Learn and talk about Sweyn Forkbeard, 10th-century English monarchs, 11th-century English monarchs, Anglo-Norse monarchs, Burials at Roskilde Cathedral Chalcedonian Christianity Sweyn Forkbeard ( Old Norse : Sveinn Tjúguskegg; Danish : Svend Tveskæg; 960 – 3 February 1014) was king of Denmark , England , and parts of Norway . His name appears as Swegen in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle . [1] He was the son of King Harald Bluetooth of Denmark, and the father of Cnut the Great . In the mid-980s, Sweyn revolted against his father and seized the throne. Harald was driven into exile and died shortly afterwards in November 986 or 987. [2] In 1000, with the allegiance of Trondejarl , Eric of Lade , Sweyn ruled most of Norway. In 1013, shortly before his death, he became the first Danish king of England after a long effort.

Contents Biography[ edit ] Family and early life[ edit ] Many details about Sweyn's life are contested. Scholars disagree about the various, too often contradictory, accounts of his life given in sources from this era of history, such as the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Adam of Bremen's Deeds of the Bishops of Hamburg , and the Heimskringla , a 13th-century work by Icelandic author Snorri Sturluson . [3] Conflicting accounts of Sweyn's later life also appear in the Encomium Emmae Reginae , an 11th-century Latin encomium in honour of his son king Cnut's queen Emma of Normandy , along with Chronicon ex chronicis by Florence of Worcester , another 11th-century author. The Dictionary of National Biography states that his mother's name is unknown, [2] but the Danish encyclopedia Den Store Danske identifies her as Tove from the Western Wendland. Den Store Danske identifies Sweyn's wife as Gunhild, widow of Erik, king of Sweden , [4] but the Dictionary of National Biography, while agreeing that she was Erik's widow, describes her as an unnamed sister of Boleslav, ruler of Poland .

[2] The Battle of Svolder. Painting by Otto Sinding (1842–1909). The map shows the division of Norway after the Battle of Svolder according to Heimskringla . Eiríkr Hákonarson ruled the purple area as a fiefdom from Sweyn Forkbeard. The yellow area was under Sveinn Hákonarson , his half-brother, held as a fief of Olof Skötkonung , the Swedish king. The red area was under direct Danish control, with Sweyn's ruling it as a Danish extension. Many negative accounts build on Adam of Bremen's writings; Adam is said to have watched Sweyn and Scandinavia in general with an "unsympathetic and intolerant eye", according to some scholars. [5] Adam accused Forkbeard of being a rebellious pagan who persecuted Christians, betrayed his father and expelled German bishops from Scania and Zealand . According to Adam, Sweyn was sent into exile by his father's German friends and deposed in favour of king Eric the Victorious of Sweden , whom Adam wrote ruled Denmark until his death in 994 or 995.

Historians generally have found problems with Adam's claims, such as that Sweyn was driven into exile in Scotland for a period as long as fourteen years. As many scholars point out, he built churches in Denmark throughout this period, such as Lund and Roskilde , while he led Danish raids against England. [6] Invasions of England[ edit ] The " Chronicle of John of Wallingford " (c. 1225–1250) records Sweyn's involvement in raids against England during 1002–1005, 1006–1007, and 1009–1012 to avenge the St. Brice's Day massacre of England's Danish inhabitants in November 1002. Sweyn was believed[ by whom? ] to have had a personal interest in the atrocities, with his sister Gunhilde and her husband possibly amongst the victims. [7] Sweyn campaigned in Wessex and East Anglia in 1003–1004, but a famine forced him to return to Denmark in 1005.

Further raids took place in 1006–1007, and in 1009–1012 Thorkell the Tall led a Viking invasion into England. Simon Keynes regards it as uncertain whether Sweyn supported these invasions, but "whatever the case, he was quick to exploit the disruption caused by the activities of Thorkell's army". [8] Some scholars have argued that Sweyn's participation may have been prompted by his state of impoverishment after having been forced[ by whom? ] to pay a hefty ransom. He needed revenue from the raids. [6] He acquired massive sums of Danegeld through the raids. In 1013, he is reported to have personally led his forces in a full-scale invasion of England. [9] The contemporary Peterborough Chronicle (also called the Laud Manuscript), one of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles , states: before the month of August came king Sweyn with his fleet to Sandwich . He went very quickly about East Anglia into the Humber 's mouth, and so upward along the Trent till he came to Gainsborough .

Earl Uchtred and all Northumbria quickly bowed to him, as did all the people of the Kingdom of Lindsey , then the people of the Five Boroughs . He was given hostages from each shire . When he understood that all the people had submitted to him, he bade that his force should be provisioned and horsed; he went south with the main part of the invasion force, while some of the invasion force, as well as the hostages, were with his son Cnut. After he came over Watling Street , they went to Oxford , and the town-dwellers soon bowed to him, and gave hostages. From there they went to Winchester , and the people did the same, then eastward to London . [10] But the Londoners put up a strong resistance, because King Æthelred and Thorkell the Tall , a Viking leader who had defected to Æthelred, personally held their ground against him in London itself. Sweyn then went west to Bath , where the western thanes submitted to him and gave hostages. The Londoners then followed suit, fearing Sweyn's revenge if they resisted any longer.

King Æthelred sent his sons Edward and Alfred to Normandy, and himself retreated to the Isle of Wight, and then followed them into exile. [10] On Christmas Day 1013 Sweyn was declared King of England. Based in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire , Sweyn began to organise his vast new kingdom, but he died there on 3 February 1014, having ruled England for only five weeks. His embalmed body was returned to Denmark for burial in the church he had built himself. Tradition locates this church in Roskilde , [8] but it is more plausible that it was actually located in Lund in Scania (now part of Sweden). [11] Sweyn's elder son, Harald II , succeeded him as King of Denmark, but the Danish fleet in England proclaimed his younger son Cnut king. In England, the councillors had sent for Æthelred, who upon his return from exile in Normandy in the spring of 1014 managed to drive Cnut out of England.

But Cnut returned and became King of England in 1016, eventually also ruling Denmark, Norway, parts of Sweden, Pomerania , and Schleswig . Sweyn's son Cnut and Cnut's own sons Harold Harefoot and Harthacnut ruled England for 26 years. After Harthacnut's death, the English throne reverted to the House of Wessex in the person of King Edward the Confessor (reigned 1042–1066). Sweyn's descendants through his daughter Estrid continue to reign in Denmark to this day. One of his descendants, Margaret of Denmark , married James III of Scotland in 1469, introducing Sweyn's bloodline into the Scottish royal house. After James VI of Scotland inherited the English throne in 1603, Sweyn's descendants became monarchs of England again. The Church and currency[ edit ] Coin of Sweyn Forkbeard. On the northern edges of the relatively recent Holy Roman Empire , with its roots in Charlemagne 's conquests about two hundred years prior to Sweyn's time, Sweyn Forkbeard had coins made with an image in his likeness.

