Around 870 AD. Uthred is the son of the lord of Bebbanburg, a fortress in Northumbria, north of present-day York. Situated on the coast, the fortress was under constant attack from the “Danes” (Vikings). Uthred’s father is killed during one of the raids, and his uncle took advantage of the situation to seize power, while the young boy was captured. But the Viking lord who had taken him prisoner, along with a young peasant girl, Brida, raised the two children as his own. Uthred learns to fight like a true Viking, and embraces their beliefs. Until the day his second father is slaughtered. He and Brida must flee.
Fate leads him to meet Alfred, King of Wessex. This southern kingdom is weakened by attacks from all sides. But Alfred, suffering from a chronic illness, is wise, cunning and much stronger than he appears. He dreams of uniting the Saxon kingdoms to form England, and will do anything to realize his vision. A shrewd strategist, he knows how to combine agreements and threats. The arrival of a warrior with a dual culture, capable of training his troops in the techniques employed by the enemy, could be the missing link in the creation of England.
A successful epic, great battles, endearing characters… Don’t miss this excellent series about the creation of England
The historical context is meticulously recreated. The castles are made of wood and straw as much as stone, the streets are full of mud, the nobles’ costumes may be embellished with velvet, but like the peasants, they live a harsh life, in the cold, with fear and violence omnipresent. You really feel as if you’re living among the characters.
Beyond the historical aspect, it’s the epic that sustains this excellent series. Heroes rise and die, tracing in their wake a path to follow or to flee. In each season of the series, several major battles pit armies against each other, while more modest battles sustain the rhythm of the intervening episodes. Betrayals are incessant, and romance is not absent. Love, too, defines destinies.
Through a dual hero, the opposition between two religions, two cultures, is the red thread in the construction of the plot, and of the kingdom of England. The characters are complex enough to remain interesting and endearing throughout the seasons. We want to know what happens to them. And even though we know, unlike them, that Alfred’s crazy dream will eventually come true, the headwinds are so strong that we wonder how they’re going to make it. A beautiful and fascinating story.
5 seasons, 46 episodes (55 mn) + 1 movie, 2015 – 2022, BBC 2, now on Netflix
WITH : Alexander Dreymon / Uhtred of Bebbanburg, Emily Cox / Brida, Rune Temte / Ubba Ragnarsson, David Dawson / King Alfred, Eliza Butterworth / Queen Aelswith, Ian Hart / Father Beocca, Millie Brady / Lady Aethelflaed, James Northcote / Aldhelm, Harry McEntire / Prince Aethelwold, Ewan Mitchell / Osferth, Timothy Innes / King Edward, Adrian Bower / Leofric, Simon Kunz / Odda the Elder, Eva Birthistle / Hild, Mark Rowley / Finan, Arnas Fedaravicius / Sihtric , Cavan Clerkin / Father Pyrlig, Ruby Hartley / Stiorra, Eysteinn Sigurðarson / Sigtryggr, Harry Gilby / Aethelstan, Jeppe Beck Laursen / Haesten …