The long-running historical royal war drama The Last Kingdom has finally been concluded and fans are bidding a teary farewell to the much-loved character Uhtred of Bebbanburg played by Alexander Dreymon. The Last Kingdom: Seven kings must die was released on Netflix on April 14, 2023, in the form of the finale to give a proper closure to the story of England and a strong conclusive ending to the character of Uhtred of Bebbanburg. For the refresher, Uhtred of Bebbanburg was born a Saxon but was raised by Danes (Pegans). However, he returned to his home after killing his uncle who denied his rights. Notably, The Last Kingdom previously was released in the form of a series and a total of 5 seasons are already available on Netflix. This time, the makers decided to air The Last Kingdom finale in the form of a movie. Although there are much-less twists and surprises in the movie, The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die is all about closing the epic historical drama and presenting how Athelstan went on to become one of the greatest medical rulers of England with the help of Uhtred of Bebbanburg. Assuming you have landed on this page, you have already watched the movie and have similar question revolving inside your head- Who were the seven kings killed in The Last Kingdom finale? To know continue reading-
What is Seven Kings Must Die?
Before revealing who were killed, 'Seven Kings Must Die' was a prophecy done by a seer who is the wife of Finan played by Mark Rowley. Finan is a confidante and a warrior of Uthred's group. The full prophecy was Seven Kings Must Die And A True Love. At first, Finan tells Uthred that her wife's sighting is nothing but mere a dream, Uthred seems to believe that it was indeed a prophecy made to be true in the future. And guess what, Uthred was right indeed.
How the prophecy turned true?
As discussed above, Finan's wife (the seer) was the first who gets killed first by the attacking Danes sent by King Anlaf (Seven Kings and a true love must die).
Who were the seven kings who died in the battle of Northumbria?
Without revealing the plot much, here what the characters say after the deadly battle of Northumbria led by Uthred for Athelstan against revolting kings with the support of a Dane named King Anlaf-
After the conclusion of the deadly battle of Northumbria, Finan says, "Five kings escaped the field that day but their sons- Orkney, Man, Shetland, Strathclyde and Scotland did not."
After taking the grievously injured Uthred back to the Bebbenburh castle, it was finally revealed who were the seven kings and where the prophecy was true or not.
"Five sons of kings lay dead upon the battlefield. Five kings that will never be crowned," says Athelstan to Uthred
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Finan says 'Seven Kings Must Die." The prophecy was wrong lord."
"With Edward of Wessex, it makes Six. Am I to be the seventh," Uthred was quick to respond.
Now, you must be wondering, Uthred was no king, then how it became seven kings? Well, in the movie, it has been shown that there was a time come when the people of Bebbenburg and his friends ask Uthred to declare himself king of Northumbria. Especially when Athelstan was pushed to being tyrant king, taking others' land and imposing Christianity on everyone. It means Uthred might not have been declared a king formally but his death, in the end, has been counted as the greater king and warrior the Saxons ever got.
Uthred swears his loyalty to King Athelstan
Notably, Uthred also swore his allegiance to King Athelstan, however, he put forward major conditions. Condition- "No Heirs, so your brother Edmund can take the throne unchallenged."
Short synopsis of the Netflix's finale-
Seven Kings Must Die begins with the death of King Edward, to who Uhtred had pointedly not sworn allegiance at the end of Season 5. His son Aethelstan (Harry Gilby) has now taken power and is quickly cracking down, killing any who would stand against him in what becomes a religious conquest. Horrified by this, Uhtred is soon confronted with the promise he had made that he would swear allegiance to Edward’s son and unite the lands. He begins to grow concerned that Aethelstan is being given bad counsel by those who would seek to use him for their own purposes. While all this is going on, other power players are beginning to gather in what is said to be the precursor to an inevitable war. Tired of conflict and death, Uhtred clings to the hope that this can be avoided if he can get through to Aethelstan. It is a delicate balancing act — everything is shifting rapidly, with one character saying just before a narrow escape that “loyalties are shifting and factions are forming.”