Lavelle says this was based in reality: “There’s enough evidence to be able to say that Alfred was affected by bouts of chronic ill health,” he said. “I want people to use it to engage with the actual history.”ĭavid Dawson won many plaudits for his portrayal of Alfred, who is depicted as far from another warrior king. “There is an inevitability that people sometimes engage more with the characters as they’ve been represented in the drama than with the actual historical characters, but this is something that allows a kind of hook,” said Lavelle. But they can also draw people into learning more about history. Speaking with Den of Geek, University of Winchester Professor Ryan Lavelle says that such shows can give the public the wrong idea about historical characters and situations. The author specializes in historical fiction he also wrote the popular Sharpe series. Set during the Viking invasions of England and the many wars against the various English realms in the ninth and tenth centuries, The Last Kingdom is an adaptation of Bernard Cornwell’s Saxon/ Warrior Chronicles.

However, one series that at least makes some effort to represent the medieval period accurately is Netflix’s The Last Kingdom.

Historical shows and movies frequently come under heavy criticism for their historical accuracy, with the likes of Vikings in particular getting dinged often.

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