Summary

  • Aethelflaed, the beloved Mercian Queen in The Last Kingdom, dies of advanced breast cancer, as revealed by Eadith's examination.
  • The depiction of Aethelflaed's death in the show is an artistic liberty, with her dying in Uhtred's arms, while historically she died from an unspecified illness.
  • In the movie Seven Kings Must Die, multiple characters die, including King Edward, Aldhelm, Ingrith, Domnal, Rognvaldr, and the fate of Uhtred is left ambiguous.

The Last Kingdom season 5 saw the death of the beloved Mercian Queen, Aethelflaed, from a mysterious illness — so what did Aethelflaed die of? Following the history of England, The Last Kingdom shows the war between the Danes and the Anglo-Saxons. Caught in the middle is Uhtred (Alexander Dreymon). Uhtred’s shared loyalties lead to his becoming a great warrior and advisor for the Anglo-Saxons, with the first seasons of the series covering his time serving King Alfred. When King Alfred dies in The Last Kingdom season 3, Uhtred continues to serve Alfred’s son, Edward, while falling in love with Alfred’s daughter, Aethelflaed.

In season 4, however, Aethelflaed takes an oath of chastity in order to become Queen of Mercia, thus sacrificing her and Uhtred’s life together for her people. The Last Kingdom season 5, finds Uhtred, now Lord of Mercian borderland, Rumcofa, still very much in love with Aethelflaed (Millie Brady), who arrives secretly seeking medical knowledge of now-healer, Eadith. Upon inspection of what Eadith calls a “canker,” it is revealed that Aethelflaed is dying, but what did Aethelflaed die of? Though the term has a different connotation in the modern-day, the use of the word is historically accurate, with “canker” being the Old-English word for cancer.

The Case Of Aethelflaed's Death

Aethelflaed smiling at Uhtred in The Last Kingdom

As Eadith (Stefani Martini) inspects Aethelflaed, she notes a painful lump that Aethelflaed believed would go away on its own. Aethelflaed tells Eadith the lump is not the first and that she believed the others had healed themselves with time, an idea that reveals the lack of information about the disease at the time and promptly answers the question "what did Aethelflaed die of?". Eadith reveals that the “canker” or cancer, has passed a point of remedy, with Aethelflaed being in the advanced stages of breast cancer.

The death of Aethelflaed’s character in The Last Kingdom remains true to Cornwell’s novels, in which the Aethelflaed death is also caused by advanced breast cancer, however, history shows that the real Aethelflaed, Queen of Merica, died June 12, 918 from an unspecified illness. Further artistic liberties were taken in The Last Kingdom, which has the beloved queen die in the arms of her loved one, Uhtred, overlooking her kingdom, whereas Uhtred is not present at Aethelflaed’s death in Cornwell’s The Flame Bearer.

Which Characters Die In Seven Kings Must Die?

the cast of The Last Kingdom_ Seven Kings Must Die standing together

Several The Last Kingdom characters didn't make it out of the movie Seven Kings Must Die, with some deaths shocking audiences and others being a bit more obvious before they occurred. All in all, six The Last Kingdom characters died in Seven Kings Must Die, some of them in a particularly brutal fashion. First and foremost, King Edward dies offscreen of old age in the film, and it's his demise that acts as the catalyst for the events of the movie. Those who wondered "what did Aethelflaed die of?" are probably wondering how her advisor, Aldhelm, died. Unfortunately, Aldhelm is hanged by Aethelstan for helping Uhtred.

Ingrith also bites the dust in Seven Kings Must Die, and her death is particularly brutal, being left in a cave to starve after Anlaf's men trap her and other Bebbanburg residents there. Domnal, Prince of Alba doesn't make it out alive either, being killed by Finan during the Battle of Brunanburh. Similar to King Edward, Rognvaldr also dies offscreen. Finally, the end of Seven Kings Must Die suggests that Uhtred is also dead. While his fate is left purposefully ambiguous, he sustained extensive injuries during the Battle of Brunanburh, making it very unlikely he survived. Though the Aethelflaed death in The Last Kingdom was tragic, Uhtred's possible demise takes the cake.