The Saxons
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Bebbanburg
Lord Uhtred
Lord Uhtred
Portrayed By: Matthew Macfadyen
"Why do I leave the villages unprotected and bring the men inside? Is that your question? A village can be rebuilt. A warrior can die only once."
Uhtred's father, Lord Uhtred, is a formidable fighter and leader of men, and ruler of the kingdom of Bebbanburg in Northumbria. He is a serious and rather distant man whose commitments to Bebbanburg leave little time for his two sons. Young Uhtred struggles to win his father's affection and approval.
- Abusive Parents: He clearly thinks little of his youngest son, and is at times is even openly hostile to young Uhtred/Osbert.
- Action Dad: A father to two, and a competent warrior.
- Dead Star Walking: Matthew Macfadyen is probably the biggest name in the initial cast line-up, but Lord Uhtred doesn't last beyond the first episode.
- Jerkass: Lord Uhtred is a pretty basic prick; he's grumpy, quick-tempered and ruthlessly pragmatic.
- Un-person: Inflicts this on his oldest son, lashing out when Osbert wants to avenge him since now he is Uhtred.
- Worthy Opponent: Ragnar sizes him up as a serious-minded and intelligent warrior king; the Danes certainly consider him more of a threat than his the other two kings whom they correctly judge as pushovers.
Aelfric
Aelfric
Portrayed By: Joseph Millson
Uhtred’s uncle, Aelfric, took control of the fortress of Bebbanburg usurping Uhtred. Aelfric is venal, scheming, and power hungry. He sees Uhtred as a threat to his claim on Bebbanburg and is committed to his demise.
- Ambition Is Evil: It's unclear how long Aelfric has harbored ambitions to become Bebbanburg's ruler, but he thinks nothing of murdering a child so he can keep sitting the throne.
- Arch-Enemy: Aelfric is Uhtred's first great enemy; he's been trying to kill his nephew since he was only a child.
- Back for the Dead: After receiving only a cursory mention in Season 3, he returns in Season 4 only to be killed by his own son by the end of the second episode.
- Beard of Evil: He's bearded, and very evil indeed.
- Deadpan Snarker: He has a pretty sharp tongue, sneering that Gisela must be fond of him to hide away.
- Evil Is Petty: At first he's reluctant to marry Gisela, but the moment he learns that she and Uhtred were to marry, he decides he'll have her.
- Evil Uncle: To Uhtred, whom he's obsessed with killing out of fear that Uthred will one day reclaim Bebbanburg.
- It Is Dehumanising: Insists on calling Uhtred by his birth name, Osbert. Of course, it's also meant to be a rejection of his claim to Bebbanburgh since the rightful lord always takes up the name.
- Out of Focus: He makes only a single appearance in Season 2, and receives only a brief mention in Season 3.
- Properly Paranoid: He lives in fear that Uhtred will return and reclaim Bebbanburg from him, and he should be afraid since Uhtred has been gathering power for years and has not forgotten Aelfric.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: When he finds out Guthred had Uhtred sold into slavery instead of killing him (the condition Aelfric demanded as his price for an alliance), he angrily storms out of Eoferwic, refusing to help fight against Kjartan.
- Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?: Is enraged at Guthred for following this trope, knowing Uhtred will break out of slavery.
Mercia
Aethelred
Aethelred
Portrayed By: Toby Regbo
Arrogant lord of Mercia. Aethelred appears to be both the perfect match for Aethelflaed and a good ally for Alfred as he strives to extend his influence outside Wessex. But in moments of weakness Aethelred is plagued by insecurity, and is rarely seen without his advisor Aldhelm by whom he is easily influenced in matters both personal and political.
- Alas, Poor Villain: He becomes oddly pitiable in his last days, in part because the head trauma means that half the time he can barely remember what bad things he did to make people hate him and during moments of clarity can realize he deserves it a little.
- Arranged Marriage: He arranges for his own marriage to Aethelflaed, bartering with Wessex and trying to lowball the marriage price.
- Awful Wedded Life: He makes life hell for Aethelflaed, raping her on their wedding night and coldly mistreating her. This turns out to have repercussions for him.
- Bad Boss: He stabs Aldhelm for disobeying him, and leaves him to die in Wessex. Fortunately Aldhelm is a survivor by nature.
