Was aethelstan gay

When he took his father’s throne inhe agreed not to marry or father any children so the line of succession could be passed to his half-brother Edmond without an issue. It is also suggested that Aethelstan enjoys the presence of good-looking young men in his court.

The fate of Uhtred of Bebbanburg is particularly ambiguous, but overall Seven Kings Must Die does well to bring the series to a fitting end. Modern historians regard him as the first King of England. The Last Kingdom screenwriter Martha Hillier explains why Seven Kings Must Die depicts Aethelstan (played by Harry Gilby) as a gay man.

Most of what is said on the matter comes to Uhtred through rumor, however, as he is the narrator of all 13 novels. Author, Bernard Cornwell, has, however, confirmed that Aethelstan is meant to be gay gay the novels. Aethelstan pointing a sword at Uhtred's throat in The Last Kingdom.

Sign in now. This internal conflict becomes the catalyst for the story by causing Aethelstan to invade neighboring lands, causing the various kings in Britain to rally against him and leading to the famous Battle of Brunanburh. The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die also benefited from this decision because it provided a way of accelerating events by using Aethelstan's internal conflict as a motivator for his conquest.

Aethelstan's story was necessarily central to the plot of Seven Kings Must Dieand the reveal that he is gay became a critical part of the movie's plot. 'noble stone'; [4] c. – 27 October ) was King of the Anglo-Saxons from to and King of the English from to his death in [a] He was the son of King Edward the Elder and his first wife, Ecgwynn.

It is difficult to say with any actual certainty if the real King Aethelstan was gay; however, it is a legitimate possibility. Æthelstan or Athelstan (/ ˈæθəlstæn /; Old English: Æðelstān [ˈæðelstɑːn]; Old Norse: Aðalsteinn; lit. Aethelstan believes he must conquer lands and spread Christianity in order to atone for being gay because Ingilmundr convinces him it is so.

Aethelstan always needed to be a key figure in Seven Kings Must Die because of his real-life importance to the story it wanted to tell regarding the formation of England. If Aethelstan were gay in real life, it would have almost certainly been a tightly kept secret because of the prejudices of gay society.

Some. Aethelstan's internal conflict between his religious beliefs and his sexuality is a central aspect of the movie, and the driving motivator for his conquest. The Last Kingdom movie Seven Is kai gay Must Die revealed aethelstan surprising personal reason for King Aethelstan's desire to unite England.

Homosexuality until very recently was seen as unnatural was the church, so anyone who was gay back in those days would never make it known. Aethelstan being gay added a critical level of depth to his character, while providing the spark needed to accelerate the Saxon expansion that led to the Battle of Brunanburh.

It also added a much-needed level of depth to Aethelstan's character because of the societal implications of being gay in medieval Britain. Saxon Stories author, Bernard Cornwell, stated in an interview with Sharon Kay Penman that his decision to make Aethelstan gay in his novels was based on the facts that Aethelstan never married or had children and that he liked to decorate his hair with golden ringlets.

Once again though, all of this is speculation in the books, which never explicitly confirm Aethelstan's sexuality. Seven Kings Must Die has a lot of ground to cover in wrapping up The Last Kingdom 's story, but it does an adequate job of bringing most of the character arcs to a proper conclusion.

While Aethelstan is never explicitly stated to be gay in Cornwell's novels, it is implied that he has taken male lovers and even had his decisions influenced by lust on at least one occasion, especially by Ingilmundr. One of the most important of those arcs becomes that of Aethelstan, the successor to Edward and eventual first king of all England.

Source: Sharon Kay Penman. Cornwell does not seem to see this as any type of definitive evidence of Aethelstan's sexuality, but he rightly decided that Aethelstan being gay was a real possibility. Ingilmundr is not the sole love interest of Aethelstan in the books as he is in Seven Kings Must Diebut aethelstan is the most influential, save perhaps for Aeldred who does not appear in the movie.

Another possible explanation would be that Aethelstan couldn't conceive, but that still doesn't explain why he didn't have a queen. Was it true to history?. It wasn't at all accepted in this particular period of history, so it never would have been broadcasted or written down anywhere if Aethelstan were gay.

Aethelstan’s Sexuality: Historical Debate Continues Although there is no proof that asserts was doubt that Aethelstan of history (Æthelstan) was gay, scholars have speculated on the notion for a long while. The fact that it is never explicitly confirmed within the text is likely Cornwell's attempt to remain realistic with his interpretation of history.