The Latin inscription on the coins read, "ZVEN REX AD DENER", which translates as "Sven, king of the Danes". [12] [13] Sweyn's father, Harald Bluetooth , was the first of the Scandinavian kings to accept Christianity officially, in the early or mid-960s. According to Adam of Bremen , an 11th-century historian, Harald's son Sweyn was baptised Otto, in tribute to the German king Otto I , [14] who was the first Holy Roman Emperor . Forkbeard is not known to have ever officially made use of this Christian name. Religion[ edit ] Sweyn and the Jomsvikings at the funeral ale of his father Harald Bluetooth Adam of Bremen's writings about Sweyn and his father may have been influenced by Adam's desire to emphasise Sweyn's father Harald as a candidate for sainthood . He claimed that Sweyn, who was baptised along with his father, was a heathen . This may have been true, as much of Scandinavia was pagan at the time, but there is no data to corroborate the assertion.

German and French records support that Harald Bluetooth was baptised. According to Adam, Sweyn was punished by God for leading the uprising which led to king Harald's death, and had to spend "fourteen years" abroad – perhaps a Biblical reference from an ecclesiastical writer, as it refers to the symbolic number seven. Adam purports that Sweyn was shunned by all those with whom he sought refuge, but was finally allowed to live for a while in Scotland. Adam's intention appeared to be to show that Sweyn belonged with heathens and was not fit to rule a Christian country. According to Adam, Sweyn only achieved success as a ruler after accepting Christianity. Sweyn was tolerant of paganism while favouring Christianity, at least politically. By allowing English ecclesiastical influence in his kingdom, he was spurning the Hamburg-Bremen archbishop. Since German bishops were an integral part of the secular state, Sweyn's preference for the English church may have been a political move. He sought to pre-empt any threat against his independence posed by the German kings. [15] Contrary to Adam's writings, Sweyn did not appear to have re-established paganism.

There is no evidence of reversion to pagan burial practices during Sweyn's reign. [16] Whether King Sweyn was a heathen or not, he enlisted priests and bishops from England rather than from Hamburg . [15] This may have been another reason for Adam of Bremen's apparent hostility in his accounts. Numerous converted priests of a Danish origin from the Danelaw lived in England, while Sweyn had few connections to Germany or its priests. Sweyn must have known that once the Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen gained influence in Denmark, the German Emperor Otto II would not be far behind. His Slavic neighbours to the south-east had been all but annexed by Germany once Otto's father Otto I divided their lands into bishoprics and put them under the "care" of the Holy Roman Emperor . Sweyn may have envisaged the same happening to his own territory. Original courtesy of Wikipedia: — Please support Wikipedia. This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia . A portion of the proceeds from advertising on Digplanet goes to supporting Wikipedia. We're sorry, but there's no news about "Sweyn Forkbeard" right now.

Limit to books that you can completely read online Include partial books (book previews) Oops, we seem to be having trouble contacting Twitter Support Wikipedia A portion of the proceeds from advertising on Digplanet goes to supporting Wikipedia. Please add your support for Wikipedia! Searchlight Group Digplanet also receives support from Searchlight Group. Visit Searchlight Copyright © 2009-2017 Digparty. All rights reserved. The Life of Sweyn Forkbeard | Wordsmith Insightful journalism and powerful fiction The Life of Sweyn Forkbeard The Danish Invasion of England Also known as Sven the Dane, Sweyn Forkbeard was King of England from 1013 until his death in 1014. Following the death of his father, Harald Bluetooth, Sweyn Forkbeard became the King of Denmark sometime in the year 1000. Unlike many other royal nicknames, Sweyn’s was probably used in his lifetime. The name Sweyn Forkbeard is thought to refer to the pitchfork-style moustache that was common in England during that time.

On the northern border of the Holy Roman Empire, Sweyn is believed to have had coins minted bearing the words, “Zven Rex Daenor,” or “Sweyn, King of the Danes.” Sweyn Forkbeard in the Primary Sources According to the 11th Century historian, Adam of Bremen, Sweyn’s father, Harald Bluetooth was one of the first Scandinavian Kings to accept Christianity, sometime in the early 960s. He is also believed to have baptized Sweyn as Otto, in honour of Otto I, the first King of the Holy Roman Empire. Many of the details of Sweyn’s life have come under scrutiny as a result of conflicting accounts found in the historical record. Contrary accounts of Sweyn’s life appear in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the writings of Adam of Bremen, as well as the writings of the 13th Century Icelandic historian Snorri Sturluson. Some historians have even gone so far as to suggest that Sweyn’s second wife Sigrid the Haughty, the dowager Queen of Sweden, did not exist.

On top of this, some primary sources also make the claim that Sweyn was illegitimate, in addition to being a rebellious pagan who persecuted Christians and opposed his father’s rule. These claims may have been influenced by the writings of Adam of Bremen. As a result, he is no longer considered to be a reliable source by medieval historians. Sweyn Forkbeard’s Invasion According to the English chronicler, John of Wallingford, Sweyn took part in a number of raids on the English coast between 1002 and 1013. These raids were carried out in response to the St. Brice’s Day Massacre, in which Sweyn’s predecessor, Ethelred the Unready , tried to have all of the Danes in England killed. Sweyn is believed to have taken an interest in the raids because his sister is thought to have been among Ethelred’s victims. A more realistic explanation for Sweyn’s participation in the Danish raids against England is money. The reason for this may have been because, Sweyn was held captive by his father’s supporters and forced pay a ransom for his release. Doing so may have left him impoverished and short of funds.

As a result, he may have chosen to take part in the Danish attacks on England, in an effort to replenish his personal coffers. According to the Peterbourgh Chronicle, one of the documents that comprised the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Sweyn, exacted large amounts of Danegeld, or tribute, from the English, and in 1013 personally financed an invasion of England. He began by attacking East Anglia, gradually working his way north to Northumbria, while the Danish fleet sailed up the River Thames and attempted to attack London. However, the Londoners burned all the bridges crossing the Thames, blocking the river and preventing the Danish fleet from entering London. According to the Peterborough Chronicle, Sweyn was not deterred by this setback, however. “King Sweyn went from there to Wallingford over the Thames to Bath and stayed there with his troops; Ealdorman Aethelmaer came and the western Thegns with him. They all bowed to Sweyn and gave hostages.” Even though the people of London had successfully beaten back the Danish army, they now found themselves surrounded and isolated as the entire country submitted to Sweyn’s rule.

