Bernard Cornwell was inspired to write his series The Saxon Stories after learning he was a descendant of Uhtred the Bold, who is the inspiration behind the series protagonist Lord Uhtred of Bebbanburg.[8][9] Several events in the series are based on events in the life of Uhtred the Bold, such as the siege of Bebbanburg by the Scots and the severed heads on poles; however, unlike many other characters in the book series who correspond closely to historical figures, such as Alfred the Great, Guthrum, and King Guthred, the main character Uhtred is fictitious: he lives in the middle of the 9th century – being aged about ten at the battle of York (867) – more than a hundred years before the historical Uhtred the Bold.