Never Greater Slaughter
Brunanburh and the Birth of England
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Never Greater Slaughter
Narrated by:
Rupert Farley
Buy Now for $24.31
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Narrated by:
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Rupert Farley
‘No one has done more than Michael Livingston to revive memories of the battle, and you could not hope for a better guide.’ BERNARD CORNWELL Bestselling author of The Last Kingdom series
Late in AD 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 – at least two from across the sea – 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 later it was still called, quite simply, the ‘great battle’. But 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 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.©2021 Michael Livingston (P)2021 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
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Critic Reviews
This is a terrific introduction to a mysterious battle, by a writer who embraces puzzles, admits when he is speculating and finds ingenious ways to shine a light into one of Britain’s darkest ages. (Dan Jones)
Written with both the critical gaze of a military historian and the dramatic verve of a historical novelist, this book brings to vibrant and bloody life the momentous battle of Brunanburh in AD 937.
Never Greater Slaughter raises the bar for what narrative history can do… This book will wow you as it educates you on the fascinating story of one of the most important battles in British history.
Only the most adept of military historians, of writers, can combine combat with context and not lose their readers’ interests. Michael Livingston is one of those. Never Greater Slaughter tells the whole story of the birth of England, from Alfred the Great to Athelstan and Brunanburh. No one tells the history better.
Combines archaeological detective work and forthright battle narratives to fill a hefty gap in readers' knowledge of England's Dark Ages.
The narration was good and easy to listen to especially when so many of the names and places became confusing to follow. I now have a better understanding of late Anglo-Saxon England and the way the concept of England was established. I did have to look up the Werrel peninsula on a map as I do not know the geography of the British Isles. So having access to the maps included in the printed book would be good.
Overall I enjoyed this book and the author’s candour about the process of learning about the past and the difficulties and tempers it can create. I found out about this book through History Hit podcast, the author is very engaging when he talks about his book, would have been cool to have him read some of it even though is an American.
A history I did not know.
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