Yearly Archives: 2019

Edith of Wessex, Queen of England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

Credit – Wikipedia

The eldest of the three daughters of Godwin, Earl of Wessex and Gytha Thorkelsdóttir, Edith of Wessex was born around 1025. Her father was one of the most powerful earls in England under Cnut the Great, Harold I Harefoot, Harthacnut, and his son-in-law Edward the Confessor. Her mother was the daughter of the Danish chieftain Thorkel Sprakling whose claim to fame is being the grandfather of two kings, Gytha’s son King Harold II of England and King Sweyn II of Denmark, the son of Thorkel’s son Ulf.

Edith had nine siblings:

Edith grew up at Wilton Abbey in Wiltshire, England, three miles from Salisbury. At Wilton Abbey, she learned several languages and had excellent needlework skills. On January 23, 1045, Edith of Wessex married Edward the Confessor, King of England, the son of Æthelred II (the Unready), King of the English and his second wife Emma of Normandy, and was then crowned Queen of England at the Old Minster in Winchester, England. The marriage was childless and Edward, who was about twenty years older than Edith, treated her with great respect and endowed her with valuable property all over England. With Edith becoming Queen of England, her father and brothers gained even more power.

Edith is crowned Queen of England; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1051, Godwin and his sons fell out of favor with Edward and fled England. Edith was sent to a nunnery, possibly because she was childless and Edward hoped to divorce her. Godwin and his family returned to England in 1052 with armed forces, gaining the support of the navy, townspeople, and peasants, forcing Edward to restore his earldom. Edith was reinstated as queen and in later years, she became one of Edward’s inner group of advisers. Edward’s brother-in-law Harold Godwinson soon handled most of the matters of government as his father Godwin died in 1053.

In 1042, Edward had begun rebuilding St. Peter’s Abbey to provide himself with a royal burial church, the first Westminster Abbey. It is possible that Edward had a series of strokes in 1065. He was too ill to attend the dedication of his greatest achievement, Westminster Abbey, on December 28, 1065, and so Edith represented him. Edward the Confessor died several days later, on January 5, 1066.

During the exile of Godwin’s family from 1051-1052, William II, Duke of Normandy (William the Conqueror) visited Edward, his first cousin once removed, and apparently, Edward named William as his successor. However, according to the Vita Ædwardi Regis, before Edward died he briefly regained consciousness and named Edith’s brother Harold Godwinson as his heir. The Witan met the next day and selected Harold Godwinson to succeed Edward as King Harold II.

When William II, Duke of Normandy heard that Harold Godwinson had been crowned King of England, he began careful preparations for an invasion of England. During the summer of 1066, he assembled an army and an invasion fleet. Meanwhile, in England, King Harold II was forced to march to Northumbria in September 1066 to deal with an invasion by his brother Tostig Godwinson and Harald III Hardrada, King of Norway. Harold defeated the invaders on September 25, 1066, at the Battle of Stamford Bridge, and his brother Tostig Godwinson and Harold Hardrada were killed in the battle. The Norman invasion fleet sailed two days later and landed in England on September 28, 1066.

Edith’s brother King Harold II is slain, Bayeux Tapestry Scene 57; Credit – Wikipedia

The army of William II, Duke of Normandy army met the army of King Harold of England about six miles northwest of Hastings, England on October 14, 1066. Harold appears to have tried to surprise William but Norman scouts found his army and reported its arrival to William, who marched from Hastings to the battlefield to confront Harold. Early efforts of the Normans to break the English battle lines had little effect. In response, the Normans adopted the tactic of pretending to flee in panic and then turning on their pursuers. Harold’s death, probably near the end of the battle, led to the retreat and defeat of most of his army. Besides losing her brother Harold at the Battle of Hastings, Edith also lost her brothers Gyrth and Leofwine.

Death of Edith’s brothers Gyrth and Leofwine at the Battle of Hastings, scene 52 of the Bayeux Tapestry

Following Harold’s death in battle, the Witan elected the teenaged Edgar the Ætheling, the last of the House of Wessex, King of England. As William’s position grew stronger, it became evident to those in power that King Edgar should be abandoned and that they should submit to William. On Christmas Day 1066, William was crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey.

The new King William I of England treated Edith with great respect and although she lost some of her dower lands, she remained an important landowner after the Norman conquest. She commissioned a biography of her husband, the Vita Ædwardi Regis (Life of King Edward). Edith died at St. Mary’s Abbey in Winchester, England on December 18, 1075, apparently caused by a disease that she had suffered from for some time, at around the age of 50. Her funeral was arranged by King William I. Originally buried with her husband Edward the Confessor at the original Westminster Abbey he had built, Edith was reburied on the left side of the Chapel of St. Edward the Confessor in present Westminster Abbey built during the reign of King Henry III.

Shrine of Edward the Confessor, Edith is buried nearby

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

England: House of Wessex Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Ashley, M. (1998). The Mammoth Book of British Kings & Queens. New York: Carroll & Graf Pub.
  • Cannon, J. and Griffiths, R. (1988). The Oxford Illustrated History of the British Monarchy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Dodson, A. (2004). The Royal Tombs of Great Britain. London: Duckworth.
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Edith of Wessex. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_of_Wessex [Accessed 25 Mar. 2019].
  • Flantzer, S. (2019). Saint Edward the Confessor, King of England. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/saint-edward-the-confessor-king-of-england/ [Accessed 25 Mar. 2019].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. (2019). Édith de Wessex. [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89dith_de_Wessex [Accessed 25 Mar. 2019].
  • Williamson, D. (1998). Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell.

Saint Edward the Confessor, King of England

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Credit – Wikipedia

Born between 1003 and 1005 in Islip, Oxfordshire, England, Edward the Confessor was the eldest of the three children and the elder of the two sons of Æthelred II (the Unready), King of the English, son of King Edgar I the Peaceful, and his second wife Emma of Normandy, daughter of Richard I, Duke of Normandy.

Emma with her sons Edward and Alfred; Credit – Wikipedia

Edward had two full siblings:

Edward had ten half-siblings from his father’s first marriage to Ælfgifu of York. All of Æthelred’s sons were named after Æthelred’s predecessors. Ætheling was used in Anglo-Saxon England to designate princes of the royal dynasty who were eligible for the kingship.

Edward had two half-siblings from his mother’s second marriage to Cnut the Great, King of England, Denmark, and Norway:

Edward had two stepbrothers from the first marriage of his stepfather Cnut the Great, King of England, Denmark, and Norway to Ælfgifu of Northampton:

Emma and her sons Edward and Alfred being received by her brother Richard II, Duke of Normandy; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1013, when Edward was around ten-years-old, Sweyn Forkbeard, King of Denmark and Norway launched an invasion with the goal of also becoming King of England. As Sweyn’s forces approached southern England, Emma and her children were sent to the Isle of Wight for safety. Æthelred soon followed them to the Isle of Wight and in August 1013, he sent Emma and their children to safety in Normandy. By the end of 1013, English resistance had collapsed and Sweyn had conquered the country, became King of England, and forced Æthelred into exile in Normandy. When Sweyn Forkbeard died in 1014 and Æthelred regained power, Edward stayed on in Normandy, being raised in the court of Richard II, Duke of Normandy, his paternal uncle. He grew up favoring Norman customs, never expecting to become King of England.

Edward’s father, Æthelred II (the Unready, King of the English, died on April 23, 1016, and was succeeded by his eldest surviving son from his first marriage Edmund II (Ironside). After Æthelred’s death, Cnut the Great, son of Sweyn Forkbeard, attacked London and demanded a large sum of money for Emma’s ransom. London held out and Cnut was forced to retreat from London but he did not leave England. Edward’s half-brother Edmund fought five battles against the Danes, ending in his defeat on October 18, 1016, at the Battle of Assandun. Edmund and Cnut agreed to divide the Kingdom of England with Edmund taking Wessex and Cnut the rest. However, Edmund died on November 30, 1016, leaving two young sons. Cnut became the king of all of England and exiled the remaining members of Edmund’s family.