Following Ethelred’s abdication, and flight to Normandy, Sweyn was accepted as king. He was crowned King of England on Christmas Day, 1013. The Death of Sweyn Forkbeard Following his coronation, Sweyn immediately set about organizing his new kingdom from his capital at Gainsborough. However, he only reigned for five weeks before he died in February, 1014. Sweyn Forkbeard’s Legacy Following his death, Sweyn’s oldest son, Harald II, became the King of Denmark. However, the Danish fleet threw its support behind Harald’s younger brother, Canute, who was eventually able to topple Ethelred in 1016. Sweyn’s descendants continue to rule Denmark today, and every English monarch from 1603 onward can also claim descent from Sweyn Forkbeard. Sources Howard, Ian, Swein Forkbeard’s Invasions and the Danish Conquest of England, 991– 1017. first edn., Woodbridge&Boydell (2003), Ashley, Mike (1998). British Monarchs.

Robinson Publishing, 1998 Share this: Sweyn Forkbeard: England's forgotten Viking king - BBC News BBC News Sweyn Forkbeard: England's forgotten Viking king By David McKenna BBC News 25 December 2013 Read more about sharing. Close share panel Image caption Sweyn Forkbeard (shown left), England's shortest reigning king, remains in the shadows of both his son Canute the Great, and father Harold Bluetooth On Christmas Day 1013, Danish ruler Sweyn Forkbeard was declared King of all England and the town of Gainsborough its capital. But why is so little known of the man who would be England's shortest-reigning king and the role he played in shaping the early history of the nation? For 20 years, Sweyn, a "murderous character" who deposed his father Harold Bluetooth, waged war on England. And exactly 1,000 years ago, with his son Canute by his side, a large-scale invasion finally proved decisive. It was a brutal time, which saw women burned alive, children impaled on lances and men dying suspended from their private parts.

Image caption King Ethelred ordered an "extermination" of England's Danes Gainsborough historian Darron Childs says: "It is perhaps one of the reasons why Sweyn has been largely forgotten. "It's hard to make a big thing of someone so bad - it would be a bit like celebrating Hitler. It's a difficult thing to try and overcome." However, he adds: "He was part of a dynasty that changed the course of this country. "And he wasn't any different to many of his contemporaries. People like Ethelred, who were equally as bad - if not worse." Ethelred the Unready had ordered the slaughter of all Danes living in England in 1002, in what became known as the St Brice's Day massacre. Another reason why Sweyn's story remains largely untold may be the lack of physical evidence. Mr Childs says there was once a fortification in Gainsborough on the site of what is now the Old Hall, with evidence of a moat fed from the nearby River Trent. And clues to a "sizeable" army camp can also be found in the town's Castle Hills.

Image caption Sweyn Forkbeard made what is now the Old Hall in Gainsborough the centre of his operations but ruled for just 40 days Image caption Catherine Howard (portrayed here by Bryony Roberts) and Richard III are among royal figures who stayed at the medieval building between 1460 and 1480 Image caption Alfred the Great married Elswitha in Gainsborough - she was the daughter of a local nobleman Image caption One of the few reminders of Gainsborough's Viking heritage is The Sweyn Forkbeard pub Image caption Another is a blue plaque marking the site of an old Danish chapel on the banks of the River Trent Image caption Gainsborough is reputed to be the UK's most inland port and has had a long history of river shipping He also believes the Lincolnshire town could have been where Sweyn's son, Canute, attempted to hold back the waves of the Aegir - a tidal bore, which takes its name from the Viking God of the Sea. But there is little, if any, physical proof.

Despite this, Mr Childs says Gainsborough was a very important place (Alfred the Great, for example, was married there in 868) and he believes more should be done to mark Sweyn's time in the town. Know the name - who were they? Harold Bluetooth - Father of Sweyn Forkbeard and regarded as father of the Danes. Also gave his mane to Sony's wireless technology. Canute the Great - Sweyn's son who came to Gainsborough with his father and later went on to rule England, Denmark and Norway. Ethelred - English ruler who fled to France when Sweyn invaded. He was known as the Unready - not because of a lack of military preparation but because he was ill-advised, or "unread". Edmund Ironside, Ethelred's son - He was given control of Wessex by Canute following the Battle of Assandun. Edmund, King of East Anglia - He was martyred by the first wave of Viking raiders who threw his head away to prevent proper burial.

It is said his ghost killed Sweyn Forkbeard on Candlemass Day, 1014 Mr Childs is one of a growing number of people campaigning for a tourist trail, or festival, to recognise Viking history in Gainsborough. Earlier this year, the annual riverside festival had a Viking theme and some local schools ran Sweyn Forkbeard projects. But Mr Childs says there is still a lot more that could be done. "In Denmark, they have places to visit where a Viking community is recreated - that would be fantastic if we could have that here. "York has festivals - the Vikings colonised York and made it their main base during the first waves but there is a missing link here - a story which deserves to be told." He adds that many local people were direct descendants of the Vikings - the majority of Gainsborough's households listed in the Domesday Book were occupied by Danes. Image caption In October, as part of the Illuminating York Festival, images telling the story of Harold Bluetooth, Sweyn and Canute were projected on Clifford's Tower However, it was perhaps the willingness of Sweyn's son Canute to embrace Christianity - unlike Sweyn himself - that influenced his place in the history books.

"This was a big change," Mr Childs explains. "If he becomes a Christian he abandons a lot of the Viking traditions - but this would make him more acceptable to the people." "By 1018 he [Canute] had become the most powerful ruler of his age - King of England, Denmark and Norway, earning him the title of the Great." Image caption Canute accepted there were higher powers than him after his failed attempt to hold back the tide It is a theory supported by Chris Tuckley, head of interpretation for York Archaeological Trust. He says: "Sweyn is unjustly neglected, given his impact on English history for two decades, and his lasting legacy. "This must be in part down to his reputation amongst English medieval chroniclers who are pretty unequivocal in painting him as an out-and-out villain." Viking timeline in England 789 First recorded Viking attack at Portland in Dorset. Viking coastal raids continue in the following decades. 867 Vikings capture York and make it their capital, Yorvik. 878 Viking power extends south. King Alfred of Wessex is forced into exile but returns to agree a division of England with Vikings ruling the east.

