Everything about Canute The Great totally explained
Canute the Great, or
Canute I, also known as
Cnut in the
Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, or
Knut (
Old Norse:
Knútr inn ríki,
Norwegian:
Knut den mektige,
Swedish:
Knut den Store,
Danish:
Knud den Store) (died
November 12,
1035) was a
Viking king of
England and
Denmark, and
Norway, and of some of
Sweden (such as the
Sigtuna Swedes). His successes as a statesman,
politically and
militarially, and his status among medieval Europe's magnates, shown by the concessions he won in diplomacy with the
Pope and the
Holy Roman Emperor, often lead modern historians to call him the 'Emperor of the North', although this is an unofficial title.
In a letter written after his defeat of the kings of Norway and Sweden, on a journey to Rome, Canute proclaims himself 'king of all England and Denmark and the Norwegians and of some of the Swedes'. His kingship of England, and the concomitant struggles of the kings of Denmark for dominion within
Scandinavia, though, meant Canute held overlordship across other areas of the
British Isles too, in line with his
Anglo-Saxon predecessors, as well as the leader of the strongest
Viking regime in history. Although the extent of this is uncertain, his rule was felt by the
Gall Gaidel sea-kingdoms, with the
Isles (possibly within Canute's overlordship since his English conquest), in the
Sea of the Hebrides, and with
Dublin, in the
Irish Sea. At the height of his reign, certain
Gaelic kingdoms, and the
Isle of Man, were in
clientage with Canute.
Birth and kingship
Canute was a son of the Danish king
Sweyn Forkbeard. His mother's name is unknown although the
Slavic princess,
Saum-Aesa, daughter to
Mieszko I of Poland (in accord with the
Monk of
St Omer's,
Encomium Emmae and
Thietmar of Merseburg's contemporary
Chronicon), is a possibility. Canute, was an heir to a line of Scandinavian rulers central to the unification of Denmark, with origins in the shadowy figure of
Harthacnut, founder of the royal house, and the father to
Gorm the Old, its official progenitor. The
Flateyjarbók, a thirteenth century source, states Canute was taught his soldiery by the mercenary leader known as
Thorkell the Tall, brother to
Sigurd,
Jarl of mythical
Jomsborg, and the legendary
Joms at their
Viking stronghold; now thought to be a
Slav (as well as
Scandinavian) fortress on the Island of
Wollin. He was born for a life of conflict, and the successes of his reign prove his skill at leading and commanding men, on the field, and off it.
Canute's date of birth, like his mother's name, is unknown. Contemporary works such as the
Chronicon and the
Encomium Emmae, don't mention it. Still, in a
Knutsdrapa by the
skald Ottar the Black there's a statement that Canute was 'of no great age' when he first went to war. It also mentions a battle identifiable with Forkbeard's invasion of England, and attack on the city of
Norwich, in
1003/04, after the
St. Brice's Day massacre of Danes by the English, in
1002. If it's the case that Canute was part of this, his birthdate may be near 990, or even 980. If not, and the skald's poetic verse envisages another assault, with Forkbeard's English conquest in
1013/14, it may even suggest a birth date nearer 1000. His age at the time of his death, and the moments of his life as king, are never otherwise of any especial note. The
encomium of Emma only states that Canute was a youthful man, not necessarily a young man, while Thietmar's
chronicon pays his age no attention.
A description of Canute is to be found within the thirteenth century
Knýtlinga saga:
Hardly anything is known for sure of Canute's life until the year he was part of a
Scandinavian force under his father, the Danish king
Sweyn Forkbeard; with his invasion of England in summer
1013. It was the climax to a succession of
Viking raids spread over a number of decades. The kingdom fell quickly. In the months after, Forkbeard was in the process of consolidating his kingship, with Canute left in charge of the fleet, and army base, at
Gainsborough, a city of the
Five Boroughs. These forces were probably short of some of their combatants, likely sent home for winter once their payments had been made, with the use of mercenaries common in Scandinavia. At a turn of fortune, with Sweyn's sudden death, in February
1014, Canute was held to be king .