In 1017, Cnut thought it would be expedient to marry Æthelred’s widow and sent for Emma. It is unclear whether Emma married Cnut by force or if she chose to accept Cnut’s proposal but she returned to England and married Cnut. Her children by Æthelred remained in exile in Normandy. Cnut became King of Denmark in 1019 and King of Norway in 1028 and his territories were called the North Sea Empire.

Cnut died in 1035 and was succeeded in England by Harold Harefoot, his son from his first marriage, and in Denmark by Harthacnut, his son from his second marriage to Emma and therefore, Edward’s half-brother. In 1036, Edward and his brother Alfred returned to England from their exile in Normandy to visit their mother. As they made their way to London, they were betrayed. Alfred was blinded with a hot iron to his eyes and died soon afterward. Edward escaped the attack and returned to Normandy. It is unclear exactly who was behind the attack on Alfred. Some historians claim Harold Harefoot was behind the attack so he could rid himself of two more potential claimants to the English throne by killing Edward and Alfred. Other historians argue that Godwin, Earl of Wessex, who was traveling with Alfred and Edward as their protector, could have been the instigator of the attack.

Bayeux Tapestry – Scene 1: King Edward the Confessor, enthroned, and Harold Godwinson at Winchester; Credit – Wikipedia

When Harold Harefoot died in 1040, Edward’s half-brother Harthacnut, King of Denmark also became King of England. Harthacnut lived only two more years and upon his death in 1042, Edward became King of England. Harthacnut’s throne in Denmark was inherited by Magnus I, King of Norway. Edward’s coronation was held on Easter, April 3, 1043, at the Old Minster in Winchester, England. Upon his accession, Edward realized that his kingdom was divided between Saxons, Danes, and Norse with powerful earls from all three factions. To Edward’s credit, he succeeded in governing his kingdom despite those issues.

On January 23, 1045, Edward married Edith of Wessex, daughter of the powerful Godwin, Earl of Wessex, the father of the last Anglo-Saxon king, Harold II Godwinson, King of England, who was defeated by William II, Duke of Normandy (William the Conqueror) at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The marriage was childless and Edward treated Edith with great respect and endowed her with valuable property all over England.

In 1051, Godwin and his sons fell out of favor with Edward and fled England. Edith was sent to a nunnery, possibly because she was childless and Edward hoped to divorce her. During the exile of Godwin’s family, William II, Duke of Normandy (William the Conqueror) visited Edward, his first cousin once removed, and apparently, Edward named William as his successor. Godwin and his family returned to England the following year with armed forces, gaining the support of the navy, townspeople, and peasants, forcing Edward to restore his earldom. Edith was reinstated as queen and in later years, she became one of Edward’s inner group of advisers. Edward’s brother-in-law Harold Godwinson handled most of the matters of government.

In 1057, Edward discovered that his nephew Edward the Exile, the son of his half-brother King Edmund II was still alive and summoned him to England as a potential successor. However, Edward the Exile died within two days of his arrival in England and the cause of his death has never been determined. Murder is a possibility, as he had many powerful enemies. His three children Edgar, Margaret, and Cristina were then raised in Edward’s court. Margaret, known as Saint Margaret of Scotland, married King Malcolm III of Scotland and their daughter Edith (later known as Matilda) married King Henry I of England, son of William the Conqueror.

Harold meeting Edward shortly before his death, depicted in scene 25 of the Bayeux Tapestry; Credit – Wikipedia

By far, Edward’s greatest achievement was the foundation of Westminster Abbey which he built to atone for the breaking of a vow to make a pilgrimage to Rome. In 1042, he began rebuilding St. Peter’s Abbey to provide himself with a royal burial church, the first Westminster Abbey. It is possible that Edward had a series of strokes in 1065. He was too ill to attend the dedication of his greatest achievement, Westminster Abbey, on December 28, 1065. Edward the Confessor died several days later, on January 5, 1066. According to the Vita Ædwardi Regis, before Edward died he briefly regained consciousness and named Harold Godwinson as his heir. The Witan met the next day and selected Harold Godwinson to succeed Edward as King Harold II.

Edward’s funeral depicted in scene 26 of the Bayeux Tapestry; Credit – Wikipedia

Edward was buried before the high altar in his new Westminster Abbey. In 1245, the construction of the second and present church was begun by King Henry III who selected the site for his burial. King Henry III oversaw a grand ceremony on October 13, 1269, to rebury Edward the Confessor in a magnificent new shrine, personally helping to carry the body to its new resting place.

Shrine of Saint Edward the Confessor, King of England

In 1161, Pope Alexander III canonized Edward as a saint. The title “Confessor,” short for Confessor of the Faith, was given to male saints who lived a holy life and died in peace. Saint Edward the Confessor was one of England’s national saints until King Edward III adopted Saint George as the national patron saint in 1358 when the Order of the Garter was founded. Saint Edward the Confessor’s feast day is October 13 and is observed by both the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church.

Steps leading up to Edward the Confessor’s Chapel, located on the left side of the high altar

Each October 13 – 20, Westminster Abbey observes Edwardtide which celebrates the life of Saint Edward the Confessor. On October 13, National Pilgrimage Day, everyone is welcome, without a ticket, “to visit the Abbey with other pilgrims and experience its beauty and space in an atmosphere characterised by prayer. Everyone will be able to pray at the Shrine of St Edward – the only shrine in this country that still contains the body of the saint.” On October 13, 2018, this writer had the experience of attending the National Pilgrimage Day. The Chapel of Edward the Confessor is usually not open to tourists and it was awe-inspiring to see the shrine surrounded by the tombs of kings and queens. In the photo above of the shrine, notice the three openings at the bottom of the shrine. These are openings where pilgrims enter to kneel to pray. Imagine all the people over the centuries who have knelt there.

Queen Elizabeth II placing a tribute of roses on the altar in the Chapel of St Edward the Confessor in Westminster Abbey before the service inaugurating the 12-month long commemoration of the 900th anniversary of the consecration of the Abbey on December 28, 1965

England: House of Wessex Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Ashley, M. (1998). The Mammoth Book of British Kings & Queens. New York: Carroll & Graf Pub.
  • Cannon, J. and Griffiths, R. (1988). The Oxford Illustrated History of the British Monarchy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Dodson, A. (2004). The Royal Tombs of Great Britain. London: Duckworth.
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Edward the Confessor. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_the_Confessor [Accessed 24 Mar. 2019].
  • Flantzer, S. (2019). Emma of Normandy, Queen of England, Denmark, and Norway. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/emma-of-normandy-queen-of-england-denmark-and-norway/ [Accessed 28 Feb. 2019].
  • Williamson, D. (1998). Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Harthacnut, King of Denmark and England

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Credit – Wikipedia

The last of the House of Denmark to reign in England, Harthacnut was the elder of the two children and the only son of Cnut the Great, King of England, Denmark, and Norway and his second wife Emma of Normandy, daughter of Richard I, Duke of Normandy. Harthacnut was born in England around 1018.

After Cnut’s conquest of England in 1016, he had put aside his first wife Ælfgifu of Northampton and married Emma of Normandy, the widow of Æthelred II the Unready, King of the English. At that time, it was acceptable to put aside one wife and take another. Cnut succeeded his brother Harald II as King of Denmark in 1019. In 1029, Cnut invaded Norway and when King Olaf II of Norway was killed in 1030 at the Battle of Stiklestad, Cnut became King of Norway. He also ruled parts of Sweden, Pomerania, and Schleswig. Cnut’s dominions were known as the North Sea Empire.

The North Sea Empire of Cnut the Great; Credit – By Hel-hama – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19863973

Harthacnut had one younger sibling:

Harthacnut had two half-siblings from his father’s first marriage to Ælfgifu of Northampton:

Harthacnut’s mother Emma of Normandy, with her two sons by Æthelred II; Credit – Wikipedia

Harthacnut had three half-siblings from the first marriage of his mother Emma of Normandy to Æthelred II, King of the English:

Harthacnut was first mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle when he and his mother attended the transfer of the remains of Ælfheah, Archbishop of Canterbury from London to Canterbury in June 1023. In 1028, at the age of ten, Harthacnut accompanied his father to Denmark. Cnut left his son there as his deputy and he was still in Denmark when Cnut died on November 12, 1035.

