THE LOCATION of a bloody conflict that secured England’s destiny has reportedly been discovered in Merseyside.
Archaeologists say they’ve pinpointed the Battle of Brunanburh, fought in 937 AD, to a site just south of Liverpool but refuse to reveal it to the public.
The pivotal skirmish is long believed to have saved England from Viking invaders 1,000 years ago.
It pitted a West Saxon army against a combined hoard if Scots, Irish and Vikings in a battle that spawned the countries we now know as England, Scotland and Wales.
Despite its importance, the location of the enormous clash which saw the death of six different kings has remained a mystery for centuries.
More than 40 locations have been proposed by historians since the 17th Century stretching from the southwest of England to Scotland.
Experts claim the battle took place in Wirral, near Liverpool
Now, a team of British archaeologists claims the conflict was in fact held on the Wirral peninsula in northwest England.
According to the Liverpool Echo, researchers came to the conclusion after researching medieval manuscripts and carrying out land surveys.
The spot is being kept a secret for now for “security purposes”, experts at Wirral Archaeology said.
“Several eminent historians and academics have examined a range of evidence we have collected, including physical artefacts,” a spokesperson said.
“They have concluded that the lost site of the Battle of Brunanburh may have been identified by Wirral Archaeology.
“There is still a great deal of investigative work that needs to be done.”
Investigations are being assisted by a group of professional archaeologists, medieval historians and scientists, the spokesperson added.
The team have yet to offer up any evidence for their extraordinary claim.
The Battle of Brunanburh is considered one of the most important conflicts in the UK’s history.
At the time, Britain was split into several kingdoms ruled by several kings and earls all vying for power.
In 927 AD, King Athelstan of Wessex invaded Northumbria, occupied York and expelled King of Ireland Anlaf Guthfrithson’s kinsmen, the rulers of York and Dublin.
Ten years later, Anlaf and Constantine launched a retaliation with the biggest Viking fleet ever seen in British waters.
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- How Stonehenge was built: The huge monoliths that make up Stonehenge may have been dragged there using greasy sledges lubricated with pig fat, according to new research from Newcastle University
- Why there were 39 decapited skulls at the London Wall: Skulls discovered within the boundaries of ancient London back in 1988 are now believed to have belonged to gladiators who were beheaded for amusement purposes thanks to a recent reassessment of the remains
- Queen Emma’s remains: The lost bones belonging to an 11th-century English queen called Queen Emma are believed to have been found in a chest in Winchester Cathedral
Had King Athelstan, whose capital was based in Malmesbury, Wiltshire,been defeated, it would have meant the end of Anglo-Saxon England.
Instead, victory meant Athesltan the grandson of Alfred the Great became the de facto first king of Britain.
Perhaps more importantly, Athelstan had united the two major Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of Wessex and Mercia.
The unification created a single and unified England, a nation that has remained until this very day.
In other archaeology news, it emerged today that the complete skeletons of a woman and child have been found at the Tower of London.
An eerie mass gravefilled with bodies butchered by Mongol invaderswas recently uncovered in Russia.
And, we’ve rounded up some of themost brutal ancient burial sites ever discovered.
Where do you think the battle was held? Let us know in the comments!