- Big Bad Wannabe: Aethelred really should be more threatening than he is due to the resources and power he's inherited, but he's too short-sighted, foolish and reactive to be much of a threat by himself. He only really becomes a threat when allied with people who actually have plans of their own.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: In public, he's polite and kind. In private, he's a ruthlessly ambitious borderline sociopath.
- Death by Falling Over: Getting knocked over in a battle causes him to split his skull open and slowly begin to inevitably die.
- Domestic Abuse: He follows up his rape of Athelflaed with regular physical violence and intimidation.
- Face of an Angel, Mind of a Demon: Aethelred is a handsome young man, but behind that pretty face lurks a cruel sadist.
- Faux Affably Evil: He's capable of feigning politeness, but he's sneering and contemptuous.
- Hate Sink: He proves to be both equal parts loathsome and useless.
- Humiliation Conga: Erik and Sigefrid publicly humiliate him before everyone (Erik forces him to kneel in front of everyone at Beamfleot, Sigefried has one of his own men knock Aethelred unconcious then dump him naked in a pig pen so they can negotiate with Uhtred without his interference); Aethelred most certainly deserved it.
- Inferiority Superiority Complex: He holds every other living thing in contempt and is endlessly arrogant, but he's also deeply insecure. He's forever obsessed with the idea that others are tricking him or trying to make a fool out of him.
- It's All About Me: Aethelred's primary concern is Aethelred. He doesn't even care about his own country. His selfish and casually cruel attitude prompts Aldhelm to betray him.
- Jerkass Has a Point: While it doesn't change the fact that he's a psychopathic little shit, he's not wrong to point out how colossally stupid it was to to trust information delivered by Haesten.
- King In Name Only: By Season 3, even Aldhelm considers Aethelflaed the true leader of Mercia.
- Laser-Guided Karma: After being mortally wounded, he realizes quickly everyone hates him and nobody is upset to see him go. He's left broken on his deathbed and realizes how badly he's wasted his life.
- Marital Rape License: He believes that a woman is the property of her husband. As such, he rapes his new wife Aethelflaed on their wedding night.
- Pet the Dog: When on his deathbed, he vows to Aethelflaed not to marry off her daughter without discussing it with her. When approached with a profitable match for her, he intends to keep his word and refuses without speaking to her.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: His views of women are hateful even for the time period. He's also prejudiced toward Danes.
- Pretty Boy: He's a good-looking fellow. This is the nicest thing that can be said about him.
- Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: He takes his anger out on Aethelflaed by raping her brutally on their wedding night.
- Reformed, but Rejected: He tries, at the last days of his life, to change by apologizig to Aetheflaed. She makes some peace with him but coolly rejects any overtures at friendliness or forgiveness.
- Skewed Priorities: Throughout Season 3, he's more interested in trying to have Aethelflaed murdered and consolidating his power in Mercia once Alfred dies, rather than acknowledge the threat of a Danish invasion that requires both Wessex and Mercia allied together to defeat.
- Smug Snake: He's not nearly as smart as he thinks he is, and is only able to summon the courage to be his real, vile self when he's certain of his own safety.
- Undignified Death: Murdered agonizingly in his bed, in pure terror, by a man he'd mistreated.
Aethelflaed
Aethelflaed
Portrayed By: Millie Brady
Alfred and Aelswith’s beloved daughter. Aethelflaed is strong, brave and intelligent; she has a mind as thoughtful as her father’s and a will as strong as her mother’s. Ever grateful towards Uhtred for protecting her family in the dark days before the battle of Ethandun, the two share a kinship that will be put to the test in a time of great need.
- Action Girl: She was trained in combat by Steapa, and puts his lessons to good use. It's noted that the Mercian warriors see her as their true leader, not Aethelred. She leads the Mercian charge against the Danes in the Season 3 finale.
- Arranged Marriage: To Aethelred, who has the gall to lowball the marriage price.
- Awful Wedded Life: Being married to Aethelred is no picnic, although she eventually manages to avoid his abuse by gaining the loyalty of the Mercian people.
- Big Damn Heroes: Her charge leading Mercian cavalry into the Danes in the finale of Season 3 saves her brother Edward and Uhtred's army from being overrun.
- Brother–Sister Team: She and her brother Edward are determined to continue their father's work to build England.
- English Rose: A Saxon princess, the beloved daughter of King Alfred who dreams of uniting the separate kingdoms of England. She's beautiful, brave and intelligent with a keen sense of authority. She has dark hair and very fair skin with pink undertones and she's growing into the warrior queen archetype.
