Who_Was_Canute_the_Great_

Who was Canute the Great' Also known as Cnut or Knut, he was the Viking king of England (1016-35), Denmark (1018-35) and Norway (1028-35). He is generally regarded as a wise and successful king of England. As a Danish prince, Canute won the English crown following centuries of Viking exploration around the British Isles. After his brother’s death in 1018 he secured his hold over Denmark’s throne and in doing so, brought on the unification of England and Denmark based on wealth and their familiar culture and customs. Canute’s Youth Canute was born to Danish King Sweyn Forkbeard and Polish princess Gunhilda of Poland approximately between 985 and 995. Canute also had an older brother, Herald, who was the Crown Prince of Denmark. The few details concerning Canute’s childhood can be found in the 13th century manuscript, the Flateyjarbók (The Flat Book). In the Knýtlinga saga, it is said about Canute: ‘Knutr was exceptionally tall and strong, and the handsomest of men, all except for his nose, that was thin, high-set, and rather hooked. He had a fair complexion none-the-less, and a fine, thick head of hair. His eyes were better than those of other men, both the handsomer and the keener of their sight.’ It suggests that the arts of war were taught to Canute by a Viking Chieftain called Thorkell the Tall. The manuscript also claims that Canute played a part in Sweyn Forkbeard’s initial invasion of England after the St. Brice’s Day Massacre in 1002, though the legitimacy is this is uncertain. Very little is known about the Canute’s life before Sweyn Forkbeard’s second invasion of England in 1013 In 1013 Sweyn Forkbeard returned to England with his son Canute, but this time he intended to conquer England. He made the Danelaw (A territory in England occupied by Danes) his first objective and soon he went on to conquer the rest of the country, forcing King Aethelred into exile in Normandy. Canute was left in charge of the fleet at Gainsbourough. It is recorded about Sweyn in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle that. “...all the nation regarded him as full king”. With Sweyn’s sudden death in February 1014, Canute’s older brother Herald became King of Denmark and Canute was lined up to be King of England. The Anglo-Saxon nobles recalled Aethelred from exile in Normandy, and soon after Aethelred’s return to England, Canute was forced to return to Denmark; leaving his hostages savagely mutilated on a beach in Sandwich. Canute’s Reign Canute returned to England in 1015 with an army of 10 000 men and a fleet of 200 longships. Through many indecisive battles with Aetheldred, He managed to take control of nearly all of England, except for London. Upon Aethelred’s death, the English council named Canute the new King of England, but London chose Ethelred’s son Edmund II Ironside. Canute pursued battle with Edmund until a striking victory at Ashingdon in October of 1016, after which Edmund agreed to split the kingdom. Shortly after this agreement was reached, Edmund died. Some sources report he died of natural courses while others report a Viking assassin knocked him off by sticking a knife “up his bottom”. In 1017, Canute married Aethelred’s Widow, Emma. This had good reason as he was strengthening his political and commercial ties with Normandy. Also it made sure here two children she bore to Aetheldred did not fall into the control of Normal nobles. Also in 1017, he divided the country into four great earldoms of Wessex, Mercia, East Anglia and Northumbria, he instituted the system of territorial lordships which would underlie English governments for centuries. In 1018, Canute succeeded his elder brother Harold II as king of Denmark, and in 1928 he Conquered Norway with a fleet of fifty ships from England. Canute’s Legacy In the beginning Canute used harsh measures: he had prominent English rivals killed or outlawed, manufactured the death of Edmund Ironside and pursued his children until they fled to Hungary. But within a few years things started to change, he evolved into a more even-handed policy, and let more Englishmen into positions of power. His reign proved stable, peaceful and rewarding, and the power base he developed helped him pursue thrones in Denmark and Norway. Canute is generally regarded as a wise and successful king of England, although this view may of been be attributable to his excellent treatment of the Church, which controlled the history books of that day. Thus we see even see him in a religious man today, despite the fact he was married to two women and was responsible for many political murders. But perhaps Canute is best remembered for the legend on how he commanded the waves to go back. According to the story, he gret tired of compliments from his courtiers. When one such flatterer boasted that the king could command the obedience of the sea. Canute set his throne by the sea shore and commanded the tide to stop and not wet his feet and robes; but it failed to do so. Canute leapt backwards and said, “Let all men know how empty and worthless is the power of kings, for there is none worthy of the name, but He whom heaven, earth and sea obey by eternal laws”. He then hung his gold crown on a crucifix and never wore it again. Canute died in 1035 and was buried in the Old Minster of Winchester. He was succeeded by his son Harald Harefoot. Date | Title | Source | | The Life of Canute the Great | http://historicalbiographies.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_life_of_canute_the_great | | Canute the Great Biography | http://www.biographybase.com/biography/Canute_the_Great.html | | Canute the Great | http://historymedren.about.com/library/who/blwwcanute.htm | | Canute (I) (King of England, Denmark and Norway) | http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/93313/Canute-I | | Cnut the Great | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cnut_the_Great#King_of_England | | | | | | |