It was 1013 and the unthinkable had happened. A Viking sat on the throne of England as king. The story of how Sweyn Forkbeard took the crown from Æthelred (the Unready) is well known. However, events unfolding in a field on the Danish island of Zealand may help to shed new light on the details of that event.
Archeologists from Aarhus University and from the Danish Castle Centre have begun to excavate what may be the first Viking Ring Fortress to have been discovered in sixty years. While the excavation is still preliminary, British experts in archeological geophysics were called in to survey the site. Their measurements of the magnetic fields of the soil confirmed the presence of a nearly perfect circular embankment surrounding the site, with a dug out moat just beyond. According to Nanna Holm, curator of the Danish Castle Centre , this is a perfect match for previously discovered Viking Age fortresses. “It is a huge monument. The fortress measures 145m from side to side. We recognize the ‘Trelleborg’ fortresses by the precise circular shape of the ramparts and by the four massive gates that are directed at the four corners of the compass. Our investigations show that the new fortress was perfectly circular and had sturdy timber along the front; we have so far examined two gates, and they agree exactly with the ‘Trelleborg’ plan. ”
“Fortresses built like this one were only built in the Viking Age,” she explained. The only question is whether this fort was built by Sweyn’s father, Harald Bluetooth, or if it had been built by an earlier Danish king. “The date will be vital. If we can establish exactly when the fortress was built, it will help us to understand the historical events with which it was connected.”
These events may well be a turning point in history. It is commonly believed that Sweyn’s raids on England, starting in 1002, were launched from these ring fortresses as revenge for the purging of England of Danish colonists on St. Brice’s Day, 1002. If so, this newly discovered fortress may give us new insights into the men who would eventually place Sweyn on the throne and help him build a dynasty whose blood still sits on the thrones of Denmark and Great Britain to this day.
Whenever the fortress was built, it already seems apparent it had a front row seat on the turbulent times that were the Viking Age. Holm was eager to point out evidence had already been found indicating that the fort might have seen combat. “We can see that the gates were burned-down; in the north gate we found massive, charred oak posts.” If so, this could very well be direct evidence of the events of 986, when Sweyn usurped his father’s throne and sent him away to die in exile.
At this point very little is actually known for certain from the site. Initial radio carbon dating on the charred gate is still a few weeks from being completed, and no excavations have been started inside the ring. Only one thing is absolutely beyond doubt. For Archeologists and Viking enthusiasts, this could very well be the discovery of the century.
James Hinton is an armchair historian and Army veteran with a fascination for how civilized ‘barbarians’ actually were. He sometimes writes for Norwich University’s online Masters of History program.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons, Atlas Obscura
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