Who Was Canute the Great?
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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...
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...