At the
Witan, England's nobility were loath to accept this. There was a vote for the former king,
Ethelred the Unready,an
Anglo-Saxon of the
Wessex royal house, to return from exile with his in-laws in
Normandy. It was a move which meant Canute had to abandon England and set sail for Denmark, while the nobility of England, possibly with
Normans in their forces, made the kingdom theirs once again. On the beaches of
Sandwich the Vikings put to shore to mutilate their
hostages, taken from the English as pledges of allegiance given to Canute's father.
On the death of Sweyn Forkbeard his eldest son,
Harald, was to be King of Denmark. Canute, supposedly, made the suggestion they might have a joint kingship, although this found no ground with his brother . Harald is thought to have made an offer to Canute to command the Vikings for another invasion of England, on the condition he didn't continue to press his claim. Canute, if we accept this is true, did not, and had his men make the ships ready for another invasion. This one was to be final, and the forces were even greater.
Conquest of England
In the summer of
1015, Canute's fleet set sail for England with a Danish army of 10,000 in 200 longships. Among the allies of Denmark was
Boleslaw the Brave. He was the
Duke of Poland, and a relative the Danish royals. He lent some token
Slav troops, likely to have been a pledge made to Canute and Harald when, in the winter, they "went amongst the
Wends" to fetch their mother back to the Danish court after she was sent away by their father, who its seems wed another woman, to seal an alliance with the Swedish king.
Olof Skötkonung, son of
Sigrid the Haughty by her first husband, the Swedish king
Eric the Victorious, and an in-law to the royals of Denmark by Sigrid's second husband,
Sweyn Forkbeard, was an ally.
Eiríkr Hákonarson, was an in-law to Canute and Harald too, and
Trondejarl, the
Earl of
Lade, and the king of Norway under Danish sovereignty. Norway was won by the Danes, with the Swedes in alliance, as well as Norwegians, at the
Battle of Svolder, in
999. Erik's brother,
Svein Hakonarson, was left to rule Norway when he went to support Canute, although he died at the
Battle of Nesjar, in
1016, against
Olaf Haraldsson.
Thorkell the Tall, a Jomsviking chief who fought against the Viking invasion of Canute's father, with a pledge of allegiance to the English in
1012, was among Canute's retinue. Some explanation for this shift of allegiance may be found in a stanza of the
Jómsvíkinga saga which mentions two attacks against Jomsborg's mercenaries while they were in England. Also, as if to add insult to injury, amongst their casualties was a man known as Henninge, who was a brother to Thorkell the Tall. It is possible this man was Canute's childhood mentor, which may explain his support, as well as his acceptance. It seems Canute and the
Jomsviking, ultimately in the service of
Jomsborg, were in a very difficult relationship with each other.
Eadric Streona, a nobleman risen far under his king Ethelred the Unready to be the wealthy
Earl of Mercia, perhaps even the richest of the English nobility, also thought it prudent to join in with Canute and the Vikings, along with forty ships, although these were probably of the
Danelaw anyway. England's king was under pressure, and the distresses which were a fact of his reign, given his ascension to England's throne by the ruse of assassination, were apparently too much for many of his vassals to take. In spite of his faults, the Mercian Earl was a useful ally, pivotal to any successes either side might expect, and he most definitely knew it. His, though, was a dangerous game to play in an era with such cut and thrust
politics.
Canute was at the head of an array of
Vikings, from all over
Scandinavia. Altogether, the invasion force was to be in often close and grisly warfare with the English for the next fourteen months. Practically all of the battles were fought against Ethelred the Unready's son, and the staunchest opponent of Canute,
Edmund Ironside.
In September 1015, Canute was seen off the shore of
Sandwich. The fleet went around the coast about
Kent and the south of England, on the
English Channel, past
Cornwall, and up the
Avon, on the
Bristol Channel, until it got to the mouth of the
Frome. There, at
Bristol, the army disembarked, and the ravaging of
Wessex began. Canute's attack had the advantages of surprise and speed, and the Vikings made a base of the English heartland. A passage from the
Encomium Emmae paints a picture of the scene which was to confront the English when they'd made their landfall:
Until mid-winter the Vikings stood their ground, with the English king in London. Canute's invaders then went across the Thames, with no pause in bleak weather, through the
Mercian lands, northwards, to confront
Uhtred, the
Earl of Northumbria, and Edmund Ironside, commander of England's army. Canute, like Wessex, the heartland of the Anglo-Saxon regime, found the
Northumbrian lands without their main garrisons, as Uhtred was away with the English prince in Mercia, to countermand the lands of
Eadric Streona, the
Earl of Mercia. Uhtred, with his lands now in the hands of his enemies, thought it wise to sue for peace. He was though executed for breaking oaths of allegiance to Sweyn Forkbeard. Canute now brought over
Eiríkr Hákonarson and strategically left the Norwegian in control of Northumbria. With him were probably any mercenaries still in line to fight against the English.
