Aethelstan Is Gay: The Last Kingdom Film Makes Book Hint Official Canon
The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Diehas confirmed what is only hinted at in Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Stories novel series: Aethelstan is queer. The movieconcluded The Last Kingdom's story in thrilling fashion, though Seven Kings Must Die's finish is somewhat obscure. The fate of Uhtred of Bebbanburg is particularly ambiguous, but overall Seven Kings Must Perish does well to bring the series to a fitting end.
Seven Kings Must Die has a lot of land to cover in wrapping up The Last Kingdom's story, but it does an adequate employment of bringing most of the ethics arcs to a proper conclusion. One of the most important of those arcs becomes that of Aethelstan, the successor to Edward and eventual first king of all England. Aethelstan's story was necessarily pivotal to the plot of Seven Kings Must Die, and the reveal that he is queer became a critical part of the movie's plot. It also added a much-needed level of depth to Aethelstan's character because of the societal implications of being male lover in medieval Britain.
Related: Seven Kings Must Die Fixes The Last Kingdom's Huge Aethelstan Problem
7 British Monarchs Who May Have Been Gay
For centuries men lived in one sphere and women in another and they would enter together for marriage and having children. It seemed that the sexes co-existed mainly to carry on the human race. Love and sex can be very different factors but, when put together, they can create the most electric sensation. This was no different for kings and queens who were next to to their favourites. There are several British monarchs who may have been gay. In truth, six kings – and one queen are thought to have been male lover, members of what we now notify the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi- and transexual) community. They include:
William II of England
The son of William the Conqueror, who took the throne of England in 1066, was known as William Rufus because of his red hair (‘rufus’ meaning red). William II became King of England in 1087 and was often described as ‘effeminate’ and with a keen interest in fashionable young men.
Perhaps the most well-known of the homosexual kings, Edward II became King of England in 1307. He spent much o
English-American author Bernard Cornwell’s The Saxon Stories has only ever hinted on Aethelstan’s sexuality, however, the film ‘The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die’ finally confirmed that he is gay.
The film’s synopsis reads:
“In the wake of King Edward’s death, Uhtred of Bebbanburg and his comrades adventure across a fractured kingdom in the hopes of uniting England at last.”
Aethelstan, who is portrayed by Harry Gilby, is the successor of King Edward, as well as the eventual first king of united England. That being said, the uncovering of his sexuality became a crucial part of the movie’s plot, considering the societal implications of being gay in Britain during the medieval times.
In Cornwell’s novels, Aethelstan is never clearly stated to be gay. Instead, it is only implied that he has had male lovers. On at least one occasion, it was also hinted that his decisions were influenced by lust, especially by Ingilmundr, who is portrayed by Laurie Davidson in ‘Seven Kings Must Die.’
Moreover, the historical novel series also suggests that Aethelstan enjoys the presence of good-looking young me
Just watched historical movie from netflix, called The Last Kingdom, king England in this feature he is gay he falling love with viking men.. so it is true england king is gay? Or maybe just fiction?
Possibly: "In an interview with Sharon Kay Penman in 2020, The Last Kingdom composer Bernard Cornwell explained his initial inspiration for making Aethelstan a gay character.
He explained: "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 enhance his hair with golden ringlets, and on that small evidence I decided he might own been gay.
"[It's] a choice that hasn’t pleased all my readers, but I was happy with it."
Report this post
Note: This is ONLY to be used to report spam, advertising, and problematic (harassment, fighting, or rude) posts.