He summons Uhtred and others to a gathering, then sends Aeldred, one of his advisors, and 200 men to Bebbanburg with a letter with a forgery of Uhtred's seal. When Uhtred neglects to inform Æthelstan of the meeting, Æthelstan distrusts his old friend and mentor, and sets into motion a plan to seize Bebbanburg. He sends an envoy to Uhtred, trying to gain his support, but Uhtred does not want to be dragged in on either side. (Guthrith is allowed to keep his throne, but Æthelstan places a strong garrison in Eoferwic, Guthfrith's capital, to keep him in line.) Constantine, king of Alba, Northumbria's northern neighbour, grows concerned and starts forging an alliance against Æthelstan. He orders Uhtred to capture the fleeing Guthfrith and turn him over, which Uhtred does. Furthermore, Æthelstan's Christian advisors have told him that an oath to a pagan is not binding.įinally, he breaks his promise and invades Northumbria.

Æthelstan had given Uhtred his oath to never fight him or invade his native Northumbria while Uhtred lived.įor many years, Æthelstan kept his word, but having gained control of the Saxon kingdoms of Mercia and East Anglia, the only thing standing in the way of fulfilling Alfred the Great's dream of uniting all of the Ænglisc-speaking peoples under one monarch is a Northumbria ruled by a weak king named Guthfrith. Many years before, Uhtred had taught the young Æthelstan, a grandson of King Alfred the Great, how to be a king and, by winning a crucial battle, placed him on the throne of Wessex. However, inexorable fate has other ideas. The aged Uhtred wants nothing more than to end his days in peace in his beloved Bebbanburg and pass it on to his second son, also named Uhtred.

Uhtred of Bebbanburg plays a crucial role in the battle that will decide if Alfred the Great's dream of England comes to pass or not. It was published on 15 October 2020 in the UK.

War Lord is the 13th and last novel in the Saxon Stories series by Bernard Cornwell.

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