Cornwell's latest series focuses on the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex, England during the 9th-century reign of Alfred the Great, his fierce opposition to the Danes and his determination to unite England as one country. The series idea took shape in his mind after meeting his real father in Canada in his fifties, learning his own ancestry back to that era, to Oughtred of Bebbanburg who became Uhtred, the protagonist of the series. Cornwell realised that most English people are unaware of how England came to be, rather than say, Dane-land, in that era of multiple peoples on the island of Great Britain. The first novel was published in 2004. The series continues after the death of Alfred, as his heirs consolidate the nation. The ninth novel, Warriors of the Storm, was published in 2015, and the tenth, The Flame Bearer, in 2016. The Last Kingdom and The Pale Horseman were the basis for the first season of the television series, The Last Kingdom, while The Lords of the North and Sword Song were the basis for the second season. A third season, most likely based on The Burning Land and Death of Kings, is currently in development.