‘Vikings’ & ‘The Last Kingdom’ Watch Order: Including ‘Seven Kings Must Die’
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The arrival of Vikings on English shores created a fascinating period in British and Scandinavian history, at least until the Norman invasion. Vikings and The Last Kingdom are the two franchises with the most interesting accounts of events in that period as long as they are watched in the right order. While Vikings and The Last Kingdom are two unrelated franchises, they fit perfectly, and Seven Kings Must Die will complete the puzzle of how Norsemen finally got a home in Britain.
Seven Kings Must Die is the two-hour movie that Netflix commissioned to bring a befitting conclusion to the story of Uhtred of Bebbanburgh and the uniting of the five English Kingdoms under one king. The events in Vikings start with Ragnar sailing to England and establishing the first Viking settlement in Wessex, which didn’t last, but the ones that came after it did, and that is how the story of Uhtred began. Here is a complete guide to enjoying the whole story from Kattegat to Bebbanburgh.
How many Vikings And The Last Kingdom shows and movies are there?
The two franchises have a total of three TV shows between them, with the Netflix movie Seven Kings Must Die concluding the events in The Last Kingdom.
Vikings tells the story of Ragnar Lothbrok as he rises from being a farmer in Kattegat to becoming the king and then follows his sons as they struggle to fulfill their father’s legacy. It premiered on the History Channel in 2013.
Vikings Valhalla is the sequel of Vikings, set 100 years after the death of Bjorn Ironside; looking at events on both sides of the North sea, including the rise of king Canute as the king of both England and Sweden.
On the other hand, The Last Kingdom premiered on BBC in 2014, looking at the story of Uhtred of Bebbanburgh set late in the ninth century before Alfred The Great was crowned king.
Uhtred is a Saxon that Danes raise after his family was killed in a raid and now struggles to get back his home from his uncle and helps the kings of Wessex unite all of England while at it.
Seven Kings Must Die is the movie that concludes the events that led to England becoming a united kingdom under Athelstan after the battle of Brunanburh.
Vikings and The Last Kingdom movies and TV shows at a glance
As discussed, three TV shows and one movie cover the story of the Danes and Saxons from the 9th to the 11th century. Here are all the TV shows and the movie listed according to their release date
- 1. Vikings (2013)
- 2. The Last Kingdom (2015)
- 3. Vikings Valhalla (2022)
- 4. Seven Kings Must Die (2023)
Are Vikings and The Last Kindom movies and TV shows connected?
Both franchises cover similar timelines by following the stories of different historical figures who lived between the ninth and the eleventh centuries, but they are not connected.
The sixth season of Vikings actually overlaps with The Last Kingdom, with each show having different actors for the same characters, Ivar The Boneless and Ubba, and with different accounts of their deaths from each show.
The overlap doesn’t destroy the flow of storylines from both franchises, though, as The Last Kingdom just picks off from where Vikings stopped as far as England is concerned. The fifth and sixth seasons of Vikings cover the same period as The Last Kingdom’s first season but focus more on Scandinavia.
Seven Kings Must Die completes the story of Uhtred in The Last Kingdom, covering the establishment of England as a united kingdom and a home for both Vikings/Danes and Saxons in the eleventh century.
Since Vikings Valhalla starts a century after the end of events in Vikings, it acts like the continuation of both stories on both sides of the divide, with descendants of the characters in Vikings and The Last Kingdom continuing the legacy. History, therefore, connects both franchises, despite the difference in plots.
What is the best order for watching Vikings and The Last Kingdom?
The best order for watching both franchises is to start with the six seasons of Vikings, followed by the five seasons of The Last Kingdom, and the concluding movie Seven Kings Must Die. Vikings Valhalla is the TV show to watch last because it covers events after the first three.
Since different networks produce them, watching Vikings and The Last Kingdom by release date doesn’t give the best storyline by order of events. The Last Kingdom starts with Vikings already settled in parts of Mercia, Northumbria, and East Anglia.
That means the events in Vikings give the best picture of how Danes found themselves in England. While Vikings from other Scandinavian countries also raided England, none of their invasions was as famous as the arrival of Ragnar.
Vikings Valhalla also continues the events in The Last Kingdom better because it covers the religious conflict in Scandinavia as more Vikings converted to Christianity while others resisted while also covering the Dane vs. Saxon conflict and struggles for power in England.
