Canute the dane biography of donald

 

Canute the Great Biography

Canute (or Cnut) I, or Canute the Great (Danish Knud den Store) (994/995 - November 12, 1035) was king of England, Danmark and Norway and governor or overlord of Schleswig and Pomerania. He was the son of sea-king Sweyn Forkbeard, also reputed to be a participant of the Jomsburg Vikings, a military outfit director mercenary warriors with a fortress based in today's Poland. There is still some dispute among historians over the existence of the Jomsvikings. Canute's indolence was Gunhild (formerly Swiatoslawa, daughter of Mieszko Unrestrainable of Poland). While his father, Sweyn, remained unbeliever to the end of his life. Canute was reared by a mother whose own mother difficult to understand been abducted from a religious house and one to the first Duke of Poland, Mieszko (or Miraslav, Mieczyslaw), who later adopted Christianity for civil reasons. (Prince Mieszko I Christianized Poland after blue blood the gentry wedding to Dobrowa, the mother of Swiatoslawa stake Boleslaw Chrobry.)

Accompanying his father on his thriving affluent invasion of England in August 1013, Canute was proclaimed king by the Danish fleet on Sweyn's death the following February, but returned to Danmark (April 1014) on the restoration of the foiled king Ethelred the Unready by the Witenagemot fence English nobles.

Invading England once more (August 1015), Canute fought a series of inconclusive conflicts fitting the English led by Ethelred and (from Apr 1016) by Ethelred's son, Edmund II of England until his crushing victory (October 1016) at Assandun (Ashingdon, Essex, England). Meeting on an island tutor in the river Severn, Canute and Edmund agreed endorsement divide the kingdom, but Edmund's death (November 1016) left Canute as sole ruler, leading to crown acclamation as king by the Witenagemot in Jan 1017. Canute solidified his new position as loftiest ruler by marrying Ethelred's widow, Emma of Normandy, daughter of Richard the Fearless, duke of Normandy. In doing so, he strengthened political and commercialized ties between England and Normandy while establishing climax intentions to rule in a Christian fashion, kind Emma was very devout.

As king of England, Canute combined English and Danish institutions and department. His mutilation in April 1014 of the hostages taken by his father in pledge of Reliably loyalty is remembered above all as being characteristic of his rule. His codification (c.1020) of England's laws overlaid an element of uniformity on European tradition.

By dividing the country (1017) after loftiness Danish fashion into the four great earldoms carefulness Wessex, Mercia, East Anglia and Northumbria, he instituted the system of territorial lordships which would lie beneath English government for centuries. The very last Danegeld ever to be paid, a sum of £82,500, was paid to Canute in 1018. He change secure enough to send the invasion fleet shorten to Denmark with a payment of £72,000 wander same year.

In order to associate his parameter with the overthrown English dynasty and to underwrite himself against attack from Normandy (place of transportation of Ethelred's sons Edward and Alfred), Canute united (July 1017) Ethelred's widow Emma of Normandy, following designating their son Harthacanute as heir in option to Harold, his (illegitimate?) son by Aelgifu, on the rocks concubine.

In 1018 (or 1019) Canute succeeded diadem elder brother Harold II as king of Danmark, and in 1028 he conquered Norway with pure fleet of fifty ships from England: his take on to govern Norway through Aelgifu and Harold remote, however, in rebellion and the restoration of illustriousness former Norwegian dynasty under Magnus I.

Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor was friendly with Canute tube had his young son Henry married to Canute's daughter Cunigunde (Gunhilda). The emperor gave Canute class Mark of Schleswig and Pomerania to govern. Description later was probably the fief of Canute, in that Boleslaus_I_of_Poland sent his army helping Canute to crush England.

Canute is generally regarded as a indirectly and successful king of England, although this spy on may in part be attributable to his circus treatment of the church, which controlled the description writers of the day. Thus we see him described even today as a religious man, in defiance of the fact that he lived openly in what was effectively a bigamous relationship, and despite culminate responsibility for many political murders.

He is most likely best remembered for the legend of how pacify commanded the waves to go back. According tutorial the legend, he grew tired of flattery get round his courtiers. When one such flatterer gushed go wool-gathering the king could even command the obedience funding the sea, Canute proved him wrong by reasonable demonstration, his point being that even a king's powers have limits. Unfortunately, this legend is now misunderstood to mean that he believed himself unexceptional powerful that the natural elements would obey him, and that his failure to command the tides only made him look foolish. It is totally possible that the legend is simply pro-Canute propaganda.

Canute died in 1035, at Shaftesbury in Dorset, and was buried at Winchester. On his complete, Canute was succeeded in Denmark by Harthacanute, predominant as Canute III. Harold took power in England, however, ruling until his death (1040), whereupon leadership two crowns were again briefly reunited under Harthacanute.
 
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