Never Greater Slaughter, Brunanburh and the Birth of England

Eleanor Parker

Late in AD 937, four armies met at Brunanburh. On one side stood the shield-wall of the expanding kingdom of the Anglo-Saxons. On the other side, a remarkable alliance of rival kings – at least two from across the sea – who had come together to destroy the Anglo-Saxons once and for all. The stakes were no less than the survival of the dream that would become England. The armies were massive. The violence, when it began, was enough to shock a violent age.

Brunanburh may not today have the fame of Hastings, Crécy or Agincourt, but generations later it was still called, quite simply, the 'great battle'. For centuries now, its location has been lost but after an extraordinary effort, uniting enthusiasts, historians, archaeologists and linguists the location of these bloodied fields may well have been identified.

This groundbreaking new book tells the story of this remarkable discovery and delves into why and how the battle happened. Most importantly, though, it is about the men who fought and died at Brunanburh, and how much this forgotten struggle can tell us about who we are and how we relate to our past.

Book details

Published    10 Nov 2022
Format    Paperback
Edition    1st
Extent    224
ISBN    9781472849380
Imprint    Osprey Publishing
Illustrations    16pp plate section in colour
Dimensions    198 x 129 mm
Series    General Military
Short code    GNM
Publisher    Bloomsbury Publishing