The Truth About The Last Kingdom Season 5 and Scotland’s Constantine (No Major Spoilers)
Channel: Celtic History Decoded
Date: 15/03/2022

The Truth About The Last Kingdom Season 5 and Scotland’s Constantine (No Major Spoilers)

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In The Last Kingdom Series 5, Scotland and its ruler Constantine are often referred to. Who was Constantine however, and what was the real relation between Scotland and the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of the Last Kingdom universe?

There were actually three rulers of ancient Scotland, known as the Kingdom of Alba, who bore the name Constantine during the approximate period that the Last Kingdom is set in (mainly the 9th and 10 centuries AD). The first was Constantín mac Cináeda, who is sometimes referred to as Constantine I, the King of the Picts from 862–877. The second ruler was Constantine II, also known as Causantín mac Áeda, who reigned as King of Alba for an astonishing 43 years, ruling from 900–943. Constantine III then ruled as King of Alba from 995-997. 

All three kings were from the House Alpin, a line of Scottish kings stemming from Kenneth MacAlpin, the First King of Alba, whose reign began in 843 AD. As this graphic of Scottish Kings and Houses shows, the House of Alpin (depicted in yellow) ruled Alba for nearly 200 years, and was replaced by the House of Dunkeld in around 1034. 

What Constantine is depicted in the Last Kingdom Series 5 then? The likelihood is Constantine II, given that a major death takes place in 918 that correlates with the real historical timeline. As I don’t want to spoil the show for you, I will refrain from going into anymore detail. Given this death however, 918 is around the time that the Last Kingdom Series 5 starts. 

Now we know what Constantine the show features, what was the relation between Alba and the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of the Last Kingdom universe? The answer in many back and forth actions over the years, but I will highlight a few the now. A major incident in these relations was when King Æthelstan of England invaded Scotland in 934 AD by land and sea. There is not loads known about Æthelstan’s invasion of Scotland, but he returned to England the same year as the invasion, although Constantine II did seem to accept his overlordship on some level, no doubt reluctantly however. 

For the record, King Æthelstan was King of the Anglo-Saxons from 924 to 927 and the first King of the English from 927 until his death in 939. He united the various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms such as Wessex and Mercia into one, and he was the grandson of Alfred the Great (the Anglo-Saxon King from 886 - 899), and the son of Edward the Elder (King of the Anglo-Saxons from 899 –924). Characters inspired by Alfred the Great and Edward the Elder feature prominently in the Last Kingdom series. 

Then in 937, one of the most pivotal battles in Anglo-Saxon history took place at the Battle of Brunanburh. The location of the battle is unknown, but it pitted Æthelstan, the King of England, against an alliance made up of three forces: Olaf Guthfrithson, King of Dublin; Constantine II, King of Alba, and Owain, King of Strathclyde. Æthelstan won a decisive and bloody victory, with one of Constantine’s son’s apparently slain in the battle.   
 
Sources:

The Last Kingdom season 5: real history and historical accuracy https://www.historyextra.com/period/anglo-saxon/last-kingdom-real-history-netflix-series-recap-plot-edward-elder-aethelflaed-bernward-cornwell-books/ 

Battle of Brunanburh, Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Brunanburh#Location 

List of Scottish monarchs, Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Scottish_monarchs 

#TheLastKingdom #Netflix #Uhtred