- Marital Rape License: Aethelred believes that as his wife, Aethelflaed is his property. In turn he brutally rapes her on their wedding night.
- Nice Girl: She's a very sweet woman.
- Pet the Dog: She's far kinder, more generous and nicer to Uhtred than her parents.
- Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: She has dark hair and very fair skin with pink undertones. Admired for her beauty by most, and the more worthy people also appreciate her inner beauty and kindness.
- Star-Crossed Lovers:
- With Erik, her Dane kidnapper, who shows her far more love and care than her own husband.
- Later, with Uhtred himself, after she takes an oath of celibacy in exchange for the Mercian throne.
Aldhelm
Aldhelm
Portrayed By: James Northcote
Aethelred’s ambitious and scheming right-hand-man, and commander of his household troops. Resents Mercia’s subservience to Wessex, and has plans to reverse the line of dominance.
- Deadpan Snarker: He has a dry wit when he thinks he can get away with it.
- The Dragon: To Aethelred. Until his Heel–Face Turn.
- Everyone Has Standards: He's disgusted by his master's plans to make Mercia independent and ally with Aethelwold and the Danes once Alfred is dead. He also clearly doesn't approve of Aethelred's plan to try and assassinate Aethelflaed and even warns her of her husband's malicious intent.
- Heel–Face Turn: Spends Season 2 as Aethelred's loyal but manipulative advisor, serving as the brains behind his schemes, but grows disillusioned with his lord in Season 3 and begins to see Aethelflaed as the better choice to rule Mercia.
- Hypercompetent Sidekick: Aldhelm is very much the brains behind Aethelred; he is much more aware of political realities than his master, and if Aethelred does something clever, it's safe to assume it's because Aldhelm told him to do so or otherwise tricked him into it.
- Only Sane Man: He rapidly becomes this in Season 3 as he has to contend with his lord's pettiness and spitefulness towards his wife and the alliance with Wessex. He even has to point out to Aethelred it's not a good idea to try and plan Aethelflaed's assassination when her father and brother are close at hand.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: In the Season 3 finale, when a grieving and furious Father Beocca breaks up a meeting between Aethelred, Aethelwold and several other potentially traitorous lords by smashing their table with an axe, Aldhelm quickly intervenes before Beocca or Aethelred can start a fight. He holds Beocca back, urges Aethelred not to use his sword, and judging from his expression, clearly agrees with Boecca's denunciation of Aethelwold.
- Rousing Speech: He gives a brief speech to the men of Mercia after Alfred promises to aid them."In my hand, I have a letter from Alfred of Wessex! It is the promise of one thousand men! It is the one thousand men demanded by our lord, Aethelred of Mercia, to fight alongside the great fryd of Mercia to help rid Lunden of the filthy, stinking, pox-ridden, pig's-arse ugly, heathen, Danish bastards! A toast! A toast! To the warriors of Mercia. Where we go, Alfred and Wessex shall follow. And we shall rise! - We shall rise!"
Eadith
Eadith
Portrayed By: Stefanie Martini
A disgraced Mercian noblewoman who schemes with her brother Eardwulf to reclaim their position by courting Aethelred's favor.
- Big Damn Heroes: Saves Uhtred and his companions from dying by hanging upside down by distracting the guards and freeing them.
- Dark Mistress: She would prefer it otherwise, as she finds Aethelred repulsive, but Aethelred lusts after her and she's willing to use that so that she and her brother can regain their status.
- Heel–Face Turn: After Aethelred is dead, she gives her loyalty to Uhtred and grows fond of Aethelflaed's daughter.
- Playing Hard to Get: Recognizes that, once she sleeps with Aethelred, his interest in her is likely to fade. So she teases him along for as long as she can, finally relenting to try and cushion the blow when her brother has to report that Danes are laying waste to Mercia thanks to his ill-conceived invasion of East Anglia.
Eardwulf
Eardwulf
- Portrayed By: Jamie Blackley
A disgraced Mercian nobleman seeking to regain his family's position by acting as Aethelred's new advisor.
- Ambition Is Evil: He's a power hungry guy, and has few scruples about what he has to do to gain that power.
- Dragon with an Agenda: He's Aethelred's loyal henchman only because he hopes Aethelred will restore his family's name. Once Aethelred tells him on his death bed he will never allow Eardwulf to rule Mercia, Eardwulf kills him without hesitation.
