If The Last Kingdom season three all seems a bit fuzzy in your memory, ahead of the new episodes arriving on Netflix, here’s a recap in brief:
After Uhtred’s wife Gisela died in childbirth, he faced a new pair of Danish villains in warrior Bloodhair and his witch/lover Skade, who placed a curse on Uhtred. Until it was lifted, Uhtred refused to pursue a romantic relationship with Alfred’s daughter Aethelflaed, despite their mutual attraction. Skade eventually killed Bloodhair, and Uhtred killed Skade, lifting the curse.
King Alfred banished Uhtred from Wessex for killing a holy man. He seized his property and stole his children to raise as Christians. Uhtred joined his Danish brothers but abandoned them to rescue Aethelflaed from men that her husband Aethelred, Lord of Mercia had sent to kill her. Before his death, Alfred pardoned Uhtred and returned his lands, and Uhtred agreed to advise Edward, much to Queen Aelswith’s displeasure.
The king’s nephew Aethelwold joined the Danes in the attack on Wessex. He stoked xenophobic unrest in Wessex, which led to Father Beocca’s wife Thyra being killed. Aethelwold plotted with Ragnar’s cousin Jarl Cnut (unbeknownst to Brida, who later became Cnut’s lover) and murdered Ragnar in his sleep. Uhtred killed Aethelwold in battle with the Danes, letting Ragnar pass into Valhalla.
Alfred died of an illness, making Edward king of Wessex. Edward was married off to the daughter of wealthy Lord Aethelhelm, his secret commoner wife and children having been spirited away by his mother Aelswith and the church. Edward successfully defended Wessex from the Danish army with the help of the armies of Mercia and Kent.
All that, and Uhtred still didn’t get to Bebbanburg to fight his usurping uncle Aelfric and get back his father’s fortress. Maybe next time, Uht.
In 892, after hearing of Uhtreds betrayal of Alfred, Ragnar decided to ally with Hastein and Sigurd Bloodhair to invade Wessex and finish off Alfred with Uhtreds help. Uhtred, who had fled to Dunholm, agreed to fight alongside Ragnar, and nominated him to be the armys commander, as he was the only leader whom the others would trust. However, Uhtred – his mind swayed by Princess Aethelflaeds call for help and Finan the Agiles opinion that the greedy Viking leaders could never work together – ultimately decided to leave and save Aethelflaed from her husband. Ragnar saw this as a second betrayal of him, and he told Uhtred that he was no longer his brother and was no longer to be associated with their father. Ragnar then savagely beat up the treacherous West Saxon prince Aethelwold Aetheling, Alfreds nephew, who had assembled the Viking army in the first place, blaming him for the situation which caused Uhtred to leave. Ragnars army then marched south on Wessex, but his cousin Cnut secretly convinced Aethelwold to murder Ragnar, claiming that Ragnar would kill Aethelwold soon.
Ragnar returned when his father was murdered by his disgruntled ship captain Kjartan; Uhtred and Ragnar decided to avenge Earl Ragnars death by hunting down Kjartan. Ragnar commanded a part of Guthrums army during his campaign against Alfred the Great in 875, capturing the town of Wareham. After the Battle of Edington, Ragnar was one of the Danish hostages sent to Alfred to ensure a continued peace. In 878, he ultimately succeeded in avenging his father by dueling Kjartan to the death during his assault on Kjartans keep at Dunholm. In the ensuing years, he would settle down at his fortress, and, due to Bridas inability to bear children, Ragnar took concubines and had several children.
Ragnar Ragnarsson (849-892) was a Danish Viking general and the son of Earl Ragnar. He was one of the commanders of the Great Heathen Army, taking part in campaigns in Ireland and England from the 860s to the 890s. In 892, he was murdered by Aethelwold Aetheling on the orders of his cousin Cnut Longsword, who was jealous of Ragnars leadership and coveted his lover Brida.
At evening, Aethelwold walked back to his tent, apparently drunk, and he made sure that the Vikings (albeit uninterested) heard him saying that he was returning to his tent. He waited in his tent until it was dark out, and he proceeded to sneak into Ragnars tent with a knife. Ragnar and his concubine were asleep, and Aethelwold stabbed the concubine through the throat when she woke up and noticed Aethelwold. He then stabbed Ragnar several times in the neck and chest, and Ragnar was unable to grab his sword, meaning that, in the Norse religion, he could not go to Valhalla. Aethelwold then took Ragnars sword, threw the concubines body off the bed, and ran it through her chest, making it look like the concubine had stabbed Ragnar before a mortally wounded Ragnar killed her.
Battle Participation[]
This list shows the battles Ragnar has participated in:
Edward – aetheling no longer
While still a prince (or aetheling), Edward secretly married a woman he loved and she bore him twins. As she was a commoner, Aelswith plotted with Bishop Erkenwald to have the wife and children removed from the kingdom so that Edward could make a more profitable match. Against his will, Edward was married to Aelflaed, daughter of the wealthy Lord Aethelhelm, who discovered the existence of Edward’s legitimate but banished heirs, and who plots to further his own power.
Edward stepped out from behind his parents’ shadow in season three, first defying his father by supplying troops to Uhtred when Alfred had refused them, and finally, by freeing Uhtred from his mother’s prison after Alfred’s death. He won his first battle as king, defending Wessex from the Danes with the help of Aethelred’s Mercians and Sigebrigt’s Kentish army.
FAQ
Does Uhtred avenge Ragnar’s death?
Does Ragnar come back to life in The Last Kingdom?
Where does Ragnar go when he dies in The Last Kingdom?
Uhtred and Brida (Emily Cox) work together diligently to break the curse by killing Aethelwold. They walk away at peace believing they have saved Ragnar’s soul and that he is now in Valhalla.
