How Old Is Stiorra In The Last Kingdom Season 5?

Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Last Kingdom season 5.

The Last Kingdom season 5 picks up after a significant time has passed following the events of season 4, with many viewers of the series wondering how old Uhtred’s daughter Stiorra is in the new season. The Netflix series recently debuted the historical drama’s fifth and final season with many of the young actors seen in season 4 needing to be recast to accommodate the large time jump. This is not the case for Stiorra, who is played by Ruby Hartley in both seasons 4 and 5, leading many to wonder as to the young queen’s age in The Last Kingdom season 5.

The Last Kingdom follows Uhtred, a boy caught in the middle of the war to build England. Born to an Anglo-Saxon lord, but kidnapped as a young boy and raised by the Danes, Uhtred lives torn between two heritages. Forever in pursuit to reclaim his birthright, the fortress of Bebbanburg, Uhtred finds himself in service to the Anglo-Saxon kings whilst still drawn to Dane principles and customs. And while The Last Kingdom seasons 4 and 5 focus on Uhtred’s love with the Mercian queen, Aethelflaed, it is his previous marriage to Dane, Gisela, that bore Uhtred his three children, Oswald, Stiorra, and Osbert. Uhtred’s dual loyalties result in his son, Oswald, becoming a Christian priest, while Stiorra is drawn to the Danes’ way of life.

The Last Kingdom season 4 ends with Uhtred rescuing Stiorra, who is held captive by the new Dane leader Sigtryggr, only to discover that Stiorra and Sigtryggr have fallen in love and she is to become the new queen of Eoforwick. The Last Kingdom season 4 adapts books seven and eight in Cornwell’s The Saxon Stories, The Pagan Lord and The Empty Throne, and, though creative liberties are taken in regard to plot in The Last Kingdom, Stiorra’s character follows much the same path in both. The Last Kingdom season 4 sees the death of Aethelred and the ensuing Mercian succession conflict which took place in 911. Stiorra was born in 892, which means that she is approximately 19 at the end of The Last Kingdom season 4. While it isn’t explicitly stated, it’s implied via historic events that roughly seven years have passed, meaning Stiorra begins the final season around the age of 26 and will be 27 by the end of The Last Kingdom season 5.

Though the time-lapse between The Last Kingdom seasons 4 and 5 is not specified directly, Edward’s sons Aethelstan and Aelfweard are seen as young boys at the end of season 4, and have grown into young men at the start of season 5, suggesting that many years have passed. This is supported by the fact that the first episodes of The Last Kingdom season 5 show the death of Mercian Queen, Aethelflaed, who died in real life in 918, lending credence to the idea that seven years pass between the two seasons.

Given the number of important events that take place in The Last Kingdom season 5, it makes sense to have this time skip have taken place in order to tie up story lines. This said, it also serves an arguably more important purpose, as this time skip also makes the end of Uhtred’s arc feel all the more hard-fought for. Though Netflix has canceled the series, it will be interesting to see if the scheduled The Last Kingdom movie continues directly from this point, or whether it takes place after another time skip itself.

All episodes of The Last Kingdom are available on Netflix.

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