In April 1016, Canute went southward with his army through the western
shires to gain as much support from the English as possible, already confident in the eastern
Danelaw. The fleet set sail for the Thames to lay London under siege. Edmund Ironside was effectively swept before this movement, which left London as his last stronghold. Ethelred the Unready met his death on
April 23, coincidentally, leaving the now beleaguered prince as king. Over the next few months the Vikings made their camps on the city's fringes, and Canute had a canal dug through which to pull the longships and cut off the river on the far side of London. Encirclement was complete by the construction of dikes on the city's northern and southern sides.
In the summer, Edmund Ironside broke out of London to raise an army, in
Wessex, and the Vikings broke off a portion of their siege in pursuit. The English were able to rally at
Penselwood, in
Somerset; with a hill in
Selwood Forest as the likely location of their stand. The battle that was fought there didn't leave any clear victor. A subsequent battle at
Sherston in
Wiltshire was fought over two days and again left neither side victorious.
Edmund Ironside did eventually break the siege of London. With the invaders in disarray, Canute brought the forces back together, and the besiegers again lay their attentions on the steadfast city. However, with London still held by the English, the Vikings had to make it their priority to search for supplies, nominally amongst their allies in Mercia. At this point Eadric Streona thought it wise to ally himself with his countrymen again. Canute's men were subsequently put under attack in Mercia, and with the
Battle of Brentford, Edmund Ironside fought the besiegers off their dikes on the outskirts of London and back to their ships on the
Isle of Sheppey, in
Kent. The fleet went across the estuary, and the invasion force brought itself together again, in
Essex.
In October 1016, at Assandun, on the hill of ash trees, its namesake, the two armies came together for a final confrontation; the
Battle of Ashingdon. Canute won this decisively. Eadric Streona betrayed his countrymen, with he and his men retreating in the heat of battle. His army beaten, Edmund Ironside, likely to have been a casualty himself, made his escape; to be caught near the
Forest of Dean, in
Gloucestershire, where there was likely to have been a final struggle made in an attempt by the English to protect their king. Canute was ultimately able to maneuver negotiations, with a rendezvous on an island in the
Severn.
Accepting defeat, the king signed the Treaty of Olney with the Viking, in which all of England except for Wessex was to be the domain of the Danish prince. Its key clause was that by the death of one of the two, the other should be the one and only King of England, his sons being the heirs. It was a move of astute political sense on the part of Canute. After Edmund Ironiside's death on
November 30, possibly at the hands of the traitor Eadric Streona's men, yet probably as a result of his wounds after Assandun, Canute was sole ruler. His coronation was at Christmas, with recognition by the nobility in January the next year.
Canute, a
Viking, was to be one of
England's most successful kings. His statesmanship brought in a prosperous era of stability. The reign of this wealthy nation, and the pedigree of his Danish heritage, meant he was eventually able to maneuver an overlordship within
Scandinavia, and substantial parts of the
British Isles..
King of England
In July 1017, Canute married
Emma of Normandy, the widow of Ethelred, and daughter of
Richard the Fearless, the first
Duke of Normandy. This was a move to elevate his line above the heirs of England's overthrown dynasty, as well as to protect himself against his enemies in
Normandy, where Emma and Ethelred's sons
Edward the Confessor and
Alfred Atheling were exiles. His wife held the keys to a secure English court in several ways. Canute put forward their son
Harthacanute as his heir; his two sons from his wedding to
Aelgifu of Northampton, his
handfast wife, were left on the sidelines. He sent Harthacanut to Denmark when he was still a boy, and the heir to the throne was brought up, as Canute was himself, a Viking.
