NetFlix Shows...

[Millhouse]

(07-15-2016, 04:57 PM)Bengalzona Wrote: I recommend "The Last Kingdom". It's based on the history of early England. A lot of good history in the show, but it is also entertaining.

Saxon England was divided into seven kingdoms: Northumbria, Mercia, East Anglia, Essex, Kent, Sussex, and Wessex. One by one, they were overrun by the Vikings in the 9th century. All but one: Wessex, a backwater farming community living among the marshlands. Alfred, the king of Wessex, harried the Vikings with guerrilla raids and eventually assembled and trained and army capable of meeting the Vikings in battle. Eventually, Alfred and his offspring would unify the former Saxon kingdoms into England. That would last until the time of Cnut and William... but those are different stories.

Just finished it last night, thought it was good overall. Had a few cameos in it from faces Ive seen in other movies, biggest being Rutger Hauer in first episode. But yeah I liked it. It was actually very good for being a made for t.v. series in the U.K. I could tell there were times they had a limited budget to work with, but did the best they could with it though. 

But what drew me to it was that I am just getting into that part of history. I've studied/read countless books on American Civil War for many years, then Colonial times, Revolution, westward expansion, WW2 and Vietnam as well. Then I got into Ancient Rome, and the classical age. The story of King Alfred is important because it bridges that gap of the dark ages after Rome fell and the medieval period that was just about to begin in England once it was unified under Alfred. And that is important for us because without it who knows how history would have evolved if England never came together like it did under him.