The Last Kingdom is like history class, but with more swords and fewer naps. It kicked off on BBC America in 2015. Picture this: 9th century chaos. Uhtred of Bebbanburg, a Saxon dude, gets snatched up by Danes and raised like a pet. He juggles his identity crisis while the Saxons and Danes are busy trying to out-war each other. Based on Bernard Cornwell’s novels, this series has fans glued to their screens, thanks to its gripping tales and eye candy visuals.

Meet the characters from The Last Kingdom

Uhtred

Uhtred is the kind of hero who barrels into trouble like it’s a hobby. He’s blunt, stubborn, and impossibly loyal, with this terrible habit of saying the wrong thing and somehow still getting away with it. A lord and a weapons master and somehow also the guy who gets homesick for a childhood farm—he’s all contradictions and that is the best part. Brave enough to die for honor but secretly stubborn about small comforts (socks? who knows), and he has this weird soft spot for people who remind him of his past. Honestly, chaotic, glorious, and never boring.

Aelswith

Aelswith is this cold, calculating queen who both terrifies and fascinates you. She clings to faith and order with a white-knuckled grip and will outmaneuver people quietly rather than with a sword. People call her stern but there’s a tragic, stubborn loyalty under it all — she loves her son in a clumsy, rigid way. She’s a moral absolutist and petty sometimes, and also oddly human (she cries, like, once in private maybe). Not cuddly, ever, but unforgettable.

Sihtric

Sihtric is this light, reckless Viking who smiles too easily and then surprises you by being dependable when it matters. He’s charming, a bit of a rascal, and weirdly thoughtful when you least expect it. Plays fast with loyalty but means it when it counts — the kind who’ll drink with you and then fight beside you. Low-key wild child energy with surprising flashes of honor; also has a soft spot for music or dancing, I swear I saw him humming once.

Aethelflaed

Aethelflaed is basically regal competence embodied, like she could run a kingdom before breakfast and still have time to fix a tapestry. Sharp as a blade, diplomatic but not soft — she negotiates with eyes like knives. Loyal to her people and quietly revolutionary in how she asserts power, she balances tradition and gutsy innovation. There’s a melancholy seriousness to her but also a warmth that surfaces with close friends (and don’t tell anyone but she collects tiny trinkets). She inspires respect and makes you want to follow her, even if she scares you a little.

Brida

Brida is fierce and untamable, like a storm that refuses to apologize. She loves Uhtred with a kind of raw, consuming intensity and that devotion makes her beautiful and terrifying at once. She’s loyal to her roots, quick to anger, and mistakes revenge for justice more than once — but she also has these moments of real, aching vulnerability. Wild hair, sharper tongue, and that’s a dramatic understatement; she can be tender, believe it or not. She’s one of those characters you want to scold and hug at the same time.

Finan

Finan is a grinning, quick-witted fighter with a heart giant enough to smother everyone in loyalty. He’s sarcastic and practical, always the voice of dark humor in the worst situations, and also ridiculously brave. You can trust him to be at your back in a pinch and to steal your last biscuit without a second thought. Soft-spoken when he needs to be, but also lethal with a blade — and he has an annoying habit of giving nicknames. Basically the best buddy anyone could ask for, tragic past and all.

Beocca

Beocca is this steady, moral compass type who somehow balances priestly duty with being genuinely warm and human. He counsels, consoles, and occasionally cheats at cards (wait was that a thing? maybe), which makes him oddly lovable. Wise without being preachy, and he has a stubborn faith in people that actually changes lives. Sometimes cranky, sometimes gentle, and always quietly heroic in the way he keeps the community together. He’s the kind of mentor character you pretend you don’t need but actually do.

Aldhelm

Aldhelm is bookish and pious and the kind of cleric who would argue scripture in a tavern just to see if people are paying attention. He’s sincere, a little condescending sometimes, but genuinely tries to do right by his flock. Not a warrior at all (thank goodness), more of a brainy peacekeeper with ridiculous eyebrows. He brings quiet stability, even if he fusses over rules like they’re fragile heirlooms.

Osferth

Osferth is low-key mysterious — calm, sharp, and a bit like somebody who watches chess while everyone else plays checkers. He doesn’t speak much but when he does it’s meaningful and sometimes blunt enough to sting. Pragmatic, quietly devoted to Uhtred’s cause, and has this odd soft spot for books or rare peaceful mornings. Hard to read? Yes. Trustworthy? Also yes, in a very reliable, slightly cryptic way.

Alfred

Alfred is a brilliant, burdened ruler with this relentless obsession with law, order, and creating a legacy. He’s cerebral and deeply insecure and will trade charm for duty every single time. Notably uptight (like annoyingly so), but his strategic mind and moral seriousness make him terrifying in his own right. He seeks unity and civilization, and has a soft, fragile side that peeks out in private—then he’s back to sermons and plans. A tragic, admirable, frustrating piece of leadership, honestly — you love to argue with him and then admire him for being right.