England's division amongst the four great
Earldoms was a decree of Canute's kingship. These were
Wessex, his personal fief,
Mercia, for Eadric,
East Anglia, for Thorkel, and
Northumbria, for Erik. This was the basis for the system of feudal baronies, which underlay sovereignty of English rulers for centuries, while the formation of the Norman
counties - stronger, yet synonymous versions of the Anglo-Saxon
shires - came to countermand the political might of the great
Earls. Even under Canute these men were a real threat. Edmund Ironside's, as well as Canute's betrayer, Streona, wasn't Earl of Mercia for long. He was executed in 1017, with a beheading; his body was left on the ground for the crows, and the head was stuck on a pole for all to see. Mercia went to a noble family of
Hwicce, probably to
Leofwine, and by the 1030s, to his son
Leofric, who's wife was one
Lady Godiva, a figure of English folklore, renown for her protest against the heavy taxes of her husband.
The very last
Danegeld ever paid, a sum of 82,500 pounds, went to Canute in 1018. After their staunch resistance, as well as the fact of their mercantile wealth, 10,500 pounds was levied from the citizenry of London alone. Canute felt secure enough to allow his Vikings to return to their lands in Scandinavia with 72,000 pounds in payment for services the same year. He, with his
huscarls, and the no doubt grateful earls, were left to control England.
Canute's brother Harald was possibly in England for Canute's coronation, maybe even for the conquest, with his return to Denmark, as its king, at some point thereafter. It is only certain, though, there was an entry of his name in a confraternity with
Christ Church, Canterbury, in 1018. This, though, isn't conclusive, for the entry may have been made in Harald's absence, by the hand of Canute himself even, which means, while it's usually thought that Harald died in 1018, it's unsure if he was even alive to do this. Entry of his brother's name in the Canterbury
codex may have been Canute's attempt to make his vengeance for Harald's murder good with the Church. Of course, this was maybe just a gesture for a soul to be under God's protection.
Canute mentions troubles in his 1019 letter (to England, from Denmark), written as the King of England and Denmark. These can be seen, with plausibility, to be in connection with the death of Harald. Canute says he dealt with dissentors to ensure Denmark was free to assist England. The wars he fought to secure his kingship were an opportunity for some of his English subjects to prove their worth.
Godwin was one notable figure; by the lengths he went to for his king in battle with his enemies, Canute thought it good to award him the earldom of Wessex, and the role of he and his family was prominent in English politics until the
Norman Conquest. One of his sons was
Harold Godwinson.
Through his reign, Canute brought together the English and Danish kingdoms, and the people saw a golden age of dominance across
Scandinavia, as well as within the
British Isles. His mutilation of the hostages at Sandwich is ultimately seen to be uncharacteristic of his rule. He reinstated the Laws of King
Edgar to allow for the constitution of a
Danelaw, and the activity of Scandinavians at large. He also reinstituted the extant laws with a series of proclamations to assuage common grievances brought to his attention. Two significant ones were: On
Inheritance in case of
Intestacy, and, On
Heriots and Reliefs. He strengthened the currency, initiating a series of coins of equal weight to those being used in Denmark and other parts of Scandinavia. This meant the markets grew, and the economy of England was able to spread itself, as well as widen the scope of goods to be bought and sold.
Canute was generally thought to be a wise and successful king of England, although this view may in part be attributable to his good treatment of the Church, keeper of the historic record. Either way, he brought decades of peace and prosperity to England. His numerous campaigns abroad meant the tables of Viking supremacy were stacked in favour of the English, turning the prows of the longships towards Scandinavia. The medieval Church was adept to success, and put itself at the back of any strong and efficient sovereign, if the circumstances were right for it. Thus we hear of him, even today, as a religious man, despite the fact that he was in an effectively
sinful relationship, with two wives, and the executions of his fellow Christian political opponents. Canute was ruler across a domain beyond any monarchs of England, until the adventures of the
imperial European
colonies, and the
empire of the English.
