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==Anglo-Saxon and Danish History and Culture==
<i>Last Kingdom</i> is the title of the first novel by Bernard Cromwell in a series called the <i> Saxon Chronicles</i>. The last kingdom is Wessex, which stood alone against the Danish invaders after they had subdued or conquered Mercia, East Anglia, and Northumbria. The first season begins at a battle where the invading Danes are victorious against the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Northumbria at York. The Danes initially succeeded by slaughtering the garrison in 866 and then beating beat back a counterattack in 867. York was the chief city of this region and the Danes needed to capture it to create a foothold in Englandand to conquer Northumbria. The <i>Last Kingdom </i> accurately shows the type of battle tactics typically used by the Danes. The Danes would have most likely tried to form a shieldwall to entrap their enemy or outmaneuver them. It is, in a way, developed from earlier warfare tactics that created a tight formation of warriors where shields would overlap.<ref>For a history on the invasion on Northumbria, see: Hunter Blair, P. H., & Keynes, S. (2006). <i>An introduction to Anglo-Saxon England</i> (3. ed., repr). Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, pg. 103.</ref>
[[File:Winchester 13.jpeg|thumbnail|left|300px|Figure 1. Modern day Winchester, which served as the main capital of Wessex in the Anglo-Saxon period.]]
The first episode focuses on the Danes invasion of Northumbria. During the firstepisode, Ultred's father and his army are slaughtered by the Danes soon after arriving. The first episode portrays the Anglo-Saxons as unprepared for war with the Danes and too dependent on their priests. There is some truth to this, the Anglo-Saxon army lacked professional warriors and the show states that the Danes believed the English were primarily farmers. In the first battle of the show, the Anglo-Saxons lost the battle because they were incapable of defeating a Danish shield wall. However, the Anglo-Saxon armies most likely were capable of properly forming a shield wall and they would not have been completely confounded by it. The show ignored this reality because it allowed the lead character, Uhtred, to teach the Anglo Saxons later in the season to both form and defeat a shield wall. In this case historical accuracy was sacrificed to create a more compelling story.<ref>For more on Anglo-Saxon fighting methods, see: Lavelle, R. (2010). <i>Alfred’s wars: sources and interpretations of Anglo-Saxon warfare in the Viking age</i> Woodbridge: The Boydell Press.</ref>
The Last Kingdom has done very credible job depicting Danes and Anglo-Saxons. While the Danes have often been to referred to as Vikings; the show makes it clear that they were more than just Vikings. The Danes willingness to settle in England demonstrated that unlike actual Vikings, they did did not want survive simply by raiding. The Danish characters make it clear that they left Denmark because it was inhospitable to farming.<ref>For background on the Danes, see: Jones, G. (2001). <i>A history of the Vikings</i> (2nd ed). London ; New York: Oxford University Press.</ref>
