Was King Aethelstan gay in real life? The Last Kingdom history explained

The Last Kingdom movie Seven Kings Must Die is out now on Netflix, finally bringing the tale of warlord Uhtred of Bebbanburg to a close. Over five seasons and a standalone feature, we saw how Uhtred went from being a boy cast out of his own home to a kingmaker who was instrumental in uniting the various petty kingdoms of England under one banner.

We’ve seen Uhtred rub shoulders with quite a few rulers in his day. He was one of King Alfred the Great’s closest military advisors, a mentor as well as enemy to King Edward, and a surrogate father to young Æethelstan. Seven Kings Must Die revolves around Æethelstan taking over his father Edward’s throne and leading his army to victory at the Battle of Brunanburh, which is considered by historians to be the pivotal battle which led to England’s unification.

The Last Kingdom has always explored the personal motives for rulers like Alfred and Edward and why each wants to bring the petty kingdoms together. Seven Kings Must Die does the same for Æthelstan, but with a surprising twist. If you’ve just seen the movie, you may be wondering what the real-life Æthelstan was like. Beware SPOILERS below.

How history informed Æthelstan on The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die

The big twist for Æthelstan’s motive is that we discover fairly early on in the movie that he’s gay and having an affair with Ingilmundr, a Dane who is pretending to be an ally in order to manipulate Æthelstan. In the time since The Last Kingdom season 5, Æthelstan has become far more religious; despite desiring Ingilmundr, he is weighed down by what he perceives as his “sin.” Ingilmundr convinces Æthelstan that one way to outweigh the sin in heaven’s eyes is by doing an even greater service to God: in this case, demanding the obeisance of all the other petty kingdoms and finally bringing England under one rule.

Ingilmundr’s nefarious motives aside, this raises the obvious question of whether Æthelstan was gay in real life. The answer is that historians don’t know; those sorts of personal details about the king remain largely unearthed.

However, the oath that Uhtred demanded of Æthelstan at the end of the movie — that he would not marry or have an heir — is indeed based on real history. Æthelstan was a highly religious king who never produced an heir or took a wife. There’s dispute as to why, though; was he living a life of chastity to gain support, or because of his own strict religious beliefs?

The Last Kingdom has always been great at exploring the motivations for historical figures, and the decision to make Æthelstan gay is a perfect example. It doesn’t contradict anything we know about his public persona from history, while giving him an extra layer of complexity behind closed doors.

The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die is streaming now on Netflix.

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