Cnut, King of England, Denmark, and Norway, and his sons Harold Harefoot and Harthacnut; Credit – Wikipedia

Cnut had decreed that any sons of his second marriage should take precedence over the sons of his first marriage. This meant that Cnut and Emma’s only son Harthacnut was the legitimate heir to England and Denmark. As Harthacnut was in Denmark, he easily succeeded his father as King of Denmark. However, he was unable to come to England because Denmark was under threat of invasion by Norway and Sweden. Because of this, the council elected Cnut’s son by his first wife Harold Harefoot Regent of England as a temporary measure. Harold Harefoot, almost immediately, requested that he be proclaimed King of England but Æthelnoth, Archbishop of Canterbury, refused to do so.

In 1037, with the support of Leofric, Earl of Mercia and other nobles, Harold Harefoot was proclaimed King of England and crowned in Oxford. One of his first acts was to banish his stepmother Emma, who went into exile in Bruges, then in Flanders, now in Belgium. Harold Harefoot had a short reign, dying in Oxford, England on March 17, 1040, aged about 24-years-old.

On June 14, 1040, Harthacnut arrived at Sandwich, England with sixty-two warships and ascended the English throne unchallenged. He had Harald Harefoot’s body exhumed, decapitated, and thrown into a swamp but then it was retrieved and thrown in the River Thames. Shortly afterward, Harold Harefoot’s body was pulled from the River Thames by a fisherman and was buried at St. Clement Danes Church in London.

Harthacnut was crowned at Canterbury Cathedral on June 18, 1040, by Eadsige, Archbishop of Canterbury. England was accustomed to the king ruling with a council but Harthacnut became more authoritarian. To enlarge and maintain his naval fleet, he severely increased the taxation rate. At the same time, the tax rate was increased, the harvest was poor and this caused hardship and dissatisfaction. The town of Worcester became the focal point of the tax resistance against Harthacnut. Two tax collectors were killed there in May 1041. A military force was sent to deal with the situation but the townspeople defended themselves by moving away from the town. However, Harthacnut’s army sacked and burned Worcester. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle says about Harthacnut, “He never did anything worthy of a king while he reigned.”

Death of King Harthacnut at a wedding feast; Credit – Wikipedia

Harthacnut was unmarried and in 1041, he invited his half-brother Edward (the Confessor) home from his exile in Normandy and made him his heir. On June 8, 1042, Harthacnut attended a wedding in Lambeth, London, England. As he was drinking to celebrate the wedding, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, “He died while standing with his drink. Suddenly he fell to the ground with violent convulsions.” Harthacnut was only 23-24 years old. There were unproven suspicions that he was poisoned and certainly there were people who would have benefitted from his death. His death also could have been caused by a stroke due to excessive drinking. A 2015 study speculated that perhaps up to fourteen Danish kings, including Harthacnut, who suddenly died at a relatively young age without being ill, possibly died of Brugada Syndrome, a genetic disorder in which the electrical activity in the heart is abnormal. It increases the risk of abnormal heart rhythms and sudden cardiac death.

Harthacnut’s half-brother Edward the Confessor succeeded him as King of England. A political agreement Harthacnut had made with King Magnus I of Norway stated Magnus would succeed him as King of Denmark. Harthacnut was initially buried at the Old Minster in Winchester, England. When the Old Minster was demolished in 1093, Harthacnut’s remains were moved to Winchester Cathedral and were placed in a mortuary chest near the shrine of St. Swithun. However, his remains were ultimately interred in a tomb below the eastern arch of the cathedral in the north aisle. In 1525, Harthacnut’s tomb was remodeled and a plaque was placed on the tomb.

Harthacnut’s tomb in Winchester Cathedral; Credit – http://www.dandebat.dk/

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

England: House of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Ashley, M. (1998). The Mammoth Book of British Kings & Queens. New York: Carroll & Graf Pub.
  • Cannon, J. and Griffiths, R. (1988). The Oxford Illustrated History of the British Monarchy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Dodson, A. (2004). The Royal Tombs of Great Britain. London: Duckworth.
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Harthacnut. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harthacnut [Accessed 4 Mar. 2019].
  • Flantzer, S. (2019). Cnut the Great, King of England, Denmark, and Norway. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/cnut-the-great-king-of-england-denmark-and-norway/ [Accessed 28 Feb. 2019].
  • Flantzer, S. (2019). Emma of Normandy, Queen of England, Denmark, and Norway. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/emma-of-normandy-queen-of-england-denmark-and-norway/ [Accessed 28 Feb. 2019].
  • Flantzer, S. (2019). Harold I Harefoot, King of England. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at:  https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/harold-harefoot-or-harold-i-king-of-england/[Accessed 28 Feb. 2019]
  • Williamson, D. (1998). Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell.

Harold I Harefoot, King of England

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Credit – Wikipedia

Born about 1016 in Denmark, Harold Harefoot (also known as Harold I) was the son of Cnut the Great, King of England, Denmark, Norway and his first wife Ælfgifu of Northampton. He was nicknamed Harefoot for his speed and skill as a hunter.

Harold Harefoot had one full brother:

After Cnut’s conquest of England in 1016, he married Emma of Normandy, the widow of Æthelred II, King of the English. At that time, it was acceptable to put aside one wife and take another. Cnut succeeded his brother Harald II as King of Denmark in 1019. In 1029, Cnut invaded Norway and when King Olaf II of Norway was killed in 1030 at the Battle of Stiklestad, Cnut became King of Norway. He eventually also ruled parts of Sweden, Pomerania, and Schleswig. Cnut’s dominions were known as the North Sea Empire.

From his father’s second marriage to Emma of Normandy, Harold Harefoot had two half-siblings:

Queen Emma and her sons Edward and Alfred being received by their uncle Richard II, Duke of Normandy; Credit – Wikipedia

Harold Harefoot had three step-siblings from the first marriage of his stepmother Emma of Normandy to Æthelred II, King of the English:

The North Sea Empire of Cnut the Great; Credit – By Hel-hama – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19863973

In 1030, after the defeat and death of King Olaf II of Norway, Cnut sent his first wife Ælfgifu with their elder son Sweyn to govern Norway. Their rule was considered oppressive by the Norwegians and they were expelled in 1035. Magnus I the Good, a son of Olaf II, then became King of Norway. Sweyn died shortly after the death of his father.

Cnut, King of England, Denmark, and Norway, and his sons Harold Harefoot and Harthacnut; Credit – Wikipedia

Cnut the Great died on November 12, 1035, when he was about 40-years-old. Regarding the succession, Cnut had decreed that any sons of his second marriage should take precedence over the sons of his first marriage. This meant that Cnut and Emma’s only son Harthacnut was the legitimate heir to England and Denmark. At the time of his father’s death, Harthacnut was in Denmark where he easily succeeded his father as King of Denmark. However, he was unable to come to England because Denmark was under threat of invasion by Norway and Sweden. Because of this, the council elected Harold Harefoot Regent of England as a temporary measure. Harold Harefoot, almost immediately, requested that he be proclaimed King of England but Æthelnoth, Archbishop of Canterbury, refused to do so.

In 1036, Edward the Confessor and Alfred Ætheling, Emma’s sons from her marriage to Æthelred II, returned to England from their exile in Normandy to visit their mother. Some historians suspect the visit could have actually been an attempt to claim the throne.  As they made their way to London, they were betrayed. Alfred Ætheling was blinded with a hot iron to his eyes and died soon afterward. Edward escaped the attack and returned to Normandy. It is unclear exactly who was behind the attack. Some historians claim Harold Harefoot was behind the attack so he could rid himself of two more potential claimants to the English throne. Other historians argue that Godwin, Earl of Wessex, who was traveling with Alfred and Edward as their protector, could have been the instigator of the attack.

