The Battle of Brunanburh is one of the most significant battles in the long history not just of England, but of the whole of the British Isles.
Late in A.D. 937, four armies met in a place called Brunanburh. On one side stood the shield wall of the expanding kingdom of the Anglo-Saxons. On the other side stood a remarkable alliance of rival kings who'd come together to destroy them 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 those later battles, fought for England, would not exist were it not for the blood spilled this day. Generations afterward it was still called, quite simply, the "great battle." And for centuries, its location has been lost. Today, an extraordinary effort, uniting enthusiasts, historians, archaeologists, linguists, and other researchers--amateurs and professionals, experienced and inexperienced alike--may well have found the site of the long-lost battle of Brunanburh, over a thousand years after its bloodied fields witnessed history. This book will be, in part, the story of this remarkable discovery. Most important, though, this book will be 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.
Publisher: Macmillan
Original Binding: Hardcover with dust jacket
Pages: 224 pages
ISBN-10: 147284937X
Item Weight: 1.0 lbs
Dimensions: 6.5 x 0.9 x 9.5 inches
Michael Livingston teaches the military and cultural history of the Middle Ages at The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina. He is a well-regarded figure in medieval academic circles and winner of the prestigious 2017 Distinguished Book Award from the international Society for Military History, as well as a line of articles and book reviews. His wide range of experience led to his starring as a conflict analyst in the new TV show Contact, airing on Discovery and Science Channels.
Quick shop
Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.