King of Denmark
Upon Sweyn Forkbeard's death, Canute's brother Harald was King of Denmark. It is thought Canute went to Harald to ask for his assistance in the conquest of England, and the division of the Danish kingdom. His plea for division of kingship was denied, though, and the Danish kingdom remained wholly in the hands of his brother, although, Harald lent to Canute the command of the Danes in any attempt he was of a mind to lead on the English throne. Harald probably saw it was out of his hands anyway. It was a vendetta that held his brother, Canute, and the Vikings driven away in spite of their conquest with Forkbeard. They were bound to fight again, on the basis of vengeance for their slight.
It is possible Harald was at the siege of London, and the King of Denmark was content with Canute in control of the army. His name was to enter the fraternity of
Christ Church, Canterbury, at some point, in 1018, although it's unsure if it was before or after he was back in Denmark.
In 1018,
Harold II died and Canute went to Denmark to affirm his succession to the Danish crown. With a letter written in 1019 he states his intentions to avert troubles to be done against England. It seems Danes were set against him, while an attack on the
Wends of
Pomerania, in which
Godwin apparently earned the king's trust with a raid he led himself at night, was possibly in relation with this. In 1020 he was back in England, his hold on the Danish throne presumably stable.
Ulf Jarl, his brother-in-law, was his appointee as the Earl of Denmark. Canute's son,
Harthacanute was left in his care.
When the Swedish king
Anund Jakob and the Norwegian king
Olaf Haraldsson took advantage of Canute's absence and began to launch attacks against Denmark, Ulf gave the discontent freemen cause to take Harthacanute, still a child, as king. This was a ruse of Ulf's, since the role he'd as the caretaker of Harthacanute subsequently made him the ruler of the kingdom.
When news of these events came to Canute, in 1026, he brought together his forces, and, with Ulf in line again, won Denmark supremacy in Scandinavia, at the
Battle of Helgeå. This service, did not, though, earn the usurper the forgiveness of Canute for his coup. At a banquet in
Roskilde, the brothers-in-law were sat at a game of
chess and an argument arose between them, and the next day, Christmas of 1026, one of Canute's
housecarls, with his blessing, killed Ulf Jarl, in the
Church of Trinity. Contradictory evidences of Ulf's death gather doubt to these circumstances though. Evidence for the years of Canutes reign in Denmark, with his mainstay in England, is generally scanty.
Journey to Rome
On the death in 1024 of the Holy Roman Emperor,
Henry II, the
Ottonian dynasty was at an end, and with
Conrad II the
Salian dynasty was begun. Canute left his affairs in the north, with them in hand, and went to the coronation of the
King of the Romans, at Easter 1027, in
Rome. On the return journey he sent his letter of 1027, like his letter of 1019, to his subjects in England. It is in this letter he proclaims himself
‘king of all England and Denmark and the Norwegians and of some of the Swedes’. We must assume his enemies in Scandinavia were now at his leisure, if he was able to say this, as well as do the almost customary pilgrimage for rulers of Europe to the heart of Christianity, even if it was one at the invitation of the
Holy Roman Empire, rather than divine inspiration.
In his letter Canute says he went to Rome to repent for his sins, pray for redemption, and the security of his subjects, as well as negotiate with the Pope for a reduction in the costs of the
pallium for English archbishops, and for a resolution to the competition of the archdioceses of
Canterbury, and
Hamburg-Bremen, for superiority over the Danish dioceses. He also sought to improve the conditions for pilgrims, as well as merchants, on the road to Rome. In his own words:
'Robert' in Canute's text is probably a clerical error for
Rudolph, the last ruler of an independent
Kingdom of Burgundy. Hence, the solemn word of the Pope, the Emperor, and Rudolph, was by the witness of four archbishops, twenty bishops, and 'innumerable multitutes of dukes and nobles'. This suggests it was before the ceremonies were at an end. It is without doubt he threw himself into his role with zest. His image as the just Christian king, statesman and diplomat, and crusader against unjustness, seems to be one with its roots in reality, as well as one he sought to project.
A good illustration of his status within Europe is the fact Canute, and the
King of Burgundy went alongside the emperor in the imperial procession, and stood shoulder to shoulder with him on the same pedestal. Canute and the successor of
Charlemagne, in accord with various sources, took one another's company like brothers, for they were of a similar age. Conrad gave his guest the sovereignty to lands in the
Mark of
Schleswig - the land-bridge between the Scandinavian kingdoms and the continent - as a token of their treaty of friendship. Conflict in this area over past centuries was the cause for the construction of the
Danevirke, from Schleswig, on the
Schlei, and the eastern
Baltic Sea coast, to the marches of west
Jutland, on the
North Sea coast.