In 1037, with the support of Leofric, Earl of Mercia and other nobles, Harold Harefoot was proclaimed King of England and crowned in Oxford. One of his first acts was to banish his stepmother Emma, who went into exile in Bruges, then in Flanders, now in Belgium. Not much is known about Harold Harefoot’s reign as there are few surviving documents. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle mostly covers church matters, such as the deaths and appointments of bishops and archbishops. Harold Harefoot died in Oxford, England on March 17, 1040, aged about 24-years-old. He was buried at St. Peter’s Abbey, the precursor to Westminster Abbey which would start to be built on the site two years later.

On June 14, 1040, Harthacnut arrived at Sandwich, England with sixty-two warships and ascended the English throne unchallenged. He had Harald Harefoot’s body exhumed, decapitated, and thrown into a swamp but then it was retrieved and thrown in the River Thames. Shortly afterward, Harold Harefoot’s body was pulled from the River Thames by a fisherman and was buried at St. Clement Danes Church in London which was originally founded by Danes in the ninth century. Being a seafaring people, the Danes had named the church after St. Clement, the patron saint of mariners.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

England: House of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Ashley, M. (1998). The Mammoth Book of British Kings & Queens. New York: Carroll & Graf Pub.
  • Cannon, J. and Griffiths, R. (1988). The Oxford Illustrated History of the British Monarchy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Dodson, A. (2004). The Royal Tombs of Great Britain. London: Duckworth.
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Harold Harefoot. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Harefoot [Accessed 1 Mar. 2019].
  • Flantzer, S. (2019). Cnut the Great, King of England, Denmark, and Norway. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/cnut-the-great-king-of-england-denmark-and-norway/ [Accessed 28 Feb. 2019].
  • Flantzer, S. (2019). Emma of Normandy, Queen of England, Denmark, and Norway. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/emma-of-normandy-queen-of-england-denmark-and-norway/ [Accessed 28 Feb. 2019].
  • No.wikipedia.org. (2019). Harald Harefot. [online] Available at: https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harald_Harefot [Accessed 1 Mar. 2019].
  • Williamson, D. (1998). Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell.

Cnut the Great, King of England, Denmark, and Norway

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Credit – Wikipedia

One of only two British monarchs to be given the epithet “the Great” (the other was Alfred the Great), Cnut was King of England, Denmark, and Norway and together his dominions were called the North Sea Empire. He was born circa 995 in Denmark, the elder son of Sweyn Forkbeard, then King of Denmark and Norway, later also King of England. Sweyn Forkbeard had two wives: Sigrid Storråda (the Haughty) and Gunhilda of Wenden. Both women are mentioned in the Norse sagas but there is very little information about them in the medieval chronicles. Sweyn Forkbeard had seven known children but which of the two women are their mothers is uncertain. It is probable that Gunhilda of Wenden was the mother of Cnut and his brother Harald.

Cnut had six known siblings:

Hardly anything is known about Cnut until 1013 when he was part of an army under his father Sweyn Forkbeard in his invasion of England. This was a culmination of Sweyn Forkbeard’s raids in England since 1003. According to The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, in 1002 Æthelred II, King of the English was told that the Danish men in England “would faithlessly take his life, and then all his councilors, and possess his kingdom afterward.” In response, Æthelred “ordered slain all the Danish men who were in England.” St. Brice’s Day Massacre occurred on November 13, 1002. There was a significant loss of life including Gunhilde, the sister of Sweyn Forkbeard. In retaliation, Sweyn attacked England during 1003 – 1004 but famine in 1005 caused him to retreat. The Danish invaders returned and within a few years, all of England came under Danish rule. On Christmas Day in 1013, Sweyn was formally proclaimed King of England. Æthelred II had fled to the Isle of Wight and then to Normandy.

However, Sweyn Forkbeard’s reign was short-lived as he suddenly died on February 3, 1014. Sweyn’s younger son succeeded him as Harald II, King of Denmark, and his elder son Cnut, was proclaimed King of England by the Danes in England. However, English noblemen sent a deputation to Æthelred II to negotiate his restoration to the throne. Æthelred returned from exile in Normandy in the spring of 1014, managed to drive Cnut out of England, and then reigned until his death on April 23, 1016.

Medieval illumination depicting Kings Edmund Ironside (left) and Cnut (right), from the Chronica Majora written and illustrated by Matthew Paris; Credit – Wikipedia

Æthelred II’s son Edmund Ironside became King of the English but had to fight Cnut to keep the Kingdom of England. He earned the added name “Ironside” because of his bravery in resisting the Danish invasion led by Cnut the Great. The war between Edmund and Cnut ended in a decisive victory for Cnut at the Battle of Assandun on October 18, 1016. Because Edmund’s reputation as a warrior was great, Cnut agreed to divide England, with Edmund taking Wessex and Cnut the rest of the country beyond the River Thames. However, Edmund died on November 30, 1016, and Cnut the Great became King of England. Cnut succeeded his brother Harald II as King of Denmark in 1019. In 1029, Cnut invaded Norway and when King Olaf II of Norway was killed in 1030 at the Battle of Stiklestad, Cnut became King of Norway. He eventually also ruled parts of Sweden, Pomerania, and Schleswig.

Cnut’s North Sea Empire: Red = Countries where Cnut was king, Orange = Countries where rulers submitted to Cnut, Yellow = Countries who were allies of Cnut; Credit – By Soerfm – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=65042103

Cnut’s first wife was Ælfgifu of Northampton, daughter of Ælfhelm, Ealdorman of Northumbria. In 1006, her father and brothers came under suspicion of consorting with the Danes in northern England. Her father was murdered and her brothers were blinded, probably at the command of Æthelred II. When Sweyn Forkbeard invaded England, the people of the north, many of them of Scandinavian descent, immediately submitted to him. He then married his son Cnut to Ælfgifu to seal their loyalty.

After Cnut’s conquest of England in 1016, he married Emma of Normandy, the widow of King Æthelred II. At that time, it was acceptable to put aside one wife and take another. Exactly how Cnut’s second marriage affected Ælfgifu’s status is unknown but there is no evidence to suggest that she was repudiated. In fact, in 1030, after the defeat and death of King Olaf II of Norway by forces loyal to Cnut, Cnut sent Ælfgifu with their eldest son Sweyn to govern Norway. Their rule was considered oppressive by the Norwegians and they were expelled in 1035.  Magnus the Good, a son of Olaf II, then became King of Norway. There are no records of Ælfgifu after 1036 but it is unknown when she died.

Cnut and Ælfgifu had two sons:

Cnut’s second wife, Emma of Normandy, with her two sons by Æthelred II; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1017, Cnut thought it would be expedient to marry Æthelred II’s widow and sent for Emma of Normandy, a daughter of Richard I, Duke of Normandy. It is unclear whether Emma married Cnut by force or if she chose to accept Cnut’s proposal but she returned to England from Normandy and married Cnut.

Emma and Cnut had two children:

Emma’s children by Æthelred II remained in exile in Normandy:

Emma and Cnut’s marriage had begun as a loveless, political strategy but Emma’s importance in the affairs of the kingdom grew. Chroniclers often mentioned that Emma was alongside her husband as if they were inseparable from each other one. After Cnut became King of Denmark in 1019 and King of Norway in 1028, it was often necessary for him to be absent from England and Emma assumed a form of regency during those periods with the main nobles of the kingdom and the Archbishops of Canterbury and York.

Cnut the Great died on November 12, 1035, when he was about 40-years-old. He was buried at the Old Minster in Winchester. When the Old Minster was demolished in 1093, Canute’s remains were moved to Winchester Cathedral. They are among the remains in the mortuary chests that rest on top of the choir screen. Cnut was succeeded in England by Harold Harefoot, his son from his first marriage to Ælfgifu of Northampton, and in Denmark by Harthacnut, his son from his second marriage to Emma of Normandy.

