English-American author Bernard Cornwell’s The Saxon Stories has only ever hinted on Aethelstan’s sexuality, however, the movie ‘The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die’ finally confirmed that he is gay.
The film’s synopsis reads:
“In the wake of King Edward’s death, Uhtred of Bebbanburg and his comrades adventure across a fractured kingdom in the hopes of uniting England at last.”
Aethelstan, who is portrayed by Harry Gilby, is the successor of King Edward, as well as the eventual first king of united England. That being said, the revelation of his sexuality became a crucial part of the movie’s plot, considering the societal implications of being gay in Britain during the medieval times.
In Cornwell’s novels, Aethelstan is never clearly stated to be gay. Instead, it is only implied that he has had male lovers. On at least one occasion, it was also hinted that his decisions were influenced by lust, especially by Ingilmundr, who is portrayed by Laurie Davidson in ‘Seven Kings Must Die.’
Moreover, the historical novel series also suggests that Aethelstan enjoys the presence of good-looking young men in his court. And although his sexuality is not clearly stated in the books, author Cornwell confirmed that Aethelstan is meant to be gay in the novels.
The writer never confirmed it in the books most likely because of his attempt to remain historically realistic. Due to the medieval society’s prejudices on homosexuality, it would have been most likely kept a secret if Aethelstan was gay in real life.
With all of that being said, it was confirmed that he is gay in ‘The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die’ film, wherein Aethelstan’s internal conflict between his sexuality and religious beliefs is an essential aspect of the movie’s plot. Ingilmundr (Laurie Davidson) convinces Aethelstan (Harry Gilby) that conquering lands and spreading Christianity is a way to atone for being gay, which the latter believes he must do.
‘The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die’ was released on April 14, and it is now available for streaming on Netflix.
Sources: screenrant.com, imdb.com
It’s beyond the most! How do you take a real person & make him something that is not confirmed historically! What if he wasn’t & now you have all these people who will assume he was. Can you imagine someone tell a story based off facts years from now & make the character playing you whatever they choose. He was a real person & while he’s not around to be offended he has offspring.
I’m so glad they confirmed he’s gay, I hate when books, movies, tv shows hint at a character being gay. I grew up with far too many gay characters being hinted at that I just can’t stand the erasure.