937 Alfred's grandson Athelstan wins a decisive battle over combined armies of Vikings and Scots to become the first King of all England. Viking coastal raids continue. 1002 Ethelred the Unready orders the extermination of all the Danes in England. 1013 King Sweyn of Denmark invades England and seizes the throne. The kingdom is disputed between Saxon and Danish kings over the following decades. 1066 William the Conqueror invades and founds a new Norman dynasty. The Normans were descended from Norwegian Vikings. Timeline: Saxons and Vikings "They were generally more kindly disposed to his son." Mr Tuckley says Sweyn's "destruction and plunder was on a scale not to be repeated until the years of the Norman Conquest, half a century later". "He remains a figure of Viking excess, presiding over a campaign of robbery and casual cruelty, the accounts of which still have the power to shock." In his native Denmark, he is not held in the same regard as other members of the royal family.

David Høyer, of Roskilde Cathedral, where Sweyn's remains are thought to have been taken, says: "Sweyn is no doubt overshadowed by his father Harold Bluetooth, who is considered the father of the Danes, and his son, Canute, the Great. The lack of a body, or grave, is perhaps another reason why he remains in the shadows of Canute - whose remains are in Winchester Cathedral. Even in death, Sweyn still leaves many questions unanswered, including who killed him just 40 days after his accession. One popular theory is he was murdered by the ghost of St Edmund, who was himself killed by Sweyn's Viking predecessors. It is said that he returned from the grave in the dead of night during Candlemass and took his revenge with a spear. However, Mr Childs suggests the story may have been a cover up.

"Sweyn was ruthless and a lot of questions remain about who he may have upset at the time - was there someone within his court ready to stick the knife in?" He added: "All we do know is he goes down in history as the nation's shortest reigning monarch." Archaeologists have recently discovered human remains at Roskilde Cathedral on the site of an old wooden church, built by Harold Bluetooth. It is unknown at this stage who the remains belong to. Image caption There has been speculation that an unidentified skeleton recently found in the grounds of Roskilde Cathedral could be Sweyn or Harold Bluetooth Image caption The cathedral has been the mausoleum of the Danish royal family since the 15th Century Image caption Harold Bluetooth had the Jelling Monument built in 970 to mark Denmark's conversion to Christianity So, as with Richard III - discovered under a council car park in Leicester - it seems if Sweyn's remains were to be found his story might once again be told. Until then, a pub bearing his name is the only obvious sign of his time in Gainsborough and its short-lived role as capital of England.

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Related top topics (Redirected to Sweyn Forkbeard article) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Sweyn I Forkbeard King of Denmark, England, and Norway Reign 986–3 February 1014 (Denmark) 999– 3 February 1014 (Norway) 1013–3 February 1014 (England) Spouse Roskilde Cathedral Sweyn I Forkbeard, in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , in English Sven the Dane, also known as Swegen and Tuck ( Old Norse : Sveinn Tjúguskegg, Norwegian : Svein Tjugeskjegg, Swedish : Sven Tveskägg; Danish : Svend Tveskæg, originally Tjugeskæg or Tyvskæg) (c. 960 – 3 February 1014), was king of Denmark and England, as well as parts of Norway. He was a Viking leader and the father of Cnut the Great .

On his father Harald Bluetooth 's death in late 986 or early 987, he became King of Denmark ; in 1000, with allegiance of the Trondejarl, Erik of Lade , he was ruler over most of Norway. After a long effort at conquest, and shortly before his death, in 1013 he is said to have founded Swansea (which is often said to come from "Sweyn's Ey"). He then became King of England . In the last months of his life, he was the Danish sovereign of a North Sea empire, which only his son Cnut was to rival in northern Europe. Contents 11 See also Forkbeard's cognomen Sweyn Forkbeard's nickname, which was probably used during his lifetime, unlike many royal nicknames, refers to a pitchfork-style moustache which was fashionable at the time, particularly in England, where Sweyn may have picked up the idea. Similar type moustaches can be seen depicted on the Bayeux Tapestry .[citation needed] The Church and currency One of Sweyn's coins.

The inscription reads, "ZVEN REX DAENOR", which translates as, "Sweyn, king of Danes" This content has an uncertain copyright status and is pending deletion. You can comment on its removal. On the northern edges of the relatively recent Holy Roman Empire , with its roots in Charlemagne 's conquests hundreds of years prior to Sweyn's time, Sweyn Forkbeard had coins made with an image in his likeness. The Latin inscription on the coins read, "ZVEN REX DAENOR", which translates as, "Sweyn, king of Danes". [2] Sweyn's father, Harald Bluetooth , was the first of the Scandinavian kings to officially accept Christianity , in the early or mid-960s. According to Adam of Bremen , an 11th-century historian, Harald's son Sweyn was baptised Otto, in tribute to the German king Otto I , [3] who was the first Holy Roman Emperor . Forkbeard is never known to have officially made use of this Christian name.

He did not use it on the coins he proudly sent forth, and when he was given the English crown by the Witenagemot of Anglo-Saxon nobles, in 1013, he took the crown as king Sweyn[citation needed]. Life and legacy Many details about Sweyn's life are contested. Scholars disagree about the various, too often contradictory, accounts of his life given in sources from his era of history, such as the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Adam of Bremen's Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum , and the Heimskringla , a 13th-century work by Icelandic author Snorri Sturluson . [4] Contrary accounts of Sweyn's later life also appear in the Encomium Emmae , an 11th-century Latin encomium in honour of his son king Cnut's queen Emma , of Normandy , along with Chronicle of World and English History by Florence of Worcester , another 11th-century author. The Battle of Svolder. Painting by Otto Sinding (1842–1909). The map shows the division of Norway after the Battle of Svolder according to Heimskringla .

Eirik Hákonarson ruled the purple area as a fiefdom from Sweyn Forkbeard. The yellow area was under Sveinn Hákonarson , his half-brother, held as a fief of Olof Skötkonung , the Swedish king. The red area was under direct Danish control, with Sweyn's ruling it as a Danish extension. Some historians, such as Lauritz Weibull , have argued that Sweyn's wife described in the sagas - Swedish dowager queen Sigrid the Haughty - is purely fictional, whereas others have accepted her existence on the evidence of the Norse sagas . Weibull's conclusion is shared by Den Store Danske Encyklopædi , which identifies the queen as Gunhild. [1] In some of the old sources, such as the Jómsvíkinga saga , Sweyn appears as an illegitimate son of Harald Bluetooth , raised by the legendary Jomsviking and jarl of Jomsborg , Palnatoke . Sweyn is also depicted as a rebellious son, who led an uprising against his father in 987, and chased him out of the court, forcing him to abandon his kingdom.