His visit to Rome was a triumph. In the verse of Sighvat's
Knutsdrapa he praises Canute, his king, 'dear to the Emperor, close to Peter'. In the middle-ages, or even today in fact, a king seen to be in favour with God could expect to rule over a happy kingdom. He was surely in a stronger position, not only with the Church, and the people, but with the alliance of his southern rivals he was able to conclude his conflicts with his rivals in the north. His letter not only tells his countrymen of his achievements in Rome, but also of his ambitions within the Scandinavian world at his arrival home:
Canute was to return to Denmark from Rome, by the road he'd set out, make arrangements for some kind of pact with the peoples of Scandinavia - though it isn't known precisely what it's that this was, his 1019 letter says he went to Denmark to secure support for his English kingdom, and this was probably the purpose of the endeavours he alludes to through his 1027 letter - and return to England. We can only be sure there were important events on the horizon, and the fleet was probably the one he went to Norway with, to stake his claim on the throne.
King of Norway and part of Sweden
Earl
Eiríkr Hákonarson was ruler of Norway under Canute's father, Forkbeard, and Norwegians under Erik had assisted in the invasion of England in 1015-16. Canute showed his appreciation, awarding Eiríkr the office to the
Earldom of Northumbria.
Sveinn, Eiríkr's brother, was left in control of Norway, but he was beaten at the
Battle of Nesjar, in 1015 or 1016, and Eiríkr's son,
Håkon, fled to his father.
Olaf Haraldsson, of the line of Fairhair, then became King of Norway, and the Danes lost their control.
Thorkell the Tall, said to be a chieftain of the
Jomsvikings, was a former associate of the new King Olav of Norway, and the difficulties Canute found in Denmark, as well as with Thurkel, were perhaps related to Norwegian pressure on the Danish lands.
Jomsborg, the legendary stronghold of the Jomvikings, was possibly on the south coast of the
Baltic Sea, and this may account for the attack on the Wends of Pomerania, if the Joms were on the side of Olaf, as Jomsbourg would then have been at the heart of this territory. King
Olof Skötkonung of Sweden was an ally of Canute's, as well as his stepbrother. His death in 1022, though, and the succession of his son,
Anund Jacob, meant the Danish domains were now threatened by the Swedes too.
In a battle known as the
Holy River, Canute and his navy attacked the Swedes and Norwegians led by the allied kings Olaf Haraldsson and Anund Olafsson in the mouth of the river Helgea. 1026 is the likely date, and the apparent victory left Canute in control of Scandinavia, confident enough with his dominance to make the journey to
Rome for the coronation of Conrad II as Holy Roman Emperor on
March 26,
1027. In his Letter, written in Rome, he considers himself “King of all England and Denmark, and the Norwegians, and some of the Swedes” (victory over Swedes suggests Helgea to be a river near
Sigtuna, while Sweden's king appears to have been made a renegade, with a hold on the parts of Sweden which were too remote to threaten Canute, or even for Canute to threaten him). He also stated his intention to return to Denmark, to secure peace between the kingdoms of
Scandinavia.
In 1028, after his return from Rome, through Denmark, for the arrangement of a peace treaty, Canute set off from England with a fleet of fifty ships, to Norway, and the city of Trondheim. Olaf Haraldsson stood down, unable to put up any fight, as his nobles were against him, with offers of gold from Canute, and the apparent resentment for their king's tendency to flay their wives for sorcery. Canute was crowned king, his was now King of England and Denmark, and Norway (he wasn't King of Sweden, only some of the Swedes). He entrusted the Earldom of
Lade to the former line of earls, in Håkon Eiriksson, with Earl Eiríkr Hákonarson probably dead at this date. Hakon was possibly the Earl of Northumbria after Erik too.
