anglia, the only thing standing in the way of fulfilling Alfred the Great's dream of uniting all of the Ænglisc-speaking peoples under one monarch is a Northumbria ruled by a weak king named Guthfrith.
Many years before, Uhtred had trained the young Æthelstan, a grandson of King Alfred the Great, how to be a king and, by winning a crucial battle, placed him on the throne of Wessex. However, inexorable fate has other ideas. The aged Uhtred wants nothing more than to end his days in peace in his beloved Bebbanburg and pass it on to his second son, also named Uhtred. The epic story of how England was made concludes in War Lord, the magnificent finale to the Last Kingdom series. Threatened and bribed by all sides, he faces an impossible choice: stay out of the struggle, risking his freedom, or throw himself into the cauldron of war and the most terrible battle Britain has ever experienced. To the north, King Constantine and other Scottish and Irish leaders seek to extend their borders and expand their dominion.Ĭaught in the eye of the storm is Uhtred. To the south, King Æthelstan has unified the three kingdoms of Wessex, Mercia and East Anglia – and now eyes a bigger prize. Beyond the walls of his impregnable fortress, a battle for power rages. With his loyal band of warriors and a new woman by his side, his household is secure – yet Uhtred is far from safe. After years fighting to reclaim his rightful home, Uhtred of Bebbanburg has returned to Northumbria.
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