Uhtred starts as a young boy in northern Northumbria as the son of the lord of Bebbanburg. His father goes to battle the invading Danes and takes Uhtred with him, and is killed. Uhtred gets captured by one of the Danish lords Ragnar. The danes take over all of Northumbria. Ragnar likes Uhtred. After Uhtred saves his daughter from being molested by Sven, Ragnar frees him from slavery and starts treating Uhtred like a son. Ragner dismisses Kjartan and his son Sven from his service as retribution for him touching his daughter Thyra. Uhtred accompanies Ragnar as they conquery Mercia and East Anglia.
Several years later Kjartan comes back and murders Ragnar. Uhtred isn't in the house at the time and flees with Brida. Kjartan tells his people that Uhtred tried to rebell with the Saxons so he gets away with it. Uhtred goes to some of his distant family in southern Mercia where he fights the Welsh in border skirmishes.
Eventually he is summoned to join Alfred in Wessex, where he pledges to serve Wessex for a year. He works with the developing Wessex navy to be able to fight the Danes on the water. During one of the skirmishes he runs into Ragnar the Younger, and Uhtred convinces Rangar that Kjartan was responsible for killing his father. On returning to Wessex Alfred convinces Uhtred to marry a young woman who owes a huge debt to the church.
Guthrum launches another invasion of Wessex. His backup from Ivar doesn't come through since Ivar is killed, and Guthrum and Alfred make peace over the winter. Uhtred is one of the hostages exchanged to keep the peace. At the end of the winter Guthrum kills the hostages except for Uhtred because Ragnar defends him. Ubba had brought another army and Guthrum was sailing to fight at the same time. A large portion of Guthrum's fleet was destroyed in a storm and Uhtred rode north to fight Ubba. There he led the attack by lighting the Danish ships on fire and attacking from the rear, killing Uba during the fight. Uhtred went to find his wife immediately after the battle was over.
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