Hakon, a member of a family with a long tradition of hostility towards the independent Norwegian kings, and a relative of Canute's, was already in lordship over the Isles, with the earldom of
Worcester, possibly from 1016-17. The sea-lanes through the
Irish Sea and
Hebrides, led to
Orkney and
Norway, and were central to Canute's ambitions for dominance of Scandinavia, as well as the British Isles. Hakon was meant to be Canute's lieutenant of this strategic chain. And the final component was his installation as the king's deputy in Norway, after the expulsion of Olaf Haraldsson in 1028. Hakon, though, died in a shipwreck in the
Pentland Firth, between the
Orkneys and the Scottish mainland, either late 1029 or early 1030.
Upon the death of Hakon, Olaf Haraldsson was to return to Norway, with Swedes in his army. He, though, was to meet his death at the hands of his own people, at the
Battle of Stiklestad, in 1030. Canute's subsequent attempt to rule Norway without the key support of the
Trondejarls, through
Aelgifu of Northampton, and his eldest son by her,
Sweyn Knutsson, wasn't a success. It is known as
Aelfgifu's Time in Norway, with heavy taxation, a rebellion, and the restoration of the former Norwegian dynasty under the postumously St Olaf's son
Magnus the Good.
Overlordship outside His Kingdoms
A verse from court poet,
Sigvat Thordarson, recounts that famous princes brought their heads to Canute and bought peace. This verse mentions
Olaf Haraldsson in the past tense, with his death at the
Battle of Stiklestad, in 1030. It was therefore at some point after this, and the subsequent consolidation of Norway, Canute went to Scotland, with an army, and the navy in the
Irish Sea, in 1031, to receive, without bloodshed, the submission of three Scottish kings;
Maelcolm,
Maelbeth, and Iehmarc. One of these kings, Iehmarc, is
Echmarcach mac Ragnaill, an
Ui Imhair chieftain, and the ruler of a sea-kingdom thought to extend throughout the Irish Sea, with
Galloway and the
Isle of Man among his domains. In 1036 he was to be king of Dublin.
There is reason to believe Vikings of
Ireland, were in relations with Canute already, as they were with
Sweyn Forkbeard. A
Lausavísa attributable to the
skald Ottar the Black, suggests these relations were on the level of overlordship, when he greets the ruler of the Danes, Irish, English and Island-dwellers. It is a possibility, though, while the Island-dwellers were nominally Viking, this was meant to mean the
Gall Ghaedil of Ireland, rather than the
Gaelic kingdoms too. After
Brian Boru's victories over
Sigtrygg Silkbeard, and the
Battle of Clontarf, in 1014, the Viking kingdoms were want to opt for a commercial life in
Ireland, rather than one of conquest. Still, when the misinformation prone Encomiast names among Canute's
domains, not only England, Denmark and Norway, but also
Scotia and
Britannia, there may be just enough evidence to suggest there's no exaggeration, here, of his lordship over the
British Isles.
Relations with the Church
Canute's actions as a Viking conqueror had made him uneasy with the Church. His ruthless treatment of the overthrown dynasty in England, as well as his open relationship with a concubine -
Aelgifu of Northampton, his handfast wife, whom he kept as his northern queen when he wed
Emma of Normandy, kept in the south, with an estate in
Exeter - didn't fit with the emergeant ideals of Christendom we now know as
romance at court, and
chivalry between the nobles.
It is hard to conclude if Canute's devotion to the Church came out of deep religious devotion, or merely as a means to proliferate his regime's hold on the people. It was probably a bit of a mix, with a respect for the Viking religion, especially in his personal life, as well as the desire for a respectable nationhood. Canute surely saw he was in a potentially useful state of affairs, as far as the Church could be held, with its status as the keeper of the people's health, and the state's general welfare.
His treatment of the Church couldn't have been kinder. Canute not only repaired all the churches and monasteries that were victims of the Viking love for plunder, and refilled their coffers, but he also built new churches, and was a patron of monastic communities. This was popular with the ecclesiastical and secular population alike.