Mortuary chest from Winchester Cathedral that claims to contain the remains of Cnut and his second wife Emma; Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

England: House of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Ashley, M. (1998). The Mammoth Book of British Kings & Queens. New York: Carroll & Graf Pub.
  • Cannon, J. and Griffiths, R. (1988). The Oxford Illustrated History of the British Monarchy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Da.wikipedia.org. (2019). Knud den Store. [online] Available at: https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knud_den_Store [Accessed 28 Feb. 2019].
  • Dodson, A. (2004). The Royal Tombs of Great Britain. London: Duckworth.
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Cnut the Great. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cnut_the_Great [Accessed 28 Feb. 2019].
  • Flantzer, S. (2019). Emma of Normandy, Queen of England, Denmark, and Norway. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/emma-of-normandy-queen-of-england-denmark-and-norway/ [Accessed 28 Feb. 2019].
  • Flantzer, S. (2019). Sweyn Forkbeard, King of Denmark, Norway, and England. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/sweyn-forkbeard-king-of-denmark-king-of-norway-king-of-england/ [Accessed 28 Feb. 2019].
  • Williamson, D. (1998). Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell.

Edmund II (Ironside), King of the English

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

Credit – Wikipedia

Born around 990, Edmund was the third of the six sons of Æthelred II (the Unready), King of the English and his first wife Ælfgifu of York. Edmund was not expected to become king as he had two elder brothers but they both predeceased their father.

(Note: Ætheling was used in Anglo-Saxon England to designate princes of the royal dynasty who were eligible for the kingship.)

Edmund’s known full siblings were:

In 1002, Edmund’s mother Ælfgifu died, possibly in childbirth, and his father made a second marriage to Emma of Normandy, the daughter of Richard I, Duke of Normandy. Edmund had three half-siblings from this marriage:

When Sweyn Forkbeard, King of Denmark seized the English throne in 1013, Æthelred fled to Normandy but his two eldest surviving sons Æthelstan and Edmund remained in England. The two brothers had a close relationship and when Æthelstan died in 1014, he left Edmund his most prized possession, a sword that had once belonged to King Offa of Mercia.

The reign of Sweyn Forkbeard was short-lived as he suddenly died on February 3, 1014. Sweyn’s elder son succeeded him as Harald II, King of Denmark, and his younger son Cnut (the Great), was proclaimed King of England by the Danes in England. However, leading English noblemen sent a deputation to Æthelred II to negotiate his restoration to the throne. Æthelred returned from exile in Normandy in the spring of 1014, managed to drive Cnut out of England, and then reigned until his death on April 23, 1016.

Medieval illumination depicting Kings Edmund Ironside (left) and Cnut (right), from the Chronica Majora written and illustrated by Matthew Paris; Credit – Wikipedia

Edmund was now King of the English but had to fight Cnut to keep the Kingdom of England. He earned the added name “Ironside” because of his bravery in resisting the Danish invasion led by Cnut the Great. The war between Edmund and Cnut ended in a decisive victory for Cnut at the Battle of Assandun on October 18, 1016. Because Edmund’s reputation as a warrior was great, Cnut agreed to divide England, with Edmund taking Wessex and Cnut the rest of the country beyond the River Thames. However, Edmund died on November 30, 1016, and Cnut the Great became King of England. Edmund was buried near his grandfather Edgar the Peaceful, King of the English at Glastonbury Abbey in Somerset which was destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries during the reign of King Henry VIII.

Ruins of Glastonbury Abbey; Credit – By Pam Brophy, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9115142

Cnut later became King of Denmark and King of Norway and married Æthelred’s widow Emma of Normandy. Cnut and his sons Harold Harefoot and Harthacnut ruled England from 1016 – 1042. After Harthacnut’s death, the English throne reverted to the House of Wessex under Æthelred II’s younger son by Emma of Normandy Edward the Confessor.

Edward the Exile. Edmund Ironside’s elder son; Credit – Wikipedia

Edmund’s two sons via his marriage with Ealdgyth have an interesting history.

According to the English monk and chronicler John of Worcester, after Edmund’s death, King Cnut sent his two very young children to King Olof Skötkonung of Sweden to be murdered, but instead, King Olof sent them to Kyiv where his daughter was the queen. Sometime in the 1040s, Edward and Edmund, now adults, both traveled to Hungary and helped the exiled Andrew of Hungary become King of Hungary. Edmund died in Hungary before 1054. Edward the Exile married Agatha, whose background is uncertain. Edward and Agatha had three children who were all born in Hungary:

Edgar the Ætheling, grandson of Edmund Ironside; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1057, Edward the Confessor, the childless King of England, discovered that his nephew Edward the Exile was still alive and summoned him to England in 1057 as a potential successor. However, Edward died within two days of his arrival in England and the cause of his death has never been determined. Murder is a possibility, as he had many powerful enemies. After his father’s death, his son Edgar the Ætheling had the best hereditary claim to the English throne. Edmund Ironside’s three children were then raised in the court of Edward the Confessor, who died in January 1066. Edgar was considered too young to be king and the Witenagemot elected Harold Godwinson king mainly because it was thought he could defend England against foreign claimants to the English throne.

In October 1066, William of Normandy (the Conqueror) invaded England and defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings. Following Harold’s death in battle, the Witenagemot elected Edmund’s son Edgar the Ætheling, who was the last of the House of Wessex, King of England. As William of Normandy’s position grew stronger, it became evident to those in power that King Edgar should be abandoned and that they should submit to William.

Edmund Ironside’s granddaughter Saint Margaret of Scotland, stained glass window at St. Margaret’s Chapel at Edinburgh Castle; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1068, Edgar, along with his mother Agatha and sisters Margaret and Cristina, fled to Northumbria. Supposedly, Agatha wanted to return to Hungary, but their ship was blown off course by a storm and they sought refuge from Malcolm III, King of Scots, who is the Malcolm in the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Malcolm’s first wife Ingebjorg Finnsdotter died around 1069, and shortly thereafter he married Margaret who was canonized a saint in 1250. Margaret and Malcolm had eight children, six sons and two daughters. Bearing in mind that William the Conqueror’s new dynasty in England was not secure and their sons would have a claim on the English throne, Margaret and Malcolm gave four of their sons Anglo-Saxon royal names and named the other two sons after Alexander the Great and the biblical King David. Their elder daughter Edith (also known as Matilda) married King Henry I of England and brought the bloodline of the Anglo-Saxon kings into the English/British royal family. Their other daughter Mary was the mother of  Matilda of Boulogne who married King Stephen of England.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

England: House of Wessex Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Ashley, M. (1998). The Mammoth Book of British Kings & Queens. New York: Carroll & Graf Pub.
  • Cannon, J. and Griffiths, R. (1988). The Oxford Illustrated History of the British Monarchy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Dodson, A. (2004). The Royal Tombs of Great Britain. London: Duckworth.
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Edmund Ironside. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Ironside [Accessed 28 Feb. 2019].
  • Flantzer, S. (2015). Æthelred II (the Unready), King of the English. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/aethelred-ii-the-unready-king-of-the-english/ [Accessed 25 Feb. 2019].
  • Flantzer, S. (2013). Saint Margaret of Scotland, Queen of Scotland. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/november-16-1093-death-of-saint-margaret-of-scotland-wife-of-king-malcolm-iii-of-scotland/ [Accessed 28 Feb. 2019].
  • Williamson, D. (1998). Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell.

Sweyn Forkbeard, King of Denmark, Norway, and England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

Sweyn Forkbeard, from an architectural element in the Swansea Guildhall, Swansea, Wales; Credit – Wikipedia

Born about 960, Sweyn Forkbeard was the son of Harald Bluetooth, King of Denmark and Norway and probably his first wife Gunhild of Wenden. Harald Bluetooth, who unified Denmark and Norway in the tenth century and eventually lost Norway, was the inspiration for the name of the wireless technology company Bluetooth. The Bluetooth logo    is a bind rune merging the runes  Runic letter ior.svg (Hagall) (ᚼ) and Runic letter berkanan.svg (Bjarkan) (ᛒ), Harald’s initials.