Harald apparently spent the rest of his days with the Slavs in Wendland , [5] within modern-day Germany. Many negative accounts build on Adam of Bremen's writings; Adam is said to have watched Sweyn and Scandinavia in general with an "unsympathetic and intolerant eye", according to some scholars. [6] Adam accused Forkbeard of being a rebellious pagan who persecuted Christians, betrayed his father and expelled German bishops from Scania and Zealand . According to Adam, Sweyn was sent into exile by his father's German friends and deposed in favor of king Eric the Victorious of Sweden , whom Adam wrote ruled Denmark until his death in 994 or 995. Historians generally have found problems with Adam's claims, such as that Sweyn was driven into exile in Scotland for a period as long as fourteen years. As many scholars point out, he built churches in Denmark throughout this period, such as Lund and Roskilde , while he led Danish raids against England.

[7] Ruler of England According to the chronicles of John of Wallingford , Sweyn was involved in raids against England during 1002–1005, 1006–1007, and 1009–1012, to revenge the St. Brice's Day massacre of England's Danish inhabitants in November 1002. Historians have considered the massacre as similar to a large-scale ethnic cleansing of the Danes in England orchestrated by Ethelred the Unready . Sweyn was believed to have had a personal interest in the atrocities due to his sister Gunhilde being amongst the victims. [8] According to Michael Lapidge, in "Swein Forkbeard" (The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England), Sweyn was active in Wessex and East Anglia in 1003–1004, but a 1005 famine forced him to return home.

[9] Sweyn and the Jomsvikings at the funeral ale of his father Harald Blatand Some scholars have argued that Sweyn's participation may have been prompted by his state of impoverishment after having been forced to pay a hefty ransom. He needed revenue from the raids. [7] He acquired massive sums of Danegeld through the raids. In 1013, he is reported to have personally led his forces in a full-scale invasion. [10] The contemporary Peterborough Chronicle (also called the Laud Manuscript), one of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, states, "before the month of August came king Sweyn with his fleet to Sandwich . He went very quickly about East Anglia into the Humber 's mouth, and so upward along the Trent till he came to Gainsborough . Earl Uchtred and all Northumbria quickly bowed to him, as did all the people of Lindsey , then the people of the Five Boroughs . He was given hostages from each shire .

When he understood that all the people had submitted to him, he bade that his force should be provisioned and horsed; he went south with the main part of the invasion force, while some of the invasion force, as well as the hostages, were with his son Cnut. After he came over Watling Street , they went to Oxford , and the town-dwellers soon bowed to him, and gave hostages. From there they went to Winchester , and the people did the same, then eastward to London ." [11] But the Londoners are said to have destroyed the bridges that spanned the river Thames , and Sweyn suffered heavy losses and had to withdraw. (This was the origin of the folksong " London Bridge is falling down ".)[citation needed] The chronicles tell that "king Sweyn went from there to Wallingford , over the Thames to Bath , and stayed there with his troops; Ealdorman Aethelmaer came, and the western Thegns with him. They all bowed to Sweyn and gave hostages." After withstanding the assault of the Danish army, the people of London were alone, isolated within a country which had completely surrendered to the Danes.

Sweyn Forkbeard was accepted as King of England following King Ethelred the Unready 's escape to Normandy in late 1013. With the acceptance of the Witan, London finally surrendered to him. On Christmas Day, Sweyn was declared king of England. Based in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire , Sweyn began to organize his vast new kingdom, but he died there on 3 February 1014, having ruled England unopposed for only five weeks. His embalmed body was returned to Denmark, to be buried in the church he built in Roskilde. [12] He was succeeded as King of Denmark by his elder son, Harald II , but the Danish fleet proclaimed his younger son Cnut king. In England, the councillors had sent for Æthelred, who upon his return from exile in Normandy in the spring of 1014 managed to drive Cnut out of England. But Cnut returned and became King of England in 1016, while also ruling Denmark, Norway, parts of Sweden, Pomerania , and Schleswig .

His son Cnut and grandsons Harold Harefoot and Harthacanute ruled England for 26 years. After Harthacanute's death, the English throne reverted to the House of Wessex. Sweyn's descendents through his daughter Estrid continue to rule Denmark to this day. One of his descendents Margaret of Denmark married James III of Scotland , introducing Sweyn's bloodline into the Scottish Royal blood line. After James VI of Scotland inherited the English throne in 1603, Sweyn's ancestry was introduced into the English royal bloodline as well. Therefore, from 1603 on, all English and British monarchs are descended from King Sweyn of England, among others. Religion Adam of Bremen's writings about Sweyn and his father may have been influenced by Adam's desire to emphasize Sweyn's father Harald as a candidate for sainthood . He claimed that Sweyn, who was baptized along with his father, was a heathen . This may have been true, as much of Scandinavia was pagan at the time, but there are no data to corroborate the assertion. German and French records support that Harald Bluetooth was baptized.

According to Adam, Sweyn was punished by God for leading the uprising which led to king Harald's death, and had to spend "fourteen years" abroad - perhaps a Biblical reference from an ecclesiastical writer, as it refers to the symbolic number seven. Adam purports that Sweyn was shunned by all those with whom he sought refuge, but was finally allowed to live for a while in Scotland. As the Scottish king at the time had a reputation in Europe as a heathen and a murderer, Adam's intention appeared to be to show that Sweyn belonged with heathens and was not fit to rule a Christian country. According to Adam, Sweyn only achieved success as a ruler after accepting Christianity. Sweyn was tolerant of paganism while favoring Christianity, at least politically. By allowing English ecclesiastical influence in his kingdom, he was spurning the Hamburg-Bremen archbishop. Since German bishops were an integral part of the secular state, Sweyn's preference for the English church may have been a political move. He sought to preempt any threat against his independence posed by the German kings. [13] Contrary to Adam's writings, Sweyn did not appear to have reestablished paganism.

There is no evidence of reversion to pagan burial practices during Sweyn's reign. [14] Whether King Sweyn was a heathen or not, he enlisted priests and bishops from England rather than from Hamburg . [13] This may have been another reason for Adam of Bremen's apparent hostility in his accounts. Numerous converted priests of a Danish origin from the Danelaw lived in England, while Sweyn had few connections to Germany or its priests. Sweyn must have known that once the Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen gained influence in Denmark, the German Emperor Otto II would not be far behind. His Slavic neighbours to the south-east had been all but annexed by Germany once Otto's father Otto I divided their lands into Bishoprics and put them under the "care" of the Holy Roman Emperor . Sweyn may have envisaged the same happening to his own territory. Issue unknown daughter References ^ a b Den Store Danske Encyklopædi identifies the consort of Sweyn I as Gunhild, and considers the Sigrid the Haughty of the sagas to be based on her, but predominantly a work of "complete fiction".

