Archaeologists in Aalborg have found the remains of about 15 killed warriors who they believe were part of a battle that took place during Grevens Fejde (the Count’s War), a Danish civil war from 1534-1536.
 |
| The 10-15 skeletons are believed to be connected to General Johan Rantzau storming Aalborg in December 1534 [Credit: Historical Museum of Northern Jutland] |
The find – which consisted of between 10 and 15 adult male skeletons intertwined together – took place a few days ago in the centre of Aalborg on Algade where a new sewer system is being installed as part of new youth housing.
“Because these were all men, we have a hypothesis that the graves are connected to a wartime action,” Stig Bergmann Møller, the museum inspector at the Historical Museum of Northern Jutland, told Nordjyske.dk. ”Had it been an epidemic, there would also be skeletons of women and children.”
Storming of Aalborg
The archaeologists – who have been monitoring the sewer system instalment since November – believe that the men were killed in connection with General Johan Rantzau storming Aalborg in December 1534.
Aside from the skeletons, the archaeologists also found the remains of a Middle Ages church St Peders Kirke and its graveyard, where about 30 graves have been excavated.
Before the skeletons can be confirmed as soldiers, further anthropological tests are required.
Author: Christian Wenande | Source: The Copenhagen Post [December 04, 2014]