Besides Gunhild, Harald Bluetooth had two other wives: Tove of the Obotrites and Gyrid Olafsdottir of Sweden. Harald had three other children besides Sweyn but there is no certainty which of his wives were their mothers.

Sweyn Forkbeard’s siblings:

In 986, Sweyn became King of Denmark. Sweyn and Olav I, King of Norway sailed up the River Thames and raided London in 994. Æthelred II, King of the English and his council bought them off with 22,000 pounds of gold and silver, thereby instituting the policy of paying regular protection money called Danegeld to the Danes. These raids and the subsequent payment of Danegeld continued for several years.

Sweyn later made an alliance with Olof Skötkonung, King of Sweden, and Eirik Hákonarson, Jarl of Lade and together they ambushed Sweyn’s former ally Olav I, King of Norway in the Baltic Sea. Norway was divided up among the three victors.

Sweyn Forkbeard invading England; Credit – Wikipedia

According to The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, in 1002 Æthelred II, King of the English was told that the Danish men in England “would faithlessly take his life, and then all his councilors, and possess his kingdom afterward.” In response, Æthelred “ordered slain all the Danish men who were in England.” St. Brice’s Day Massacre occurred on November 13, 1002, the feast day of St. Brice, fifth-century Bishop of Tours. There was a significant loss of life including Gunhilde, the sister of Sweyn Forkbeard. In retaliation, Sweyn attacked England during 1003 – 1004, burning Norwich but a famine in 1005 caused him to retreat. The Danish invaders returned and within a few years, all of England came under Danish rule. On Christmas Day in 1013, Sweyn was formally proclaimed King of England. Æthelred had fled to the Isle of Wight and then to Normandy.

Sweyn’s marriage history is sketchy. Sigrid Storråda (the Haughty) supposedly was the daughter of Skogul-Tosti, a powerful Swedish nobleman and the widow of Eric the Victorious, King of Sweden. Gunhilda of Wenden supposedly was a Polish or Slavic princess. Both women are mentioned in the Norse sagas but there is very little information about them in medieval chronicles. Sweyn had seven known children but which of the two women are their mothers is uncertain.

Sweyn Forkbeard’s daughter, Estrid Svendsdatter, was the mother of King Sweyn II of Denmark. Her descendants have reigned in Denmark ever since. One of her descendants, Margaret of Denmark, married James III, King of Scots in 1469, introducing Sweyn’s bloodline into the Scottish royal house. In 1603, James VI, King of Scots inherited the English throne upon the death of Queen Elizabeth I. Since that time, all English and British monarchs have been Sweyn’s descendants.

Swen Forkbeard by Lorenz Frølich, circa 1883-1886. The work was made as decoration in Frederiksborg Castle in Denmark and was inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry from the 1000s; Credit – Wikipedia

Sweyn made his English base in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire and he began to organize his new kingdom. However, his reign was short-lived as he suddenly died in Gainsborough on February 3, 1014, at around the age of 54. Although there are reports that Sweyn died after a fall from his horse, a 2015 study speculated that he may have died from Brugada Syndrome, a genetic disorder in which the electrical activity in the heart is abnormal. It increases the risk of abnormal heart rhythms and sudden cardiac death. The study showed that perhaps up to fourteen Danish kings who suddenly died at a relatively young age without being ill possibly died of Brugada Syndrome.

Sweyn’s father Harald Bluetooth had named Roskilde the capital of Denmark in 960 and a small wooden church dedicated to the Holy Trinity was built on the site of the current Roskilde Cathedral, the traditional burial site of the Danish monarchs. Harald Bluetooth was buried at the Holy Trinity Church. Sweyn Forkbeard was first buried in England and his remains were later moved to Denmark where they were interred near his father at the Holy Trinity Church. However, their tombs have never been found.

Sweyn’s younger son succeeded him as Harold II, King of Denmark, and his elder son Cnut (the Great), was proclaimed King of England by the Danes in England. However, leading English noblemen sent a deputation to Æthelred II to negotiate his restoration to the throne. Æthelred returned from exile in Normandy in the spring of 1014 and managed to drive Cnut out of England. In 1016, following the deaths of Æthelred and his son Edmund Ironside, Cnut became King of England. He succeeded his brother as King of Denmark in 1019.  He eventually also became King of Norway, and also ruled parts of Sweden, Pomerania, and Schleswig. Cnut and his sons Harold Harefoot and Harthacnut ruled England from 1016 – 1042. After Harthacnut’s death, the English throne reverted to the House of Wessex under Æthelred II’s younger son Edward the Confessor.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

England: House of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Ashley, M. (1998). The Mammoth Book of British Kings & Queens. New York: Carroll & Graf Pub.
  • Cannon, J. and Griffiths, R. (1988). The Oxford Illustrated History of the British Monarchy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Da.wikipedia.org. (2019). Svend Tveskæg. [online] Available at: https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svend_Tvesk%C3%A6g [Accessed 26 Feb. 2019].
  • Dodson, A. (2004). The Royal Tombs of Great Britain. London: Duckworth.
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Sweyn Forkbeard. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweyn_Forkbeard [Accessed 26 Feb. 2019].
  • Flantzer, S. (2015). Æthelred II (the Unready), King of the English. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/aethelred-ii-the-unready-king-of-the-english/ [Accessed 25 Feb. 2019].
  • Williamson, D. (1998). Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell.

Emma of Normandy, Queen of England, Denmark and Norway

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Emma of Normandy, Queen of England, Denmark and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

Emma of Normandy was the queen consort of two Kings of England and the mother of two Kings of England. Born in Normandy around 985, she was the eldest daughter of Richard I, Duke of Normandy, and his second wife Gunnora de Crêpon. Richard and Gunnora met shortly after the death of his childless first wife. Gunnora was living with her sister Seinfreda and her husband, the local forester. Richard had heard how beautiful Seinfreda was and stopped by her home while hunting. He ordered Seinfreda to come to his bed but she substituted her unmarried sister Gunnora. Richard was pleased with Gunnora and the couple went on to have three sons and three daughters. The Dukes of Normandy recognized marriage by cohabitation. However, Richard was prevented from nominating his son Robert as Archbishop of Rouen because, in the eyes of the Church, his children were illegitimate, and so the couple married.

Emma had five siblings:

Æthelred II, King of the English; Credit – Wikipedia

Shortly after the death of his first wife, Æthelred II, King of the English sent an emissary to Normandy to ask for Emma’s hand in marriage. The marriage would benefit both Æthelred and Emma’s brother Richard II, Duke of Normandy. Viking raids on England were often based in Normandy and Æthelred hoped to quell the Viking threat. Richard hoped to improve relations with the English in the wake of the recent conflict. This marriage would also prove important in the future because it gave Richard II’s grandson, William the Conqueror, the basis of his claim to the throne of England.

During Lent 1002, Emma and her entourage arrived in England. It is probable that she married Æthelred sometime after Easter, most likely in April. Emma was given the Anglo-Saxon name of Ælfgifu, to be used for formal and official matters, and became Queen of England.

Emma with her sons Edward and Alfred; Credit – Wikipedia

Emma and Æthelred had three children:

Emma also became the stepmother to Æthelred’s children from his first marriage to Ælfgifu of York. All of Æthelred’s sons were named after Æthelred’s predecessors. Ætheling was used in Anglo-Saxon England to designate princes of the royal dynasty who were eligible for the kingship.

In 1013, Sweyn Forkbeard, King of Denmark and Norway launched an invasion with the goal of also becoming King of England. As Sweyn’s forces approached southern England, Emma and her children were sent to the Isle of Wight for safety. Æthelred soon followed them to the Isle of Wight and in August 1013, he sent Emma and their children to safety in Normandy. By the end of 1013, English resistance had collapsed and Sweyn had conquered the country, became King of England, and forced Æthelred into exile in Normandy.

