 In the Last Kingdom series 5, Scotland and its ruler Constantine are often referred to. Who was Constantine, however, and what was the real relationship between Scotland and the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of the Last Kingdom universe? There were actually three rulers of ancient Scotland, known as the Kingdom of Alipar, who bore the name Constantine during the approximate period that the Last Kingdom is set in, mainly the 9th and 10th centuries AD. The first was Constantine MacCanada, who is sometimes referred to as Constantine the First, the King of the Pics from 862 to 877 AD. The second ruler was Constantine II, also known as Constantine MacAda, who ruled as King of Alipar for an astonishing 43 years, ruling from 900 to 943. Constantine III then ruled as King of Alipar from 995 to 997. All three kings were from the House of Alpin, a line of Scottish kings stemming from Kenneth MacAlpin, the first King of Alipar whose reign began in 843 AD. As this graphic of Scottish kings and houses shows, the House of Alpin depicted in yellow ruled Alipar for nearly 200 years and was replaced by the House of Dunkeld in around 1034. What Constantine is depicted in the Last Kingdom series 5 then? The likelihood is Constantine II, given that a major death takes place in 918 that correlates with the real historical timeline. As I don't want to spoil the show for you, I will refrain from going into any more detail. Given this death however, 918 is around the time that the Last Kingdom series 5 starts. Now we know what Constantine the show features. What was the relationship between Alipar and the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of the Last Kingdom universe? The answer is many back and forth actions over the years, but I will highlight a few the now. A major incident in these relations was when King Athelstan of England invaded Scotland in 934 by land and sea. There is not a whole lot known about Athelstan's invasion of Scotland, but to return to England the same year as the invasion, although Constantine II did seem to accept his overlordship on some level, no doubt reluctantly however. For the record, King Athelstan was King of the Anglo-Saxons from 924 to 927, and the first King of the English from 927 until his death in 939. He united the various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms such as Wessex and Mercia into one, and he was the grandson of Alfred the Great, the Anglo-Saxon King from 886 to 889, and the son of Edward the Elder, King of the Anglo-Saxons from 899 to 924. Characters inspired by Alfred the Great and Edward the Elder feature prominently in the Last Kingdom series. In the 973, one of the most pivotal battles in Anglo-Saxon history took place at the Battle of Brunenbar. The location of the battle is unknown, perhaps somewhere in the north of England, but it pitied Athelstan, the King of England, against an alliance made up of three forces, Olaf Guthra's son, King of Dublin, Constantine II, King of Alipar, and Owen, King of Strathclyde. Athelstan won a decisive and bloody victory, with one of Constantine's sons apparently slain in the battle. Although the Last Kingdom is inspired by history in many ways, the show is still historical fiction, and some timelines, events and characters differ from the real history. Uhtred for instance, the main character in the show is based on Uhtred the Bald, a real person who was the elder man of Northumbria from 1006 to 1016. But many of Uhtred's storylines in the series are not straight from the history books, not that I have a problem with that. As we have seen, Constantine is another part of the series that draws inspiration from the real historical records. Thanks for watching, please subscribe and hit the bell to turn on notifications. You can also support this work through buymeacoffee.com and Patreon, all the links are in the description below.