She subsequently married Sweyn II, who later divorced her on orders from the church, since both of them were grandchildren of the Slavic consort of Eric the Victorious of Sweden. Source: Den Store Danske Encyklopædi , CD-ROM edition, entries Gunhild and Sigrid Storråde. ^ Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark (2006). Coinage in Denmark . Official web site. Retrieved 12 October 2006 ^ Adam of Bremen Gesta II.3. Ed. Schmeidler, trans. Tschan, pg. 56 ^ Howard, Ian, Swein Forkbeard's Invasions and the Danish Conquest of England, 991– 1017. first edn., Woodbridge&Boydell (2003), ISBN 0-85115-928-1. ^ "Sweyn I" (2006). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 12 October 2006, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online. ^ Sørensen, M. P. (2001).

"Religions Old and New", The Oxford Illustrated History of the Vikings. Ed. P. H. Sawyer. Oxford University Press (2001), pg. 202 ^ a b Lund, Niels (2001). "The Danish Empire and the End of the Viking Age", The Oxford Illustrated History of the Vikings. Ed. P. H. Sawyer. Oxford University Press, 2001, p. 167–181. ISBN 0-19-285434-8. ^ Mike Ashley, British Monarchs; A complete genealogy, gazeteer and biographical Encyclopaedia of the Kings and Queens of Britain, Robinson Publishing (1998) p.483: "Probably his [Ethelred's] worst decision was the St. Brice's day massacre on 13 November 1002...he ordered the killing of every Dane who lived in England, except the Anglo-Danes in the Danelaw. The massacre brought back to English shores the Danish commander Swein, whose sister and brother-in-law had been killed in the massacre".

^ Lapidge considers it uncertain whether Sweyn actually supported the raid of 1006–1007 and the raid led by Thorkell the Tall in 1009–1012, commenting that "whatever the case, he was quick to exploit the disruption caused by Thorkell's army." (p.467). ^ Hunter Blair, Peter (2003). An Introduction to Anglo-Saxon England. Cambridge University Press, 2003. ISBN 0-521-53777-0. ^ The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle . Everyman Press: London, 1912. Translation by James Ingram (London, 1823) and J.A. Giles (London, 1847). Online Medieval and Classical Library Release #17. Retrieved 12 October 2006. ^ Lapidge, Michael (2001). "Swein Forkbeard", The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England. Ed. Michael Lapidge, John Blair, et al. Blackwell Publishing: London, 2001, p.437.

ISBN 0-631-15565-1. ^ a b Lund, Niels (1986). "The armies of Swein Forkbeard and Cnut: leding or li(th)" Anglo-Saxon England 15 (1986), p. 39–40. ^ Peter Sawyer (1987). "The process of Scandinavian Christianization in the tenth and eleventh centuries", The Christianization of Scandinavia, Birgit Sawyer, et al, ed. (Kungälv: Viktoria Bokforlag, 1987), p. 80. In literature Lund, Niels (1997). Harald Blåtands Død (The Death of Harold Bluetooth). Roskilde Museum's publishing house, Denmark 1997. Ashley, Mike (1998). British Monarchs. Robinson Publishing, 1998. Popular culture King Sweyn Forkbeard is a character in the historical novels The Long Ships by Frans Gunnar Bengtsson and A Hollow Crown by Helen Hollick . Sweyn Forkbeard is a primary antagonist in the manga Vinland Saga by Makoto Yukimura .

External links Family of Sweyn FORKBEARD and Gunhild Family of Sweyn FORKBEARD and Gunhild Husband: frm 0986 to 1014 (age 25-54) King of Denmark frm 0986 to 0995 (age 25-35) King of Norway frm 0999 to 1014 (age 38-54) King of Norway frm 1013 to 1014 (age 52-54) King of England frm 1016 to 1035 (age 30-50) King of Denmark frm 1018 to 1035 (age 32-50) King of Demark frm 1026 to 1030 (age 40-45) King of Sweden (parts) frm 1028 to 1035 (age 42-50) King of Norway 12 Nov 1035 (age 49-50) Abbey at Shaftesbury, Dorset, England Burial frm 

1014 to 1018 (age 19-24) King of Denmark 1018 (age 23-24) Note on Husband: Sweyn FORKBEARD Sweyn I Forkbeard, in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, in English Sven the Dane, also known as Swegen and Tuck (Old Norse: Sveinn Tjúguskegg, Danish: Svend Tveskæg, originally Tjugeskæg or Tyvskæg, Norwegian: Svein Tjugeskjegg, Swedish: Sven Tveskägg) (c.

960 – 3 February 1014), was king of Denmark and England, as well as parts of Norway. He was a Viking leader and the father of Cnut the Great. On his father Harald Bluetooth's death in late 986 or early 987, he became King of Denmark; in 1000, with allegiance of the Trondejarl, Erik of Lade, he was ruler over most of Norway. After a long effort at conquest, and shortly before his death, in 1013 he became the first of the Danish Kings of England. On the northern edges of the relatively recent Holy Roman Empire, with its roots in Charlemagne's conquests hundreds of years prior to Sweyn's time, Sweyn Forkbeard had coins made with an image in his likeness. The Latin inscription on the coins read, "ZVEN REX DAENOR", which translates as, "Sweyn, king of Danes".[2] Sweyn's father, Harald Bluetooth, was the first of the Scandinavian kings to officially accept Christianity, in the early or mid-960s.

According to Adam of Bremen, an 11th-century historian, Harald's son Sweyn was baptised Otto, in tribute to the German king Otto I,[3] who was the first Holy Roman Emperor. Forkbeard is never known to have officially made use of this Christian name. He did not use it on the coins he proudly sent forth, and when he was given the English crown by the Witenagemot of Anglo-Saxon nobles, in 1013, he took the crown as king Sweyn.[citation needed] [edit] Life and legacyMany details about Sweyn's life are contested.

Scholars disagree about the various, too often contradictory, accounts of his life given in sources from his era of history, such as the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Adam of Bremen's Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum, and the Heimskringla, a 13th-century work by Icelandic author Snorri Sturluson.[4] Contrary accounts of Sweyn's later life also appear in the Encomium Emmae Reginae, an 11th-century Latin encomium in honour of his son king Cnut's queen Emma, of Normandy, along with Chronicon ex chronicis by Florence of Worcester, another 11th-century author. The Battle of Svolder. Painting by Otto Sinding (1842–1909). The map shows the division of Norway after the Battle of Svolder according to Heimskringla. Eirik Hákonarson ruled the purple area as a fiefdom from Sweyn Forkbeard. The yellow area was under Sveinn Hákonarson, his half-brother, held as a fief of Olof Skötkonung, the Swedish king.

