The Saxon Stories
The Last Kingdom, first in the series
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| Author | Bernard Cornwell |
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| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Historical novel |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Published | 2004 - 2016 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
The Saxon Stories (also known as "Saxon Tales"/"Saxon Chronicles" in the USA and "The Warrior Chronicles" and since the BBC TV adaptation as "The Last Kingdom Series" in the UK) is a continuing historical novel series written by Bernard Cornwell about 9th and 10th century Britain. The protagonist of the series is Uhtred of Bebbanburg, born to a Saxon lord in Northumbria, but captured and adopted by the Danes. The story takes place during the Danish invasions of Britain, when all but one of the English kingdoms are conquered. The name of the protagonist comes from the historical Uhtred the Bold; Cornwell is descended from this long ago family.
The story centres on the emergence of England as a nation on the island of Britain from the vision and actions of Alfred, later dubbed "the Great". King Alfred of Wessex reluctantly accepts that he cannot drive the invaders from the island, after his defeat at Wilton, and is forced to make peace with them. His heirs consolidate what Alfred begins.
The first two novels in the series were adapted for television in 2015 as The Last Kingdom.
In an interview with Emerson College, Cornwell said: "Years ago, when I was at university, I discovered Anglo-Saxon poetry and became hooked on that strange and often melancholy world. For some reason the history of the Anglo-Saxons isn’t much taught in Britain (where I grew up) and it struck me as weird that the English really had no idea where their country came from. Americans know, they even have a starting date, but the English just seemed to assume that England had always been there, so the idea of writing a series about the creation of England was in my head for a long time." The historical setting is the big story; writing historical fiction needs a little story so the history can be the background. When he was in his fifties, Cornwell met his birth father, named William Outhred (or Oughtred), and learned the story of his own descent from the Saxons who owned Bebbanburg (now called Bamburgh Castle). Thus was born Uhtred, the protagonist of the fictional tales.
In the interview, he revealed that there is a plan to adapt the series for television, in answer to a question of how many more books are planned for the series. "I wish I knew! I don’t know how the chapter I’m writing now will end, let alone the book, and the series? No idea! I suspect there will be a few more; I just heard that BBC Television have commissioned a series that will follow Uhtred’s escapades. The company that makes Downton Abbey will make the programs, which is wonderful, and I’ll need to keep them supplied with stories (I hope). So? Six more? Eight more? I just don’t know."
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