#knútr

[canuterex]

List of the kings of Norway (II)

[henryfitzempress]

𝑆𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑓𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑡𝘩𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔𝘩𝑡𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝘩𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦.

[canuterex]

Anglo-Saxon Chronicles (2)

“(...) About the same time, king Canute arrived in the port of Sandwich with a large fleet, and shortly afterwards, sailing round the coast of Kent, entered the mouth of the river Frome, and swept off much booty in Dorsetshire, Somersetshire, and Wiltshire.

King Ethelred then lying sick at Corsham, his son Edward the etheling, on the one hand, and Edwin Streon, the ealdorman, who was steeped in stratagems and deceit, on the other, levied a great army. But when their forces were united, the ealdorman laid all manner of snares for the etheling, and plotted his death; which being found out, they presently parted same ealdorman inveigled the crews of forty ships of the royal fleet, which were manned by Danes, to follow his fortunes and joining Canute with them placed himself at his service.

The West- Saxons also submitted to him , giving him hostages, and afterwards furnished horses for his army. On the death of Ethelwold, bishop of Winchester, he was succeeded by Elsy, called also Elfwin.

[A.D.1016] Canute, king of the Danes, and the ealdorman Edric Streon, the traitor, having before our Lord's Epiphany [6th May ] crossed the river Thames at Cricklade, with a powerful body of horse, commenced hostilities in Mercia, laying waste and burning many vills in Warwickshire, and massacring all the people they met with.

When this came to the ears of the etheling Edmund, surnamed Ironside, he lost no time in collecting troops; but when the army was mustered, the Mercians refused to engage with the West -Saxons and Danes, unless they were joined by king Ethelred and the Londoners; in consequence, the army was disbanded, and every one returned home.

The feast (of Epiphany) being over, Edmund the etheling gathered a still larger army, and, when it was assembled , sent messengers to London requesting his father to join him as soon as possible with all the troops he eould muster; upon which, the king levied a number of united, it was intimated to the king, that unless he took precautions, some of the auxiliaries would betray him to the enemy.

In consequence, disbanding his troops, he returned to London, and the etheling went into Northumbria; from which many conjecture that it was his intention to assemble a still larger army against Canute; but as Canute and Edric on the one side, so he and Uhtred, earl of Northumbria, on the other, ravaged several provinces.

They first laid waste Staffordshire, then Shropshire and Leicestershire, because the people of those districts refused to take arms against the Danish army. Meanwhile, Canute and Edric Streon devastated, first, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire, and after wards Northumbria.

On learning this, the etheling Edmund desisted from ravaging the country, and hastened to his father at London. Earl Uhtred hurried home, and, compelled by necessity , submitted, with all the Northumbrians, to Canute, and gave him hostages; nevertheless, by Canute's command or permission, he was put to death by Thurbrand, a noble Dane, and Thurketil, the son of Neavan, fell with him.

This crime being perpetrated, Canute appointed Egric earl (of Northumbria) in Uhtred's place, and then returning south with great expedition by another road, he regained his ships with his entire army before the feast of Easter.

But the citizens of London, and some of the nobles who were then at London, unanimously chose Edmund, the etheling, to be king. Raised to the royal throne the intrepid Edmund went without delay to Wessex, and being received with great joy by the whole population, he quickly brought it under his rule; and the people of many provinces in England, hearing this, gave him their voluntary submission .

Meanwhile, Canute sailed up to London, about the Rogation days [7th May], with his whole fleet, and on his arrival there they dug a broad ditch on the south side of the Thames, and dragged their ships to the west of the bridge.

They then surrounded the city with a broad and deep trench, so as to cut off all ingress and egress, and made frequent assaults on it, but the citizens resisting them manfully drove them to a distance from the walls.

Therefore, raising the siege for the present, and leaving part of the army to guard the ships, they made a forced march into Wessex, and allowed king Edmund Ironside no time to get together his army.

However, with such troops as he was able to muster in so short a space of time, he boldly encountered them in Dorsetshire, giving them battle at a place called Pen, near Gillingham, where he defeated and put them to flight.

After midsummer, having again assembled an army larger than before, he determined to attack Canute with spirit, and fell in with him in Hwiccia, at a place called Scearstan."

[canuterex]

Letter written by Cnut on the year of 1027.

“I, as I wish to be made known to you, returning by the same route that I tokk out, am going to Denmark to arrange peace and a firm treaty, in the counsel of all the Danes, with those races and people who would have deprived us of life and rule if they could, but they could not, God destroying their strenght. May he preserve us by his bounteous compassion in rule and honour and henceforth scatter and bring to nothing the power and might of all our enemies!

And finally, when peace has been arranged with our surrounding peoples and all our kingdom here in the east has been properly ordered and pacified so that we have no war to fear on any side or the hostility of individuals, I intend to come to England as early this summer as I can to attend to the equipping of a fleet.”

EDITORS, Charles River. “Cnut the Great. The life and legacy of Scandinavia’s most famous king.”