Canute's father, Sweyn Forkbeard, was a king of Denmark who determined to conquer England after spending ten years raiding the coasts, and winning a great deal of tribute. By 1013 he had driven Ethelred, the Saxon king, from his throne, and was on the verge of a complete victory when he died in 1014. His dominions were passed to his son Canute, who had accompanied him on the most recent voyage, but the son of the deposed king, Edmund Ironside, raised an army to reclaim the Saxon throne. After an indecisive battle, both Canute and Edmund agreed to a truce in order to prevent a horrendous civil war. Edmund died shortly thereafter, and the Saxon dominions that he controlled passed to Canute.
Soon after gaining the throne, Canute married Emma, the widow of Aethelred. His reign was a good one for England, largely because it put an end to the Viking raids, but also, because Canute sought to treat his Saxon subjects fairly, and made some amends for the depredations of the Danes, largely through donations to the church. He live during a period when Christianity was spreading throughout the Norse strongholds of Scandinavia, he governed as a Christian king, and he encouraged the conversion of his pagan subjects. He was also served by some key Saxon ministers, allowed many Saxon nobles to retain their holdings, and encouraged intermarriage between Dane and Saxon nobles.
In 1018 his brother died and he inherited his father's kingdom of Denmark and so for eight years governed both Denmark and England. In 1026 however, Olaf II, the king of Norway, attacked Canute's dominions in Denmark. Olaf was defeated at the Battle of the Helgea, and Canute followed up his victory by driving Olaf II from his throne in Norway, and adding all of Scandinavia to his dominions. When he died unexpectedly at age in 1035, there was strife between his sons for control of his empire. Within the next six years however, both of his sons died, and his empire was divided among various claimants, and England was restored to the Saxon dynasty under Edward the Confessor.
Birth of Canute | |
Accompanies his father Sweyn on the invasion of England. | |
Returns to Denmark on the death of his fathers, Sweyn I. | |
Besieges Edmund Ironside's stronghold of London, to no avail. | |
Peace made with Edmund Ironside, but he dies soon after. | |
Declared sole monarch of England. | |
Marries Emma, widow of the Saxon King Aethelred. | |
Inherits the Kingdom of Denmark on the death of his brother. | |
Godwin, a leading Saxon earl, becomes counsellor to Canute, marries Canute's sister. | |
Olaf II of Norway attempts to conquer Denmark, but is defeated at Helgea. | |
Goes to Rome for coronation of Conrad II. | |
Olaf II is killed at the Battle of Stiklestad; Canute reigns over Scandinavia | |
Died at Shaftsbury |
Lady Emma in | William the Conqueror by Jacob Abbott |
King Canute on the Seashore in | Fifty Famous Stories Retold by James Baldwin |
King Canute by the Sea-shore in | Cambridge Historical Reader—Primary by Cambridge Press |
Story of King Canute in | Stories from English History by Alfred J. Church |
Canute the Great in | Famous Men of the Middle Ages by John H. Haaren |
Normans Conquer England in | The Story of England by Samuel B. Harding |
England in the Middle Ages in | The Story of the Middle Ages by Samuel B. Harding |
Canute and the Waves in | Our Island Story by H. E. Marshall |
Canute the Great, King of Six Nations in | Historical Tales: Scandinavian by Charles Morris |
Image Links | ||
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Sea, I command you to come no farther!' in Fifty Famous Stories Retold |
King Canute and his Queen in Stories from English History |
Canute on the Seashore in The Story of the English |
Canute rebukes his courtiers in Famous Men of the Middle Ages |
Canute Orders the Ocean to Retreat in European Hero Stories |
Norman princess, wife first of Aethelred, then of Canute. Mother of Edward the Confessor. | |
Dunstan | Influential archbishop at the court of Edgar of England. |
Sweyn I | Viking king of Denmark who conquered England from the Saxons. Father of Canute. |
Edmund Ironside | Eldest son of Aethelred the Unready, fought Canute for the throne, but then died. |
Last Saxon king of the Wessex line. Raised in Normandy, befriended William the Conqueror. | |
Godwin | Very influential Earl of Wessex during reigns of Canute and Edward the Confessor. Father of Harold. |
Acsended to the Saxon throne at a young age, ruled poorly and was unable to effectively resist the Danes. |