MOVIE NEWS – An important battle artefact from the last kingdom has been dismantled by one of the most respected experts on medieval weaponry, who says of rectangular shields, “It’s ridiculous, it’s stupid!”

 

 

One of The Last Kingdom’s battle scenes has been thoroughly stripped by medieval weapons expert Tobias Capwell. Based on Bernard Cornwell’s book The Saxon Stories, the series premiered on BBC Two in 2015 and was moved to Netflix three years later. It follows Uhtred (Alexander Dreymon) as he tries to reclaim his homeland of Bebbanburg while helping King Alfred (David Dawson) defend Wessex. Alongside Dreymon and Dawson, the series stars Tobias Santelmann, Emily Cox, Joseph Millson, Ian Hart, and Eliza Butterworth.

In a recent video by Insider, Capwell dissected footage of the Battle of Edington in The Last Kingdom, noting the use of rectangular shields and declaring, “This is ridiculous, this is stupid!”

He also explained that a medieval shield could not have had any openings. They were carefully constructed so that they would not even let air through.

“Nobody ever used rectangular shields. I mean, that’s ridiculous, it’s stupid! And real early Medieval shields, which were all circular as far as we can tell, if air can get through, then a lot of other things can get through. Most real shields of this period are made out of boards, placed edge to edge, sort of like this, but they’re placed properly edge to edge, and they’re glued, and they’re sealed, and there’s arguments, good arguments to be made for them then being edged with rawhide or sometimes covered with hide or textile and glue. You should not be able to see that much air through your shield.”

 

How accurate is that battle scene in The Last Kingdom?

 

The Battle of Edington was a real-life clash between Wessex and the Great Heathen Army that took place in 878. In the season 1 finale of The Last Kingdom, when Uhtred and the others were gathered at Egbert’s Stone, the Danes were able to break through their defences and Leofric (Adrian Bower) was killed as a result. In the end, Uhtred and King Alfred were victorious. But the former had to face the death of Iseult (Charlotte Murphy). It is worth noting, however, that the series does not include the eventual siege of the Danes.

In the video, Capwell points out that Uhtred could not have charged the Danes’ shield wall as he did and that his armour was ineffective.

The shield wall is considered inaccurate in the series, but if a character were to face it alone, it would still be difficult. Although the series’ battle scenes, including the Battle of Edington, feature a variety of weapons, the reliance on swords was not common. Overall, The Last Kingdom does incorporate history into its stories, but there are many inaccuracies in the depiction of medieval weapons.

Source: YouTube