(Jody Gray) this Blog Post covers the end of the House of Wessex and introduces the House of Denmark and the House of Godwin.
House of Wessex:
6th cousin 30x removed, Edgar Atheling b. 1051 d. 1126
House of Denmark: After the death of Cnut the Great’s heirs within the decade of his own death and the Norman conquest of England in 1066, the legacy of Knýtlinga was largely lost to history.
(husband of 31st GGM) Sweyn Forkbeard, King of Denmark b. 960 d. 1014 (Reign, King of England 1013-1014) *31st GGM Sigrid the Haughty; mother of 30th GGF Olof II Skotkonung, King of Sweden; father of 29th GGM Ingegerd of Sweden; mother of 28th GGM Anne of Kiev who married Robertian Henry I, King of the Franks.
(husband of 30th great-aunt) Cnut the Great, King of Denmark, England and Norway b. 995 d. 1035 (Reign, King of England 1016-1035) *married 30th great-aunt, Emma of Normandy; daughter of Richard I, 1st Duke of Normandy.
(stepson of 30th great-aunt) Harold Harefoot, King of England b. 1016 d. 1040 (Reign, King of England 1035-1040)
1st cousin 30x removed, Harthacnut, King of Denmark and England b. 1018 d. 1042 (Reign, King of England 1040-1042)
House of Godwin: Godwin, 1st Earl of Wessex by Cnut 'the Great' 1st Danish King of England (1016-1035); paved the way for his sons receiving royal appointments: Sweyn, Earl of Herfordshire; Harold II, 2nd Earl of Wessex; Tostig, Earl of Northumbria; Gyrth, Earl of East Anglia; Leofwine, Earl of Kent; his daughter Edith married Edward the Confessor, King of England. Godwin's family looked set to inaugurate a new royal dynasty, but instead Harold was overthrown and killed in the Battle of Hastings (brothers Gyrth and Leofwine also killed in the battle); brother Tostig was killed about a month earlier by Harold's forces in a surprise attack at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. *after the Battle of Hastings 10/14/1066, all of Godwin's sons were dead except for Wulfnoth would died in captivity.
(father-in-law of 1st cousin 29x removed) Godwin, 1st Earl of Wessex b. 1001 d. 1053 *his son, Tostig Godwinson m: 1st cousin 29x removed, Judith of Flanders; daughter Baldwin IV, Count of Flanders and 29th great-aunt, Eleanor of Normandy; daughter of Richard II, 2nd Duke of Normandy. His daughter, Edith married 1st cousin 30x removed, Edward the Confessor, King of England.
(father-in-law of 1st cousin 29x removed) Harold Godwinson b. 1022 d. 1066 (Reign, King of England 1/5-10/14, 1066) *his daughter Gytha of Wessex married 1st cousin 29x removed Vladimir II, Grand Prince of Rus; grandson of Yaroslav and Ingegerd; daughter of Olof II Skotkonung, King of Sweden.
(Jody Gray): connections to the House of Godwin are through marriage, not blood. However, they are important characters, and through their descendants they are related to the Rurik Dynasty and the House of Denmark and the Munso Dynasty (Kings of Sweden and the legendary Viking Ragnar Lodbrok).The Munso Dynasty will be covered in a future Blog Post.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%86thelred_the_Unready 3rd cousin 33x removed, Ethelred ‘the Unready’, King of the English b. ca. 966 d. 4/23/1016 London, England. "Unready" is a mis-translation of the Old English should not be "unprepared", but rather "ill-advised" -he was about 12 years old when he succeeded to the throne. Reign, 1st (978-1013). Reign, 2nd (1014-1016). m1, 985, Elfgifu of York m2, 1002, Emma of Normandy. Reign: Ethelred was around 12 years old when his half-brother Edward was murdered 3/18/978; although not a suspect, the murder was committed by his attendants, making it more difficult for the new king to rally the nation against the military raids by Danes -some companies of Danish carried out a series of coastline raids against England: Hampshire, Thanet and Cheshire were attacked in 980, Devon and Cornwall in 981, and Dorset in 982. A period of six years then passed before, in 988, another coastal attack is recorded as taking place to the south-west. Stenton notes that, though this series of isolated raids had no lasting effect on England itself, "their chief historical importance is that they brought England for the first time into diplomatic contact with Normandy." Pope John XV was disposed to dissolve their hostility and took steps to engineer a peace between England and Normandy, which was ratified in Rouen in 991. In August, a sizable Danish fleet began a sustained campaign in the south-east of England. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Maldon The Battle of Maldon, in August 991 between the Anglo-Saxons and Norwegian Vikings, ended in an Anglo-Saxon defeat. Archbishop Sigeric of Canterbury and the aldermen of the south-western provinces advised King Ethelred to buy off the Vikings; the result was a payment of 10,000 Roman pounds of silver, the first example of Danegeld ("Danish tax" raised to pay tribute to the Viking raiders to save a land from being ravaged) in England. Yet it was presumably this Danish fleet that continued to ravage the English coast from 991 to 993. In 994, Olaf Tryggvason, already a baptized Christian, was confirmed as Christian in a ceremony at Andover; King Ethelred stood as his sponsor. After receiving gifts, Olaf promised "that he would never come back to England in hostility" -though "other component parts of the Viking force appear to have decided to stay in England, for it is apparent from the treaty that some had chosen to enter into King Ethelred's service as mercenaries, based presumably on the Isle of Wright." In 997, Danish raids began again. According to Keynes, "there is no suggestion that this was a new fleet or army, and presumably the mercenary force created in 994 from the residue of the raiding army of 991 had turned on those whom it had been hired to protect. It harried Cornwall, Devon, western Somerset and south Wales in 997, Dorest, Hampshire and Sussex in 998. In 999, it raided Kent, and, in 1000, it left England for Normandy, perhaps because the English had refused in this latest wave of attacks to acquiesce to the Danish demands for tribute. This sudden relief from attack Ethelred used to gather his resources and armies... In 1002, the English bought a truce for £24,000...