The red area was under direct Danish control, with Sweyn's ruling it as a Danish extension.Some historians, such as Lauritz Weibull, have argued that Sweyn's wife described in the sagas – Swedish dowager queen Sigrid the Haughty – is purely fictional, whereas others have accepted her existence on the evidence of the Norse sagas. Weibull's conclusion is shared by Den Store Danske Encyklopædi, which identifies the queen as Gunhild.[1] In some of the old sources, such as the Jómsvíkinga saga, Sweyn appears as an illegitimate son of Harald Bluetooth, raised by the legendary Jomsviking and jarl of Jomsborg, Palnatoke. Sweyn is also depicted as a rebellious son, who led an uprising against his father in 987, and chased him out of the court, forcing him to abandon his kingdom. Harald apparently spent the rest of his days with the Slavs in Wendland,[5] within modern-day Germany.

Many negative accounts build on Adam of Bremen's writings; Adam is said to have watched Sweyn and Scandinavia in general with an "unsympathetic and intolerant eye", according to some scholars.[6] Adam accused Forkbeard of being a rebellious pagan who persecuted Christians, betrayed his father and expelled German bishops from Scania and Zealand. According to Adam, Sweyn was sent into exile by his father's German friends and deposed in favor of king Eric the Victorious of Sweden, whom Adam wrote ruled Denmark until his death in 994 or 995. Historians generally have found problems with Adam's claims, such as that Sweyn was driven into exile in Scotland for a period as long as fourteen years. As many scholars point out, he built churches in Denmark throughout this period, such as Lund and Roskilde, while he led Danish raids against England.[7] [edit] Ruler of EnglandAccording to the chronicles of John of Wallingford, Sweyn was involved in raids against England during 1002–1005, 1006–1007, and 1009–1012, to revenge the St.

Brice's Day massacre of England's Danish inhabitants in November 1002. Historians have considered the massacre as similar to a large-scale ethnic cleansing of the Danes in England orchestrated by Æthelred the Unready. Sweyn was believed to have had a personal interest in the atrocities due to his sister Gunhilde being amongst the victims.[8] According to Simon Keynes, in "Swein Forkbeard" (The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England ed. Michael Lapidge), Sweyn was active in Wessex and East Anglia in 1003–1004, but a 1005 famine forced him to return home.[9] Sweyn and the Jomsvikings at the funeral ale of his father Harald BluetoothSome scholars have argued that Sweyn's participation may have been prompted by his state of impoverishment after having been forced to pay a hefty ransom. He needed revenue from the raids.[7] He acquired massive sums of Danegeld through the raids.

In 1013, he is reported to have personally led his forces in a full-scale invasion.[10] The contemporary Peterborough Chronicle (also called the Laud Manuscript), one of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, states, "before the month of August came king Sweyn with his fleet to Sandwich. He went very quickly about East Anglia into the Humber's mouth, and so upward along the Trent till he came to Gainsborough. Earl Uchtred and all Northumbria quickly bowed to him, as did all the people of Lindsey, then the people of the Five Boroughs. He was given hostages from each shire. When he understood that all the people had submitted to him, he bade that his force should be provisioned and horsed; he went south with the main part of the invasion force, while some of the invasion force, as well as the hostages, were with his son Cnut. After he came over Watling Street, they went to Oxford, and the town-dwellers soon bowed to him, and gave hostages.

From there they went to Winchester, and the people did the same, then eastward to London."[11] But the Londoners put up a strong resistance, because King Æthelred and Thorkell the Tall, a Viking leader who had defected to Æthelred, were in the city, and held their ground against him. Sweyn then went west to Bath, where the western thanes submitted to him and gave hostages. The Londoners followed suit, fearing Sweyn's revenge if they resisted any longer. King Æthelred sent his sons Edward and Alfred to Normandy, and retreated to the Isle of Wight, and then followed them into exile.[11] On Christmas Day 1013 Sweyn was declared king of England. Based in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, Sweyn began to organize his vast new kingdom, but he died there on 3 February 1014, having ruled England unopposed for only five weeks.

His embalmed body was returned to Denmark, to be buried in the church he built in Roskilde.[12] He was succeeded as King of Denmark by his elder son, Harald II, but the Danish fleet proclaimed his younger son Cnut king. In England, the councillors had sent for Æthelred, who upon his return from exile in Normandy in the spring of 1014 managed to drive Cnut out of England. But Cnut returned and became King of England in 1016, while also ruling Denmark, Norway, parts of Sweden, Pomerania, and Schleswig. His son Cnut and grandsons Harold Harefoot and Harthacnut ruled England for 26 years. After Harthacnut's death, the English throne reverted to the House of Wessex. Sweyn's descendents through his daughter Estrid continue to rule Denmark to this day. One of his descendants, Margaret of Denmark, married James III of Scotland, introducing Sweyn's bloodline into the Scottish Royal blood line. After James VI of Scotland inherited the English throne in 1603, Sweyn's ancestry was introduced into the English royal bloodline as well.

Therefore, from 1603 on, all English and British monarchs are descended from King Sweyn of England, among others. [edit] ReligionAdam of Bremen's writings about Sweyn and his father may have been influenced by Adam's desire to emphasize Sweyn's father Harald as a candidate for sainthood. He claimed that Sweyn, who was baptized along with his father, was a heathen. This may have been true, as much of Scandinavia was pagan at the time, but there are no data to corroborate the assertion. German and French records support that Harald Bluetooth was baptized. According to Adam, Sweyn was punished by God for leading the uprising which led to king Harald's death, and had to spend "fourteen years" abroad - perhaps a Biblical reference from an ecclesiastical writer, as it refers to the symbolic number seven. Adam purports that Sweyn was shunned by all those with whom he sought refuge, but was finally allowed to live for a while in Scotland.

As the Scottish king at the time had a reputation in Europe as a heathen and a murderer[citation needed], Adam's intention appeared to be to show that Sweyn belonged with heathens and was not fit to rule a Christian country. According to Adam, Sweyn only achieved success as a ruler after accepting Christianity. Sweyn was tolerant of paganism while favoring Christianity, at least politically. By allowing English ecclesiastical influence in his kingdom, he was spurning the Hamburg-Bremen archbishop. Since German bishops were an integral part of the secular state, Sweyn's preference for the English church may have been a political move. He sought to preempt any threat against his independence posed by the German kings.[13] Contrary to Adam's writings, Sweyn did not appear to have reestablished paganism. There is no evidence of reversion to pagan burial practices during Sweyn's reign.[14] Whether King Sweyn was a heathen or not, he enlisted priests and bishops from England rather than from Hamburg.[13] This may have been another reason for Adam of Bremen's apparent hostility in his accounts.

