Summary

• The Winter King is a great prequel to The Last Kingdom, offering a deeper look into British history and setting the stage for the beloved series.
• Both shows explore complex themes such as nationhood, spirituality, and loyalty in different ways, providing a rich and engaging viewing experience.
• Sharing the same author, Bernard Cornwell, both The Last Kingdom and The Winter King capture the essence of his historical fiction and bring the past to life.

After the conclusion of Alexander Dreymon's Uhtred of Bebbanburg and his story has come to a close, there is still a way for fans to return to this fascinating period in British history.

Despite containing fictional elements, part of what makes The Last Kingdom so compelling is its adherence to real history. Figures like Uhtred, Alfred, and Aethelfled are much more vivid because they actually existed in real life – making their stories seem even more compelling. This historical element is central to The Last Kingdom's success and makes finding a replacement much more complicated than settling on any standard medieval action series. Fortunately, however, the perfect prequel setting up The Last Kingdom's world and story already exists.

The Winter King Is A Perfect Last Kingdom Prequel

It's A Great Introduction To The World

Despite not being officially d with the original The Last Kingdom series and sharing none of the same characters, The Winter King is actually the perfect prequel for the hit historical drama. Not only do the shows share a common source – both being based on historical fiction novels written by Bernard Cornwell – but despite their differences in tone and story, their settings make them ideal companion pieces. Not only that, but thematically and stylistically, The Winter King and The Last Kingdom are perfectly matched.

All episodes of The Winter King are available to view on MGM+.

Unlike The Last Kingdom, which takes place during the 9th and 10th centuries, The Winter King is set even earlier in England's history. A retelling of Arthurian legend, the show takes place in Post-Roman Britain in a period known as the Dark Ages. Chronologically, this places it about 300-400 years before The Last Kingdom. Yet despite the centuries of separation, The Winter King provides an entertaining way to understand the context that creates the England of Alfred and Uhtred as seen in the earlier series.

There are some important differences between The Winter King and The Last Kingdom. The Winter King's basis in Arthurian myth, for instance, makes it more fantastical than The Last Kingdom, with legendary locations like Avalon featuring prominently throughout and magic given far greater credence than what's seen in its chronological successor. However, these discrepancies are actually a perfect illustration of how such issues were regarded by people at the time and help The Winter King serve as a superstitious pre-runner to the Christian-dominated discourse in The Last Kingdom. In laying such groundwork, The Winter King makes The Last Kingdom even more compelling.

The Winter King Twists The Last Kingdom's Premise Perfectly

It Challenges The Portrayal Of Good And Bad

In The Last Kingdom, Alfred's dream of a unified England under Anglo-Saxon rule is portrayed fairly uncontroversially as a just and righteous ambition. Although there are exceptions, typified by Uhtred's competing loyalties, Alfred's fight against Danish oppressors portrays the Saxons as plucky underdogs, making audiences inevitably root for them over the invasive Danes. Given the modern understanding of "Englishness" such an angle is perhaps unsurprising. However, as The Winter King makes clear, English and British history is actually much more complicated.

In explaining how Alfred's ancestors were once the kind of invaders the king now seeks to repel, The Winter King makes The Last Kingdom's morality even more nuanced.

Unlike the broadly sympathetic characters seen in The Last Kingdom, the Saxons in The Winter King assume the role of invading aggressors. In this story, it is they who are a threat to native Britons, with the island's unification behind Arthur the only real hope for survival. Such a portrayal is not only a compelling and historically accurate contrast with The Last Kingdom, it also facilitates a richer understanding of British history. In explaining how Alfred's ancestors were once the kind of invaders the king now seeks to repel, The Winter King makes The Last Kingdom's morality even more nuanced – and ultimately rewarding.

The Last Kingdom And The Winter King Explore Similar Themes

They Tackle Them In Very Different Ways

Beyond providing interesting historical insight, The Winter King also addresses many of the same narrative themes as The Last Kingdom. Both stories revolve around a charismatic protagonist who finds himself isolated and outcast from his home. Despite this status, however, he finds himself compelled to play a key role in shaping the future of England and Britain, with consequences that will echo down the centuries.

In The Winter King, the concept of a unified nation is incredibly nebulous – yet there is a sense that the only means of securing survival is through coming together under one banner.

Using the main character as a conduit, both series also explore the idea of what it means to be English. In The Winter King, the concept of a unified nation is incredibly nebulous – yet there is a sense that the only means of securing survival is through coming together under one banner. This is exactly the same message as The Last Kingdom – albeit through a much more fully-formed idea of nationhood.

A further similarity between the two series is in their attitude to spirituality – a subject that once again highlights how The Winter King is a perfect set up for The Last Kingdom. In the series, Christianity is still a nascent concept, with much more faith placed in the druidic pagan powers of Merlin. Although this kind of magic is present in The Last Kingdom – notably in season 3 through the character of Skade – it's clear that attitudes to faith have evolved. As a way of understanding how spirituality changed throughout Post-Roman Britain, the two series make for fascinating companion pieces.

The Last Kingdom And The Winter King Are Fitting Tributes To Bernard Cornwell's Vision

They Create A Fascinating Chronology Of England

Perhaps the most compelling argument for viewing The Winter King as an unofficial The Last Kingdom prequel is that both stories share the same author. Bernard Cornwell is one of Britain's most popular authors, having penned dozens of historical fiction novels and created some of the best-loved characters in all of fiction. Although both The Last Kingdom and The Winter King differ substantially from the source material, the two shows are authentic to the tone of the original.

Both shows capture Cornwell's inimitable ability to make intangible historical events feel immediate and accessible. The shows also encapsulate the author's skill in bringing long-dead and otherwise distant figures back to life – giving them a vitality that can make them variously empathetic, terrifying, and relatable. The fact that both shows demonstrate this aspect of Cornwell's writing not only makes them natural companion pieces, but ensures that The Last Kingdom feels even more connected to real history than it did before.