- Everyone Has Standards: Even he is horrified that Brida orders her men to desecrate the men buried at Winchester.
- Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves: Sigtryggr has him executed when he realizes he has his own agenda and doesn't want him to stab him in the back.
- Yes-Man: On the surface, anyway. He's acquired the rather unflattering nickname of 'the Arse-Licker' among Mercian nobles. Brida also calls him that and the Danes who hear it follow suit.
Other Saxons
Mildrith
Mildrith
Played By: Amy Wren
Uhtred’s wife, and Odda the Elder’s godchild, Mildrith is good-natured, trusting, and beautiful. A very devout Christian, she is generous and committed to the workers on her estate. Mildrith is ashamed of the debt to the church that she inherited from her deceased father. Her piety grows the longer she is with the untamed pagan Uhtred, driving a wedge between them.
- Break the Cutie: She is left swimming in debt, gets pawned off to a semi-barbaric warrior despite never having met him before, and her Saxon friends wish for her husband's death in battle. Things start to get better until Uhtred actively becomes a Jerkass towards her and constantly insults her in her own home. The fact that she didn't become completely bitter earlier is a testament to her good nature.
- Good Parents: She is, by all appearances, an excellent mother.
- Happily Married: She and Uhtred genuinely love each other and she reacts with dismay when Aelswith tries to comfort her by telling her that Uhtred (who is a hostage of Guthrum) will soon be dead. If it wasn't for Uhtred's Pride being wounded by the enforced penance and other events, there's every chance that they would have remained so.
- Nice Girl: She is, by default, a very lovely person, to the point where it gets in the way of her good sense, and it's a large part of why Uhtred warms up to her. This makes it all the more upsetting (for her and the audience) when the penance drives a wedge between her, pious, and Uhtred, pagan and prideful in equal measure.
- Perfectly Arranged Marriage: She and Uhtred don't meet until the wedding, but quickly warm up to each other and, one suspects, would have been very happy with each other if events had gone another way.
- Taking the Veil: Has apparently become a nun.
Iseult
Queen Iseult
Portrayed By: Charlie Murphy
One of Cornish King Peredur’s two wives, Iseult is a ‘shadow queen’; a beautiful sorceress with magical powers.
Iseult captivates Uhtred from the first moment they meet, and teases him with visions of his future. Mysterious, cool, and slightly aloof, Iseult is a world away from Mildrith, and Uhtred is powerless to resist her charms.
- Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: She's a tall beautiful woman with dark long hair. She's mysterious, composed and aloof. And she is a seer.
- Black Magic: What she is perceived to know.
- Due to the Dead: Beocca restores her body and grants her a funeral pyre in accordance with Uhtred's wishes.
- Hope Spot: Gives Uhtred one when she tells him his adopted sister Thyra is alive, albeit as a slave of Kjartan and Sven.
- Hot Witch: Uhtred most certainly thinks so. She has seer powers and is a natural healer. She's also breathtakingly beautiful.
- Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: Iseult is a British shadow queen from Cornwall who is married to a minor king Peredur. She's mysterious and keeps her virginity because she believes it maintains her seer powers. Iseult is a great beauty with fair skin, dark eyes and black hair. She's very much admired and hero Uhtred falls in love with her.
- My God, What Have I Done?: She goes through this when she believes the spell she performed to save Alfred's son killed Uhtred's son in his place.
- Off with Her Head!: Skorpa kills her and throws her head at Uhtred's feet to taunt him. That is a mistake.
- Pet the Dog: Alfred, in his final meeting with Uhtred, reveals he has never forgotten, nor ever stopped being grateful to Iseult for saving the infant Edward's life. Uhtred is genuinely surprised, having expected Alfred to have long since forgotten her.
- Promoted to Scapegoat: When Iseult suggests to Uhtred she can save Alfred's seriously ill infant son, Hild warns Iseult will get this treatment if her efforts fail.Hild: You had best succeed. If the child dies, you will be blamed.Uhtred: We cannot sit and do nothing!Hild: That is not what I am saying...but Iseult is a woman and a pagan. She will be blamed, regardless of her good intentions.
- Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: She clearly believes this to the point she stabs a Danish warrior in the eye for raping a nun.
- Virgin Power: It is believed she will retain her powers so long as she remains this. In Episode 8, she begs Uhtred to take her virginity to free her from the power she has come to view as a curse.
