High in the air the threatening banners fly, And call his eager troops
to victory... In 937, a monumental battle took place, uniting England
under a single king for the first time. Fresh from his final defeat of
the Vikings at York ten years earlier, Athelstan and his brother Edmund
faced a combined enemy force, emerging as the victors. Described as the
'greatest single battle in Anglo-Saxon history before the Battle of
Hastings' (Alfred Smyth), the Battle of Brunanburh was a bloody
assertion of Wessex's dominance in medieval England and a key turning
point in British history. Given Brunanburh's significance, it seems
incredible that the battle is not better known today. Athelstan emerged
from the conflict as the first king of a unified England, setting a
precedent for centuries to come. In The Battle of Brunanburh, expert
Peter France tells the story of this explosive clash from build-up to
aftermath, demonstrating its vital role in the creation of today's
Britain, and showcasing compelling new evidence relating to the battle's
location.