Numerous converted priests of a Danish origin from the Danelaw lived in England, while Sweyn had few connections to Germany or its priests. Sweyn must have known that once the Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen gained influence in Denmark, the German Emperor Otto II would not be far behind. His Slavic neighbours to the south-east had been all but annexed by Germany once Otto's father Otto I divided their lands into Bishoprics and put them under the "care" of the Holy Roman Emperor. Sweyn may have envisaged the same happening to his own territory. 6.unknown daughter Note on Wife: Gunhild Princess Gunhilda of Wenden was a semi-legendary Slavic princess and Danish Viking age queen consort, the supposed spouse of 10th-century King Sweyn I of Denmark (986-1014). In the 13th century collection of sagas, Heimskringla, Snorri Sturluson tells that Sweyn Forkbeard was captured in an attack on the Jomsvikings, and turned over to Burislav, king of Wendland.

As part of their negotiations, it was agreed that Sweyn would marry Gunhild, the daughter of Burislav, while the latter would marry Sweyn's sister Tyri. By Gunhild, Sweyn is said to have had Harald II of Denmark and Cnut the Great. While this account agrees with certain aspects of the historical record, there are also differences. ChroniclersThere is scant material in medieval chronicles to provide details regarding the marriages of Sweyn of Denmark: Thietmar of Merseburg mentions that the daughter of Mieszko I of Poland and sister of Boleslaw I of Poland married Sweyn Forkbeard and gave him sons Cnut and Harold, but he does not mention her name. Thietmar is probably the best informed of all medieval chroniclers, since he was contemporary with described events and well-informed about the events in Poland and Denmark. The assertion that Harald and Cnut's mother was Boleslaw's sister may explain some mysterious statements that appear in medieval chronicles, such as the involvement of Polish troops in invasions of England.

Adam of Bremen writes that a Polish princess was the wife of Eric the Victorious and by this marriage the mother of Olof Skötkonung of Sweden. In her second marriage with Sweyn, she became mother of Cnut and Harold of Denmark. Consequently, Adam calls Cnut and Olof brothers. Some historians consider Adam's account unreliable, because he is the only source to state this relationship. Gesta Cnutonis regis mentions in one short passage that Cnut and his brother went to the land of the Slavs, and brought back their mother, who was living there. This does not necessarily mean that his mother was Slavic, but nevertheless this chronicle strongly suggests that she was. There is an inscription in "Liber vitae of the New Minster and Hyde Abbey Winchester", that king Cnut's sister's name was "Santslaue" ("Santslaue soror CNVTI regis nostri"), which without doubt is a Slavic name. J.

Steenstrup suggests that Canute's sister may have been named after her mother, hence coining (the now generally agreed upon) hypothesis, that her Slavic name is Swietoslawa, but only as a reconstruction based on a single mention of her daughter's name and the hypothesis that she named her daughter after herself. IdentitiesSeveral alternative interpretations of these data have been proposed. Gunhild might be identical to the historical wife of Sweyn. Further, the dual marriage reported by Adam of Bremen matches the Heimskringla account of Sigrid the Haughty. This may represent confusion between two wives, or it could be that Sigrid is a confused duplicate memory of the same historical wife. This would mean that the woman called Gunhild in the sagas was Eric's widow, as several historians have concluded.[1] Finally, it is possible that Gunhild is simply a legendary invention, not directly based on Sweyn's known Polish wife.

Sweyn Forkbeard (Ethelred the Pious) | Alternative History | Fandom powered by Wikia Sweyn Forkbeard (Ethelred the Pious) 41,199pages on -Benkarnell- Sweyn Forkbeard was and remains a powerful symbol of Scandinavia's transitional era at the turn of the Eleventh Century . Besides being King of Denmark, he became the unifier and first King of England, building upon its Saxon and Jórvikish foundations to create the medieval English state. Sweyn was born in 960, the son of Harald Bluetooth, King of Denmark, and his Queen, Gunhild. Though a baptized Christian, Sweyn saw faith as a very fluid thing. He did not allow his newfound salvation to temper either his ruthlessness or his practice of the religion of his ancestors. He would readily turn to both Odin and Jesus when it suited his purpose. He could behave as a pagan among pagans and a Christian among Christians. He was an ally of the religious leaders of both faiths in his realms in Denmark, England, and Ireland. Invasion of England Sweyn became King in 986 after his father's death.

Thanks to his father's conquests in the Bloodaxe War , Sweyn's realm included the Kingdom of Østangeln in England, ruled by King Erik of Dyflin as a vassalage. It also included the Jarldom of Orkney and the Isles to the north of Britain. After securing his position as king with the usual round of wars and assassinations, Sweyn embarked on a campaign to expand his empire in 994. He sailed to his land in Østangeln with a large fleet. With the ships, he began attacking the eastern coasts of the kingdom of Jórvik. In 995, Sweyn marched an army into the English Midlands. There were victories and setbacks, but word of Sweyn's ruthlessness spread throughout the country. When he campaigned in the south of England the following year, most of the Scandinavian nobility joined his side willingly. But the South was still a largely Anglo-Saxon region in which shire officials competed for influence with the Nordic feudal lords. Some of the villages sought to resist Sweyn and were virtually destroyed. In 997, Sweyn's advance took him up along Jorvik's northeastern coast.

Erik of Dyflin saw that Sweyn's conquest of the kingdom could spell the end of his own independence. He joined with Hrolf of Jorvik to fight against his erstwhile overlord. In 998, Sweyn defeated Hrolf and Erik and captured the city of Jórvik. King of England Sweyn's kingdom Now a conqueror, Sweyn held court at the city, summoning all the jarls, shire-reeves, lawspeakers, high priests, and bishops of both Jorvik and Ostangeln. They universally elected him King in the traditional Scandinavian fashion. Thenceforth, England was governed as one kingdom with its capital at York. Sweyn remained in England four more years, shoring up his gains and forging political alliances. In 999 he sailed in the Irish Sea to secure his western coasts. He also traveled to Dyflin to be crowned King of that city. He betrothed his son Cnut to Ingigerd, the daughter of his vanquished foe Hrolf - thus uniting the House of Gorm to the English Ragnarætten . In 1000 Sweyn and his army secured the Welsh marches.

In 1001 he journeyed to Alba to make a pact of friendship with the Scots. The Scots were delighted to have a Christian ruling to the south, but they were understandably nervous about the consolidation of England as a single power. For a hundred years the two English kingdoms had fought one another and largely left Alba alone. Later life Sweyn returned to Denmark in 1002. He had been in England for eight years. He was distressed but hardly surprised to find his kingdom in the hands of the Swedes. He summoned the Danish nobles and swiftly re-conquered the country. Sweyn died in 1018. Cnut ascended to the throne of a great Danish Empire: he was King of Denmark, England, and Dyflin and Lord of Orkney and the Isles.

Question: Sweyn Forkbeard was the father of which 11th Century English monarch?
Answer: King Canute