Many of the characters in The Last Kingdom are drawn from history, among them the Danish warlord Ubba Lothbrokson, the martyred King Edmund of Anglia, and Alfred the Great. Compare the real-world figures to their fictional portrayals.

Using the figure of either Alfred the Great or Ragnar the Fearless, analyze how the novel defines the weaknesses and strengths of Christianity.

Ragnar and Alfred emerge as Uhtred’s surrogate fathers, each giving the boy a radically different world view. Compare the two men, and assess how Uhtred ultimately embodies elements of them both.