Uhtred of Bebbanburg

Infobox character
colour = Black
colour text = White
series = The Saxon Stories
name = Uhtred of Bebbanburg


caption = Uhtred's first appearance
first = The Last Kingdom
last = TBA
creator = Bernard Cornwell
nickname = "Uhtredæwre" - Uhtred the Wicked (Only in Oxton)
alias = "Uhtred Uhtredson", "Uhtred Ragnarson", "Osbert", "Thorkild the leper", "The Dead Swordsman", "Steapa of Wessex"
gender = Male
age = "28" - As of Sword Song
born = 857 AD
occupation = "Warrior", "Soldier", "Governor"
title = "Lord"
family =
spouse = "Mildrith" - Separated, "Gisela"
children = "Uhtred" - Deceased, "Uhtred Uhtredson", "Stiorra"
residence = London - As of Sword Song

Uhtred of Bebbanburg is the protagonist and main character of the best selling and continuing Saxon Stories series of books. Over the four current books, Uhtred has become increasingly complex in his loyalty and general attitude.

Birth

Uhtred was born into status as son of Ealdorman Uhtred, Lord of Bebbanburg and raised to have hatred towards the surrounding kingdoms of Mercia, East Anglia, Wessex, Scotland and the Danes. Uhtred was originally called Osbert due to being the youngest of Ealdorman Uhtred's sons but after the eldest son was killed in a failed attack on the Danes, his name was changed. Uhtred was never taught swordsmanship in his 9 years at Bebbanburg due to his stepmother wanting him to pursue a life dedicated to being a priest.

Danish

In 866, The first of the Danish army began to arrive in Northumbria. In their speed the Danes were able to capture Eoferwic. After Ealdorman Uhtred was killed in the assault to reclaim Eoferwic, Uhtred was captured by the Danes following his feeble attack on a Danish warlord. That warlord, Ragnar Ravnsson, decided to nurture Uhtred's fury into a suitable fighting spirit and so adopted him. Uhtred found that living with the Danes was a much freer existence than with the pious Christians and their dour priests at Bebbanburg and embraced the Danish Gods of Thor, Odin, and Hoder. Uhtred came to love Ragnar as a father and became a brother to Ragnar's sons, Ragnar and Rorik, and daughter, Thyra.

Ragnar's Death

Living in Ragnar's company was enjoyable, even after Rorik's death of sickness, until everything changed on one night of vengeance. Ragnar had made an enemy in a man named Kjartan due to an incident between Thyra and Kjartan's son, Sven. The enmity came to a head one night when Uhtred was in the forest making charcoal for weapons. Kjartan led a warband to where Ragnar and his family were sleeping and lit their hall on fire, thus killing them all. Kjartan believed Uhtred to have died in the fire. Uhtred is crushed by Ragnar's death and leaves to find family amongst the Saxons.

Alfred

Uhtred ends up in Wessex and in the service of Alfred. Wessex is the last unconquered kingdom in England and thus always under constant threat from the Danes and despite Uhtred's childhood, he begins to fight and revel in Danish defeats. However Uhtred has a particular hatred towards Alfred whom he believes is too pious, weak and trusting to fight off the Danish invasion. Alfred manages to calm any wanton violence between the two and Uhtred serves him faithfully, though grudgingly, and at times, with a mind to return to the Danes. Yet as Uhtred's usefulness improves so does Alfred's attention and as Uhtred ages he begins to understand Alfred's wisdom although the dislike is always present.

Women

Uhtred, in accordance with the times, is associated with a lot of women yet there are few women which shape his life. Uhtred has a like to a defiant girl and as he describes it "a spirit like an eagle" to which he has described many woman and has a dislike to woman who crave order and Christianity.

Mildrith

Uhtred's first wife, They had a child, Uhtred - named after his father, however young Uhtred died after choking on a pebble. The elder Uhtred believes the death is supernaturally connected to the survival of Alfred's son Edward. After young Uhtred's death, Mildrith re-joined the convent.

Iseult

Iseult is a Briton, and a shadow queen from Cornwall. She is disliked in the Wessex territories due to their belief of her evil and has to be protected by Uhtred many times, In the final battle, She is murdered by a Dane.

Hild

Hild is a nun, Uhtred, Steapa and Alfred rescue her from the Danes who had raped and prostituted her. She becomes Uhtred companion and lover has they journey back to Northumberland, After Iseult's death, Hild returns to the nunnery to help the poor of Wessex.

Gisela

As of Sword Song, Uhtred is married to the Danish Gisela, sister of King Guthred of Cumbraland.

Attitude

In his youth, Uhtred is described a restless child, resisting his education and playing with armor and the harp but after he is captured by the Danes we see his attitude shaped. Uhtred is forced to hate the Saxons because as a 'Dane' they are his enemy. He begins to legitimately do so after he becomes disgusted at their weakness in relying on prayers to defeat the Danes instead of fighting. During the Danes first attempt at capturing Wessex, Uhtred re-develops a link with Saxons when he feels pride at a rare Saxon victory and remorse when his uncle is killed in battle, which confuses him yet he is happy being a Dane with Ragnar. Yet after Ragnar's death he realises that he must return to the Saxons and the friendships he develops with the Saxon warriors help to prevent him from returning to the Danes. Uhtred retains his love for his Danish brother, Ragnar the Younger, but as his status grows he refuses to accept being below a Dane, though he still fights with Ragnar to avenge their father's murder. Uhtred does not like breaking oaths and is therefore hesitant if he must take one and his arrogance, although rightly earned through the killing of fearsome Danish warlords, gives some people the wrong impression about Uhtred. Uhtred shows love for his children, his first son died due to swallowing a pebble and choking and although cold at first, he weeps when it actually hits him. His second sons lives well but he shows great love for his daughter, Stiorra, whom he is always playing with and nurturing. Uhtred is a complex character with his own loyalties confusing to, even, himself though he is a trustworthy man although this is usually overlooked because of his arrogance, pride and religion.

Derfel Cadarn

Uhtred is frequently compared to Derfel Cadarn from another Bernard Cornwell series, The Warlord Chronicles. Both take their oaths seriously and endeavor to keep them and both generally succeed. Both men fight for their own people, Derfel fights for the Britons whereas Uhtreds fights, eventually, for the Saxons.

Derfel loves and cherishs his partner, Ceinwyn, and Uhtred deeply loves the women he chooses. Uhtred treats Mildrith with contempt in the later years of their marriage yet their marriage was ordered by Alfred. Both are strong and their leader's best warriors and both were adopted during childhood, by the Britons in the case of Derfel and by the Danes in the case of Uhtred.

It should be noted, however that there are a number of differences between Uhtred and Derfel; firstly Derfel is a more overtly sentimental character whom many people see as more traditionally "good" whereas Uhtred's natural irascibility, irreverence when confronted with opportunities to buck the system or in this case Alfred's morality (and all who share it, or nefariously profess to) is frequent and is opposed by Derfel's more wistful hopes for justice in the face of immorality and his more romantic heroism. One could say Uhtred is a little more "edgy".

Trivia

*Appears in The Last Kingdom, The Pale Horseman, The Lords of the North and Sword Song
*His favourite saying is ""Wyrd bi∂ ful aræd" which means "Fate is inexorable". This is also Derfel's favourite saying in The Warlord Chronicles.
*Uhtred is in part based upon the historical Uhtred who flourished at the start of the 11th century