The Last Kingdom's King Alfred is supposed to be England's Alfred The Great -but has he lived up to the namesake? The frail-looking king was a smart man that came up with the idea of uniting all the four Saxon kingdoms into a united England. While his vision was great, his approach had been wrong many times, which is why he never achieved it in his lifetime.
Alfred admitted before his death that without Uhtred, he wouldn't have been king. However, he spent most of his life tormenting Uhtred while he was alive. Alfred also left his daughter at the mercy of Aethelred, not to mention forcing Ecgwynn into a monastery and taking away her children just to legitimize a more prominent marriage for Edward. While his reign was a success, some decisions he made were not worthy of a king.
10 Refusing To Help Uhtred and Brida Retake Bebbanburg
The North has proved elusive for Wessex since Saxons don't have a reliable leader to consolidate power there. The problem could have been solved in the first season of The Last Kingdom if Alfred had granted Uhtred's wish. Uhtred and Brida came to Wessex seeking an alliance to help them retake Bebbanburg, and he would, in turn, help Wessex rid Northumbria of the Danes.
Alfred didn't see sense in it and forced Uhtred into servitude to the crown, instead, making him the poor lord of Coccham. While he needed Uhtred in Wessex, helping him retake Bebbanburg would have given Wessex one powerful ally in the North.
9 Sentencing Uhtred To Death
Uhtred had a hard time converting to Christianity because Ragnar, a Dane, brought him up. However, in Alfred's eyes, every man that doesn't believe in his God is his enemy, which is why he never accepted Uhtred.
When Aelswith demanded that Uhtred be killed for his crimes against the church, Alfred agreed and regretted it almost immediately. While all of Wessex was gathered to watch Leofric and Uhtred duel to the death, Guthrum attacked, and Alfred lost Wessex for the first time in its history. Forgiving Uhtred would have saved Wessex.
8 Ordering Steapa To Kill Uhtred
Rescuing Guthred to become the king of Northumbria was Alfred's idea, although he realized it may finally give Uhtred the freedom he always sought. Uhtred had already fought for Wessex many times, saving Alfred and his family with no payment.
If saving Guthred would help him get Bebbanburg, the least Alfred could have done was to wish him well. Instead, Alfred and his Witan plotted to have Steapa kill Uhtred if he looked like he could accrue power. It didn't come to that because Uhtred kept his end of the deal but it was still evil of Alfred.
7 Agreeing To Aethelflaed's Marriage
Aethelflaed suffered so much in her arranged marriage to Aethelred but couldn't ask her father for help because it would cause a war between Wessex and Mercia. Although she is a strong woman and leader, she didn't deserve to suffer so much.
She also didn't deserve to be neglected by Alfred either. He didn't express any concern for her well-being and definitely failed to scrutinize Aethelred, who was revealed to be a chauvinist that enjoyed torturing women. Alfred was only interested in matching his daughter with Mercian and not in her happiness.
6 Taking Away Uhtred's Children
Uhtred's skills as a father are questionable, but he still loves his children. After Gisela's death, the children are all he had left, which is why taking them away was so humiliating for him. Killing Father Godwin was an accident that Uhtred didn't deserve to be punished for, and Alfred knew it.
Besides, Uhtred has saved Alfred's children more times than he could count. The least he could do in return was let Uhtred be a father to his own children. The separation has messed Uhtred's life as Young Uhtred now hates his father while Stiorra is too complicated for him to understand.
5 Tolerating Aethelwold
Aethelwold was a snake that Alfred should have kept out of the politics the moment he became king. Alfred had many chances to silence him and prevent the damage he was causing, but he forgave him because he was his brother's son.
Aethelwold always worked against Alfred and even tried to kill him when he agreed to be Guthrum's spy. When he went into Daneland and made a pact with Cnut, he killed Young Ragnar, the only Dane leader that Wessex could trust to make peace. His cunning nature also caused Godwin's death, which further widened the rift between Alfred and Uhtred.
4 Breaking Up Edward's First Marriage
Edward and Ecgwynn's marriage was one of the sweeter relationships on the show because it was born out of love. However, Alfred didn't seem to care about this as he had no qualms in breaking up the marriage and force Egwynn into a nunnery.
The situation got even worse when he decided to take away Ecgwynn's children. It looks like the arranged marriage between Edward and Aelflaed is set to implode as well. Not only is he conflicted about his family, but it's clear to all that Edward doesn't even love her. The decision to break up the first marriage effectively put the future of the throne in turmoil.
3 Declaring Uhtred An Outlaw
When it came to saving Alfred and Wessex, Uhtred never held back. He always answered Alfred's call, helped train his armies, and fought his battles. Wessex never really accepted Uhtred because he refused to convert to Christianity, but Alfred knew that Wessex owed him a big debt.
The accident that led to Godwin's death was not a good enough excuse for Alfred to finally write off Uhtred. Alfred had been looking for a way to force Uhtred to swear loyalty to Edward, but blackmailing him because of an accident was unfair and not the way to do it. Alfred's declaration only made it harder for Uhtred to find a home in Wessex.
2 Trusting Aethelhelm
When Alfred met Aethelhelm to discuss the bride price for his daughter, it was obvious that Aethelhelm would cause problems in the future. Aethelhelm was ambitious and didn't care about the welfare of Wessex. He only cared about his daughter becoming powerful.
Alfred still entrusted him with the future of Wessex by making him part of the Witan and also an advisor to Edward. As fans know, this was a grave mistake on Alfred's part as Aethelhelm has turned Edward against Aelswith and Aethelflaed several times and may even have killed Aelswith by poisoning her in Season 4.
1 Mistreating Aelswith
Alfred succeeded at many things but failed terribly at being a husband. When Alfred died, Aelswith confessed that she hadn't loved him for many years because he cheated on her, but she did grow to love him. However, Alfred never shared the same sentiments as he never treated Aelswith right.
He always found a reason to push her away and even openly slept with other women. While Aelswith's advice wasn't always the greatest, she did try to keep Wessex and her family's interests in mind. She was a bitter woman while Alfred was alive because she was being treated as a stranger in her own home by her husband. Now that he's gone, maybe she could turn over a new leaf in season 5 -that is if she survives.
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