Athelstan gay
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Bernard Cornwell is the author of the historical fiction series of novels ‘The Saxon Stories,’ which is the source material for both ‘The Last Kingdom’ and ‘Seven Kings Must Die.’ In the final book of the series, ‘War Lord,’ Æthelstan is gay.
“I also took some liberties with Æthelstan, Alfred’s grandson, who eventually becomes the first king of a united England,” the author said in an interview with Sharon Kay Penman.
Aethelstan always needed to be a key figure in Seven Kings Must Die because of his real-life importance to the story it wanted to tell regarding the formation of England. “All of that period is hard to research [but] there is definitely a reasonable amount of debate about it. Often referred to as the first King of England by modern historians, he never married, nor did he have any children.
It’s not something we’ve made up for TV – not at all,” she explained in an interview with Radio Times.
Miller knew that this could potentially cause some controversy among viewers. Due to the medieval society’s prejudices on homosexuality, it would have been most likely kept a secret if Aethelstan was gay in real life.
With all of that being said, it was confirmed that he is gay in ‘The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die’ film, wherein Aethelstan’s internal conflict between his sexuality and religious beliefs is an essential aspect of the movie’s plot.
However, the inclusion of the LQBTQ community in a historical drama has made many fans mad.
To this, Hillier has commented, “I want to get it right, but you’re never going to satisfy the people who’ve decided that you’re doing things for other reasons. The fate of Uhtred of Bebbanburg is particularly ambiguous, but overall Seven Kings Must Die does well to bring the series to a fitting end.
Seven Kings Must Die has a lot of ground to cover in wrapping up The Last Kingdom's story, but it does an adequate job of bringing most of the character arcs to a proper conclusion.
The debate also continues about her social status, with some thinking she was a noble, while others believing she wasn’t.
Among the scholars who reject the notion that Æthelstan agreed not to marry and have children because of his desire to find acceptance, some hold the view that he did so because of religious reasons. This, in turn, weighs him down mentally as he cannot escape his nature.
“History records that he never married, which is unusual in a king because of the desire to leave an heir, and also that he liked to decorate his hair with golden ringlets, and on that small evidence I decided he might have been gay; a choice that hasn’t pleased all my readers, but I was happy with it.”
Martha Hillier, the screenwriter who penned the script for ‘Seven Kings Must Die,’ echoed Cornwell’s sentiments on the matter.
Instead, it is only implied that he has had male lovers. Aethelstan being gay added a critical level of depth to his character, while providing the spark needed to accelerate the Saxon expansion that led to the Battle of Brunanburh.
Related: Seven Kings Must Die: Every Major Change To History The Last Kingdom Movie Made
Was Aethelstan Gay In Real Life?
Aethelstan’s Sexuality: Historical Debate Continues
Although there is no proof that asserts beyond doubt that Aethelstan of history (Æthelstan) was gay, scholars have speculated on the notion for a long while. Furthermore, some fans have even disliked the movie due to Aethelstan. It actually wasn’t about trying to be inclusive or anything – it was just like ‘this is interesting.'”
Read More: Is Uhtred of Bebbanburg Based on Real Warrior?
It has retained all the medieval charm of the original series and compressed a tight plot into a two-hour finale.
However, the last piece to the puzzle didn’t fit in without shocking fans with some twists. If you are wondering whether Aethelstan was gay in real life as well, we got you covered. Aethelstan believes he must conquer lands and spread Christianity in order to atone for being gay because Ingilmundr convinces him it is so.
This internal conflict becomes the catalyst for the story by causing Aethelstan to invade neighboring lands, causing the various kings in Britain to rally against him and leading to the famous Battle of Brunanburh.
Most of what is said on the matter comes to Uhtred through rumor, however, as he is the narrator of all 13 novels. Once again though, all of this is speculation in the books, which never explicitly confirm Aethelstan's sexuality. The fact that it is never explicitly confirmed within the text is likely Cornwell's attempt to remain realistic with his interpretation of history.