Vikings and The Last Kingdom Shows and Movie by order of events
1. Vikings 2013
Vikings introduces Ragnar Lothbrok as a humble 9th-century farmer in Kattegat who is eager to explore the world and get better farmland for his family because his small piece of land in Norway can’t produce enough food for his family.
He gets his friend Floki to build him a strong boat that can withstand strong storms and sets off to England against the wishes of his jarl. His trip takes him to England, making him the first person from Kattegat to do so, and from that point, Ragnar follows his ambition to establish a settlement in England.
Despite becoming the king of Kattegat, Ragnar never gets to accomplish his mission because he is betrayed by king Ecbert of Wessex, who kills most of the people living in a settlement he established. His brother Rollo also betrays him and chooses to marry the princess of Frankia rather than help Vikings take over the city.
After Ragnar’s death, his sons Bjorn, Hvitserk, Ivar, and Ubbe continue their father’s legacy after avenging his death by killing both king Ecbert and Aelle for their part in Ragnar’s death. The saga continues as each of the sons seeks to fulfill their father’s legacy differently.
2. The Last Kingdom 2015
The Last Kingdom starts later in the 9th century after many Vikings/Danes have settled in England, with many more still raiding English Kingdoms. Most of the Kingdoms have fallen to the Danes, and Wessex remains the only one still controlled by the Saxons, with King Aethelred I still in power.
Uhtred of Bebbanburg is a Saxon, but he is raised by a Dane called Ragnar, who attacked his home and killed his father. Uhtred is forced on the run after his uncle takes over his birthright and kills his foster parents with the help of a Dane warlord called Kjartan.
To stay alive, Uhtred seeks refuge in Wessex, offering to fight for King Alfred against the Danes in exchange for his help to retake his home of Bebbanburg from his uncle. Uhtred plays a big role in protecting Wessex against multiple Dane invasions and later the unity of English kingdoms under one king.
3. Seven Kings Must Die 2023
Netflix commissioned the feature-length movie to conclude the events in The Last Kingdom, which culminate in the Battle of Brunanburh, where Athelstan defeated king Constantine of Alba (Scotland) alongside five other major kings to take his place as the king of all England finally.
The movie continues the story of Uhtred after he finally retakes his home of Bebbanburg but still plays the kingmaker, having lived most of his life serving Alfred The Great and his family.
Uhtred, who has raised Athelstan, is the father figure to the boy king and helps him create a strong alliance to match that of Constantin and his allies.
While the events in the movie conclude Uhtred’s purpose and unite England, peace between Saxons and Vikings is far from becoming a reality, and that is where Vikings Valhalla comes in.
4. Vikings Valhalla 2022
Vikings Valhalla continued the Vikings Sagas a century after the events in Vikings, putting it in the eleventh century before the Norman Invasion. The show covers events in England, Kyiv, The Mediterranean, and all of Scandinavia as politics play out, with the thrones of Norway, England, and Sweden at the center of the power plays.
Kattegat is still part of the story, but the religious conflict has taken center stage, with believers in the Norse Gods fighting for their place in Scandinavia taken over by Christianity. There is less focus on Ragnar and his family, with the ancestors of Erik the Red becoming the main protagonists.
Vikings Valhalla also covers the leadership of King Canute as his influence spread all over Scandinavia while he was the king of both England and Sweden, with Emma of Normandy struggling to keep the peace in England. Therefore, Valhalla gives the best picture of England and Scandinavia after the events in the previous shows and Seven Kings Must Die.
Where to watch Vikings, The Last Kingdom, and Seven Kings Must Die
Vikings is currently streaming on NBC, Amazon Prime, and HULU. It is also available for streaming on Netflix, but not in the US unless you use a VPN. On the other hand, Vikings Valhalla is available on Netflix in all regions. It can also be streamed on Amazon Prime.
Netflix picked up The Last Kingdom after the first season; therefore, all five seasons of the show can be streamed on the network. It is also available on Apple TV and Amazon Prime.
Seven Kings Must Die is set to be released on Netflix on March 14, 2023, but it is unclear whether it will be shared with the other streaming services.
Will there be more Vikings and The Last Kingdom movies and TV shows?
The Last Kingdom concluded after the fifth season, and Seven Kings Must Die is expected to be the conclusion of the show’s events. There has been no confirmation of any future movies or TV shows in the franchise.
On the other hand, Vikings is a continuing series, and Vikings Valhalla, whose second season was just concluded, was renewed for a third season coming up in 2024.
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