Canute’s pilgrimage to Rome in
1027 was another sign of his dedication to the Christian faith. It is still debated whether he went to repent his sins, or to attend
Emperor Conrad II’s coronation in order to improve relations between the two powers. While in Rome, Canute obtained the agreement from the Pope to reduce the fees paid by the English archbishops to receive their pallium. He also arranged with other Christian leaders that the English pilgrims should pay reduced or no toll tax on their way, and that they'd be safeguarded on their way to Rome. Some evidence exists for a second pilgrimage. This one surely could be seen as an act of devotion, as well as cause for payment of respects to the Pope, after their previous discussions.
Emperor of the North
Maybe the best illustration for the use of this title is when, at the coronation of the ruler of Holy Roman Empire, Canute stood beside the emperor, as an equal, and went alongside him in the imperial procession. Canute is also known to have made an effort to emulate the styles of his southern neighbour. A now lost
seal of his is thought to have been made alike to ones of the Holy Roman Emperors. It may be it was Canute's intention to rule under simlilar auspices. If his legacy didn't end as abrubtly as it did, maybe the
Emperors of the North, could be an appropriate reflection of the kind of title such a dynasty may have made for itself.
Succession
Canute died in 1035, at
Shaftesbury,
Dorset. He was buried in the
Old Minster in
Winchester. After the
Norman Conquest the new regime was keen to signal its arrival by an ambitious programme of grandiose cathedrals in England.
Winchester Cathedral was built on an old
Anglo-Saxon site. Canute's bones, along with Emma of Normandy's and Harthacanute's, were set in a mortuary chest. In the
English Civil War, in the 17th century, plundering soldiers scattered the bones in the various chests along with those of other English kings and queens, such as king
Edwy and his queen
Elgiva, and
William Rufus.
His daughter was set to marry Conrad II's son Henry III eight months after his death.
On his death Canute was succeeded in Denmark by Harthacanute, reigning as
Canute III. Harold Harefoot laid claim to the throne in England until his death in 1040. Harthacanute was to reunite the two crowns of Denmark and England until his death in 1042. Canute's line came to an end, although his legacy did not. The house of Wessex was to reign once more through
Edward the Confessor, who Harthacanute had brought out of exile in Normandy and made peace with. It meant the throne was Edward's if he died with no legitimate male heir. Edward was crowned King, and the Norman influence at Court was on the rise: pure Viking and Anglo-Saxon influence in England was past, although it must be remembered that the Normans themselves were of Viking descent.
Marriages and issue
Family tree
Popular culture
There is a peculiar custom of "sanding the streets" in the British town of Knutsford that's generally thought to have made its appearance in Canute's reign and continues to this day. Tradition has it that King Canute threw sand from his shoes into the path of a wedding party upon fording the River Lily. Followers of this custom continue to decorate the streets with coloured sands in patterns and pictures. The custom can be traced to the late 1600s; Queen Victoria, in her journal of 1832 recorded: "we arrived at Knutsford, where we were most civilly received, the streets being sanded in shapes, which is peculiar to this town". Today the custom generally celebrates May Day.
Helen Hollick. The Hollow Crown
. (August 2004) William Heinemann, Random House. ISBN 0-434-00491-X; Arrow paperback ISBN 0-09-927234-2. This is a historical novel about Queen Emma of Normandy, including her second marriage to Canute.
Canute is referenced in the filk music song "Song of the Shield-Wall," by Ladies Malkin Grey and Peregrynne Windrider of the Society for Creative Anachronism, in which "Harald Hadrada" (see Harald III of Norway) is described as invading England "to claim Canute's crown."
In modern days, he's perhaps most famous as the subject of a legend concerning an attempt either to turn the tide, or demonstrate the impossibility of doing so, for the benefit of fawning courtiers.
The famous legend of Canute commanding the tide is the subject of a song by progressive rock band Genesis. "Can-Utility and the Coastliners" is found on their 1972 studio album "Foxtrot"
Canute is depicted on the album cover on Thom Yorke's debut single album "The Eraser". In the picture Canute is commanding the tides but he fails.
Canute is played by Sting for the music video for Sting's "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You", showing the king seated on a throne in the seawater and attempting to fight the incoming waves with a sword.
A young Canute appears as a supporting character in the ongoing manga Vinland Saga by Yukimura Makoto. The current storyline is set in the year 1013 and focuses on Sweyn Forkbeard's invasion of England.Further Information
Get more info on 'Canute The Great'.
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