The last kingdom shield wall free#

The main drawback to the shield wall, especially one manned by an inexperienced fyrd, was that it would fall apart quickly once the line was breached, and it was nearly impossible to reform in the midst of battle.

The nearness of oneвЂ™s comrades and the shoving-match nature of the engagement better suited men of limited weaponry skill.

The last kingdom shield wall free#

It was popular with the Saxons because, unlike the experienced Viking raiders, the Saxons armies largely consisted of free peasants recruited into the regional militia fyrds. The Saxons called it the scildweallВ or bordweall. The shield wall, developed by the ancient Persians, Greeks and Romans (just to name a few) was still a common military tactic in England and Scandinavia in the late ninth century. The shield wall is a dramatic and cinematically pleasing device, but how often did the Britons and Danes actually employ it? Image: The Last Kingdom/Netflix Since then, the shield wall becomes been the backbone of nearly every major set piece battle throughout seasons 1-3, and we fully expect the tactic to reappear in season 4.

Having witnessed the effectiveness of the shield wall, the young Uhtred later introduces the formation to the Saxons. We witnessed the formation of a shield wall in the very first episode of The Last Kingdom, where the army of UhtredвЂ™s father was defeated by Earl RagnarвЂ™s Dane invasion force employing the shield wall tactic.

How important was the shield wall on ninth century battlefields?