The Last Kingdom: What happened to the real Aethelstan?

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The Last Kingdom is on Netflix now and the historical drama follows protagonist Uhtred of Bebbanburg (played by Alexander Dreymon), who was born a Saxon but was raised by Danes. In the fourth season, Uhtred was tasked with raising King Edward’s (Timothy Innes) son Aethelstan (Caspar Griffiths), who is next in line to take the crown. Express.co.uk has all you need to know about what happened to Aethelstan, or Athelstan, in real life.

What happened to the real Aethelstan?

Aethelstan was first introduced in season three of The Last Kingdom, and he is the son of Edward and his ‘illegitimate’ wife Ecgwynn (Julia Brown).

Edward’s family had not approved of his marriage to Ecgwynn and their marriage was annulled, with Aethelstan taken away from his parents.

In season four, Edward’s mother Aelswith (Eliza Butterworth) let Aethelstan visit his mother as she felt guilty for the way she had treated the family.

Following the death of her husband, King Alfred (David Dawson), Aelswith put herself on a path to redemption and she promised to look after Aethelstan.

She taught him all about her husband, who had been one of the strongest kings in history, and she encouraged Aethelstan to have faith in Alfred’s vision.

But after Aelswith was poisoned at the end of the series, she had no choice but to let Uhtred take care of the future king Aethelstan.

The final moments of the series saw Uhtred and Aethelstan heading off into the distance alone, and fans are keen to find out how Uhtred raises him.

He is expected to train the young heir to become a strong and fearless fighter, as well as a good negotiator, like his grandfather Alfred.

Aethelstan’s character is based on the real Aethelstan, who was king of the Anglo-Saxons between the years 924 and 927.

In 927 he became the king of the rest of England, until his death in 939. Like in the series, he really was the son of Edward and his wife Ecgwynn.

The real Aethelstan has been described by historians as one of the greatest kings of all time, and the first King of England.

Unlike his ancestors, he never married and did not have any children. Following the death of his father, Aethelstan had been recognised by the people of Mercia as king.

However the rest of England was torn over his rule, and he was not accepted as king of Wessex until the year 925.

The final kingdom to conquer was York, and when he succeeded at this in 927, he became the first Anglo-Saxon to rule over the whole of England.

Throughout his rule, he faced backlash from the Scots and Vikings, who invaded England in 937, and the Battle of Brunanburh ensued.

Thankfully Aethelstan was victorious, which enhanced his reputation across the country and beyond.

However after Aethelstan died in 939, the Vikings took back control of York, until 954. There is not much information available on exactly how he died, but he died in Gloucester.

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For many years Aethelstan’s success was overshadowed by the legacy of his grandfather Alfred, but as time went on he became known as one of the greatest kings to have lived.

Historians admire his journey following his struggle for power, as there were some people who did not want him as their leader.

Aethelstan’s achievements include changing the way England was administrated, as he created a new centralised government to cover the whole of England.

He was also the first king to create official documents as a ‘law code’, and they covered areas including treason and keeping the peace.

Aethelstan also had huge influence over churches in England, overseeing the translation of the bible from Latin to English, and he followed in his grandfather’s footsteps to enhance education.

An ‘Athelstan Museum’ exists in Malmesbury, and the museum’s website explains how fond Aethelstan’s mother and father were of him.

The website added: “He soon displayed the strong character and leadership qualities that enabled him to unite England.

“He is recorded as never having lost a battle and was called ‘Athelstan the Glorious’. He subdued a rebellion in Cornwall and similarly subdued the Welsh who paid him an annual tribute of gold, silver and 25,000 oxen.”

Aethelstan was known to have been very ambitious and he was keen to create connections further afield, across the rest of Europe.

He was believed to have a number of half-sisters, whom he married off to European royalty.

Fans will be interested to see how Aethelstan’s journey continues in season five of The Last Kingdom, as Uhtred prepares him for his time on the throne.

They will be curious to see if King Edward will die in the upcoming season, which will leave an opening for Aethelstan to step up.

The Last Kingdom is on Netflix now

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