Sweyn Forkbeard’s reign did not last long as he died on February 3, 1014. The Danes in England swore their allegiance to Sweyn’s son Cnut the Great but leading English noblemen sent a deputation to Æthelred to negotiate his restoration to the throne. Æthelred launched an attack against Cnut and his allies. However, Cnut’s army had not completed its preparations and in April 1014, he decided to withdraw from England without a fight. Æthelred returned to England and reigned until his death in London on April 23, 1016.

Æthelred was succeeded by his eldest surviving son from his first marriage Edmund II (Ironside). After Æthelred’s death, Cnut attacked London and demanded a large sum of money for Emma’s ransom. London held out and Cnut was forced to retreat from London but he did not leave England. Edmund fought five battles against the Danes, ending in his defeat on October 18, 1016, at the Battle of Assandun. Edmund and Cnut agreed to divide the Kingdom of England with Edmund taking Wessex and Cnut the rest. However, Edmund died on November 30, 1016, leaving two young sons. Cnut became the king of all England and exiled the remaining members of Edmund’s family.

Emma and Cnut; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1017, Cnut thought it would be expedient to marry Æthelred’s widow and sent for Emma. It is unclear whether Emma married Cnut by force or if she chose to accept Cnut’s proposal but she returned to England and married Cnut. Her children by Æthelred remained in exile in Normandy.

Emma and Cnut had two children:

Emma and Cnut’s marriage had begun as a loveless, political strategy but Emma’s importance in the affairs of the kingdom grew. Chroniclers often mentioned that Emma was alongside her husband as if they were inseparable from the other one. Cnut became King of Denmark in 1019 and King of Norway in 1028. It was often necessary for Cnut to be absent from England and Emma assumed a form of regency during those periods with the main nobles of the kingdom and the Archbishops of Canterbury and York.

Cnut the Great, King of England, Denmark, and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

Cnut died in 1035 and was succeeded in England by Harold Harefoot, his son from his first marriage to Ælfgifu of Northampton, and in Denmark by Harthacnut, his son from his second marriage to Emma. In 1036, Edward the Confessor and Alfred Ætheling, Emma’s sons from her marriage to Æthelred, returned to England from their exile in Normandy to visit their mother. As they made their way to London, they were betrayed. Alfred Ætheling was blinded with a hot iron to his eyes and died soon afterward. Edward escaped the attack and returned to Normandy. It is unclear exactly who was behind the attack on Alfred Ætheling. Some historians claim Harold Harefoot was behind the attack so he could rid himself of two more potential claimants to the English throne by killing Edward and Alfred. Other historians argue that Godwin, Earl of Wessex, who was traveling with Alfred and Edward as their protector, could have been the instigator of the attack.

When Harold Harefoot died in 1040, Harthacnut, King of Denmark also became King of England. Harthacnut lived only two more years and upon his death in 1042, Emma’s surviving son from the marriage to Æthelred, Edward the Confessor, became King of England. Harthacnut’s throne in Denmark was inherited by Magnus I, King of Norway. Emma was present at Edward’s coronation on Easter, April 3, 1043, at the Old Minster in Winchester, England.

Emma died on March 6, 1052, at St. Mary’s Abbey in Winchester, England, aged 66-67. She was buried at the Old Minster in Winchester beside her second husband Cnut and their son Harthacnut. When the Old Minster was demolished in 1093, Emma’s remains were moved to Winchester Cathedral. They were among the remains in the labeled mortuary chests that rest on top of the choir screen.  During the English Civil War, Winchester Cathedral was ransacked and the remains were scattered.  The remains were returned to the mortuary chests but were mixed up. In 2012, an examination of the remains in the chests began. The examination included DNA testing, reassembly of the skeletons, and analysis to determine the sex, age, and other characteristics of the remains. In May 2019, it was announced that Emma’s remains were found in several chests.

Mortuary chest from Winchester Cathedral that claims to contain the remains of Cnut and Emma; Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

England: House of Wessex Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Ashley, M. (1998). The Mammoth Book of British Kings & Queens. New York: Carroll & Graf Pub.
  • Cannon, J. and Griffiths, R. (1988). The Oxford Illustrated History of the British Monarchy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Dodson, A. (2004). The Royal Tombs of Great Britain. London: Duckworth.
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Cnut the Great. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cnut_the_Great [Accessed 25 Feb. 2019].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Emma of Normandy. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_of_Normandy [Accessed 25 Feb. 2019].
  • Flantzer, S. (2015). Æthelred II (the Unready), King of the English. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/aethelred-ii-the-unready-king-of-the-english/ [Accessed 25 Feb. 2019].
  • Williamson, D. (1998). Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell.

Edward the Martyr, King of the English

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Credit – Wikipedia

Edward the Martyr was the eldest son of Edgar the Peaceful, King of the English. He was born around 962 to Æthelflæd who possibly was a nun at Wilton Abbey, a Benedictine abbey in Wiltshire, England, whom Edgar seduced. It is unclear whether Æthelflæd and Edgar married.

Edward had a half-sister through his father’s relationship with Saint Wulfthryth, a noblewoman who may have been abducted from Wilton Abbey by Edgar. Bride abduction was a traditional part of Anglo-Saxon society but whether Edgar took Wulfthryth by force is not known.  It is also uncertain whether Edgar married Wulfthryth. Eventually, Wulfthryth and her daughter Edith returned to Wilton Abbey where Wulfthryth later became the Abbess and Edith became a nun.

Edward had two half-brothers through his father’s marriage to Ælfthryth, daughter of Ealdorman Ordgar of Devon:

In 975, King Edgar died and leaving his two surviving sons: Edward around 13 years of age, and Æthelred around 7 years old. Various nobles and clergy formed factions that supported each of the brothers’ succession to the throne. Both boys were too young to have played any significant role in the political maneuvering, and so it was the brothers’ supporters who were responsible for the turmoil which accompanied the choice of a successor to the throne. In the end, Edward’s supporters, mainly Saint Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury and Oswald of Worcester, Archbishop of York, proved more powerful and persuasive, and he was crowned king before the year was out.

King Edward the Martyr; Credit – Wikipedia

During Edward’s short reign, his kingdom was plagued with famine and violent attacks on monasteries by nobles who wanted to reclaim the land that King Edgar had given to the monks. Many monasteries were destroyed and the monks had to flee. The teenage Edward was famous for temper tantrums and insulting influential people due to his lack of diplomatic behavior.

Edward’s reign was short-lived. On March 18, 978, Edward arrived at a hunting lodge probably at or near the mound on which the ruins of Corfe Castle now stand. Aelfthryth, his stepmother, had invited Edward there and she arranged for him to be welcomed with a cup of wine. As Edward drank the wine, he was stabbed in the back while still mounted on his horse. He fell off, but his foot caught in the stirrup and he was dragged to his death. Although Edward’s ten-year-old half-brother Æthelred was not personally suspected of participation in the plot, the specter of his half-brother’s murder hung over him for the rest of his life.

A Victorian-era depiction of Ælfthryth putting her plan of murdering Edward the Martyr into motion; Credit – Wikipedia

Edward was first buried at St. Mary’s Church in Wareham, Dorset, England. In reality, people probably did not miss Edward because of his uncouth behavior. However, people were soon saying miracles occurred at his burial place and he was declared a saint and a martyr. Edward is recognized as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Anglican Church, and is known as Saint Edward the Martyr.

In 981, Edward’s remains were moved to Shaftesbury Abbey, a convent founded by his great-great-grandfather Alfred the Great, and were buried there with great pomp under the supervision of Saint Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury. Many miracles were claimed to occur at the tomb of Saint Edward, including the healing of lepers and the blind. The abbey became the wealthiest Benedictine convent in England and a major pilgrimage site.

In 1539, Edward’s remains were hidden to avoid desecration during the Dissolution of the Monasteries during the reign of King Henry VIII. In 1931, some remains were recovered by J.E. Wilson-Claridge during an archaeological excavation of Shaftesbury Abbey. Their identity was confirmed by Dr. T.E.A. Stowell, an osteologist, who said the remains were those of a young man of about 20 who had injuries that corresponded to a person being dragged backward over the pommel of a saddle and having their leg twisted in a stirrup.

In 1970, another examination performed on the remains suggested that death had been caused by the manner in which Edward supposedly had died. However, a later examination showed the remains to be from the same time period as Edward but that they belonged to a man in his late twenties or early thirties rather than a youth in his mid-teens. Nevertheless, Wilson-Claridge donated the remains to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, which interred them as King Edward the Martyr in a shrine at St. Edward the Martyr Orthodox Church in Woking, Surrey, England.

The Shrine of St Edward the Martyr in St. Edward the Martyr Orthodox Church; Credit – Wikipedia

England: House of Wessex Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Ashley, M. (1998). The Mammoth Book of British Kings & Queens. New York: Carroll & Graf Pub.
  • Cannon, J. and Griffiths, R. (1988). The Oxford Illustrated History of the British Monarchy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Clarke, J. (2019). St Edward the Martyr. [online] John-clarke.co.uk. Available at: https://www.john-clarke.co.uk/st_edward_the_martyr.html [Accessed 21 Feb. 2019].
  • Dodson, A. (2004). The Royal Tombs of Great Britain. London: Duckworth.
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Edward the Martyr. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_the_Martyr [Accessed 21 Feb. 2019].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. (2019). Édouard le Martyr. [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89douard_le_Martyr [Accessed 21 Feb. 2019].
  • Williamson, D. (1998). Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell.

Edgar the Peaceful, King of the English

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2019

From the Illuminated manuscript of The Charter of Edgar to the New Minster, Winchester, 966; Credit – Wikipedia

The reign of Edgar the Peaceful, King of the English brought a period of peace unknown in recent memory. His coronation service written by St. Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury has formed the basis for the coronation services for English and British monarchs ever since. Born around 943, Edgar the Peaceful, King of the English was the younger son of the two sons Edmund I, King of the English and Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury. He had one elder brother:

On May 26, 946, Edgar’s father King Edmund I was murdered while celebrating the feast of St. Augustine of Canterbury at a royal hunting lodge in Pucklechurch, north of Bath, England. Because Edmund’s two sons were very young, he was succeeded by his 23-year-old brother Eadred.  When King Eadred died on November 25, 955, his successor was his nephew, Edgar’s 15-year-old elder brother Eadwig.

Eadwig was an unpopular king and his short reign was marked by conflicts with the nobility and the church. In 957, the Mercians and Northumbrians revolted and chose Edgar as king of the country north of the River Thames. The south of England, however, remained loyal to Eadwig. On October 1, 959, Eadwig died in Gloucester in what some consider suspicious, but certainly unknown circumstances, at around the age of nineteen. As Eadwig did not have children, his 16-year-old brother Edgar succeeded him and reunified England.

Edgar’s marriage history is uncertain. He had relationships with three women but only the third was considered his “lawful wife.

(1) Æthelflæd was the mother of Edgar’s eldest child Edward the Martyr, King of the English who was born around 962. Some sources say that Æthelflæd was a nun at Wilton Abbey, a Benedictine abbey in Wiltshire, England whom Edgar seduced. It is unclear whether Æthelflæd and Edgar married.

(2) Saint Wulfthryth was a noblewoman who may have been abducted from Wilton Abbey by Edgar. She gave birth to a daughter Edith around 963. Bride abduction was a traditional part of Anglo-Saxon society but whether Edgar took Wulfthryth by force is not known. She did stay with Edgar for at least a year. It is uncertain whether Edgar married Wulfthryth. Eventually, Wulfthryth and Edith returned to Wilton Abbey where Wulfthryth later became the Abbess, and Edith became a nun. Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury made Edgar do penance for the crime of abduction by not wearing his crown for seven years. Edgar and Wulfthryth remained on good terms and Edgar gave financial support to Wilton Abbey for the rest of his life.

Edgar’s daughter Edith; Credit – Wikipedia

Edgar’s daughter Edith died on September 15, 984, at around the age of 21, and was buried in the church at Wilton Abbey. Wulfthryth survived her daughter, dying on September 21, 1000. She was buried before the main altar of the Wilton Abbey church. Both Wulfthryth and Edith were regarded as saints locally in Wiltshire after their deaths.

Ruins of the Wilton Abbey church where Wulfthryth and Edith were buried; Credit – Wikipedia

(3) In 964 or 965, Edgar married Ælfthryth, daughter of Ealdorman Ordgar of Devon.  She was the first wife of a king known to have been crowned and anointed as Queen of the Kingdom of England. It is probable that Ælfthryth was linked to the murder of her stepson King Edward the Martyr so that her son Æthelred could become king. Around 986, she founded Wherwell Abbey, a Benedictine convent in Hampshire, England where she retired to live her last years. She died there on November 17 in 1000 or 1001.

Edgar and Ælfthryth had two sons:

Edgar between St. Athelwald, Bishop of Winchester and St. Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury; Credit – Wikipedia

Because of conflicts, Eadwig, Edgar’s brother, had banished Dunstan, then Abbot of Glastonbury. Upon becoming king, Edgar recalled Dunstan and created him Bishop of Worcester and the Bishop of London. In 959, Dunstan became Archbishop of Canterbury. He remained Edgar’s chief advisor throughout his reign. Dunstan oversaw reform in the English church. Order was maintained throughout the kingdom and there was respect for the law. A military force patrolled the north and a navy guarded the shores against Viking raids. There was a level of peace in the kingdom unknown for many years.

Although Edgar probably had a coronation at Kingston-on-Thames, the traditional site for Wessex coronations, Dunstan felt there was a need for a major ceremony similar to the coronations of the King of the Franks and the German Emperor. This coronation was delayed for some time as Dunstan was disturbed by Edgar’s personal life and he counseled Edgar as he changed his ways. Dunstan wrote the order of service for Edgar’s coronation based upon ceremonies used by the Kings of the Franks and ceremonies used in the ordination of bishops. The main elements of the British coronation service and the form of the oath taken by the sovereign can be traced to the order of service devised by Dunstan for Edgar’s coronation. Although there have been revisions in the order of the ceremony, the sequence of taking an oath, anointing, investing of regalia, crowning, and enthronement found in the Anglo-Saxon text have remained constant.

The coronation took place at Bath Abbey in Bath, England on May 11, 873. Edgar’s wife Ælfthryth was also crowned and anointed, giving her a status higher than any recent queen. Shortly after the coronation, Edgar held a council in Chester, England. Several Scots and Welsh kings attended and pledged their allegiance to Edgar, including Kenneth II of Scotland, Máel Coluim I of Strathclyde and his father Dyfnwal III, Maccus Haroldson of the Isle of Man and Hebrides, Iago ap Idwal of Gwynedd, Iago’s brother Idwal Fychan and his nephew Hywel ap Ieuaf. Supposedly, these kings rowed Edgar over the River Dee in a boat as a sign of their submission.

A Victorian representation of Edgar being rowed on the River Dee; Credit – Wikipedia

Edgar died on July 8, 975 in Winchester, England, aged 31-32, and was buried at Glastonbury Abbey in Somerset, England. In 1052, Edgar’s remains were moved within Glastonbury Abbey to a new shrine near the high altar. The shrine was lost when the abbey was left in ruins during the sixteenth century. Edgar was succeeded by his son Edward the Martyr.

Ruins of Glastonbury Abbey; Credit – By Pam Brophy, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9115142

England: House of Wessex Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Ashley, M. (1998). The Mammoth Book of British Kings & Queens. New York: Carroll & Graf Pub.
  • Cannon, J. and Griffiths, R. (1988). The Oxford Illustrated History of the British Monarchy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • De.wikipedia.org. (2019). Edgar (England). [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_(England) [Accessed 20 Feb. 2019].
  • Dodson, A. (2004). The Royal Tombs of Great Britain. London: Duckworth.
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Edgar the Peaceful. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_the_Peaceful [Accessed 20 Feb. 2019].
  • Williamson, D. (1998). Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell.

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