House of Wessex:
3rd cousin 33x removed, Ethelred ‘the Unready’, King of the English b. 966 d. 1016
1st cousin 30x removed, Edward the Confessor, King of the English b. 1003 d. 1066
4th cousin 32x removed, Edmund ‘Ironside’, King of the English d. 1016 *leaving two sons, Edward and Edmund; however, Cnut 'the Great' became King of all England.
5th cousin 32x removed, Edward Atheling ‘ the Exile’ b. 1016 d. 1057
6th cousin 30x removed, Margaret Atheling b. 1045 m: Malcolm III, King of Scots6th cousin 30x removed, Edgar Atheling b. 1051 d. 1126
House of Denmark: After the death of Cnut the Great’s heirs within the decade of his own death and the Norman conquest of England in 1066, the legacy of Knýtlinga was largely lost to history.
(husband of 31st GGM) Sweyn Forkbeard, King of Denmark b. 960 d. 1014 (Reign, King of England 1013-1014) *31st GGM Sigrid the Haughty; mother of 30th GGF Olof II Skotkonung, King of Sweden; father of 29th GGM Ingegerd of Sweden; mother of 28th GGM Anne of Kiev who married Robertian Henry I, King of the Franks.
(husband of 30th great-aunt) Cnut the Great, King of Denmark, England and Norway b. 995 d. 1035 (Reign, King of England 1016-1035) *married 30th great-aunt, Emma of Normandy; daughter of Richard I, 1st Duke of Normandy.
(stepson of 30th great-aunt) Harold Harefoot, King of England b. 1016 d. 1040 (Reign, King of England 1035-1040)
1st cousin 30x removed, Harthacnut, King of Denmark and England b. 1018 d. 1042 (Reign, King of England 1040-1042)
House of Godwin: Godwin, 1st Earl of Wessex by Cnut 'the Great' 1st Danish King of England (1016-1035); paved the way for his sons receiving royal appointments: Sweyn, Earl of Herfordshire; Harold II, 2nd Earl of Wessex; Tostig, Earl of Northumbria; Gyrth, Earl of East Anglia; Leofwine, Earl of Kent; his daughter Edith married Edward the Confessor, King of England. Godwin's family looked set to inaugurate a new royal dynasty, but instead Harold was overthrown and killed in the Battle of Hastings (brothers Gyrth and Leofwine also killed in the battle); brother Tostig was killed about a month earlier by Harold's forces in a surprise attack at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. *after the Battle of Hastings 10/14/1066, all of Godwin's sons were dead except for Wulfnoth would died in captivity.
(father-in-law of 1st cousin 29x removed) Godwin, 1st Earl of Wessex b. 1001 d. 1053 *his son, Tostig Godwinson m: 1st cousin 29x removed, Judith of Flanders; daughter Baldwin IV, Count of Flanders and 29th great-aunt, Eleanor of Normandy; daughter of Richard II, 2nd Duke of Normandy. His daughter, Edith married 1st cousin 30x removed, Edward the Confessor, King of England.
(father-in-law of 1st cousin 29x removed) Harold Godwinson b. 1022 d. 1066 (Reign, King of England 1/5-10/14, 1066) *his daughter Gytha of Wessex married 1st cousin 29x removed Vladimir II, Grand Prince of Rus; grandson of Yaroslav and Ingegerd; daughter of Olof II Skotkonung, King of Sweden.
(Jody Gray): connections to the House of Godwin are through marriage, not blood. However, they are important characters, and through their descendants they are related to the Rurik Dynasty and the House of Denmark and the Munso Dynasty (Kings of Sweden and the legendary Viking Ragnar Lodbrok).The Munso Dynasty will be covered in a future Blog Post.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%86thelred_the_Unready 3rd cousin 33x removed, Ethelred ‘the Unready’, King of the English b. ca. 966 d. 4/23/1016 London, England. "Unready" is a mis-translation of the Old English should not be "unprepared", but rather "ill-advised" -he was about 12 years old when he succeeded to the throne. Reign, 1st (978-1013). Reign, 2nd (1014-1016). m1, 985, Elfgifu of York m2, 1002, Emma of Normandy. Reign: Ethelred was around 12 years old when his half-brother Edward was murdered 3/18/978; although not a suspect, the murder was committed by his attendants, making it more difficult for the new king to rally the nation against the military raids by Danes -some companies of Danish carried out a series of coastline raids against England: Hampshire, Thanet and Cheshire were attacked in 980, Devon and Cornwall in 981, and Dorset in 982. A period of six years then passed before, in 988, another coastal attack is recorded as taking place to the south-west. Stenton notes that, though this series of isolated raids had no lasting effect on England itself, "their chief historical importance is that they brought England for the first time into diplomatic contact with Normandy." Pope John XV was disposed to dissolve their hostility and took steps to engineer a peace between England and Normandy, which was ratified in Rouen in 991. In August, a sizable Danish fleet began a sustained campaign in the south-east of England. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Maldon The Battle of Maldon, in August 991 between the Anglo-Saxons and Norwegian Vikings, ended in an Anglo-Saxon defeat. Archbishop Sigeric of Canterbury and the aldermen of the south-western provinces advised King Ethelred to buy off the Vikings; the result was a payment of 10,000 Roman pounds of silver, the first example of Danegeld ("Danish tax" raised to pay tribute to the Viking raiders to save a land from being ravaged) in England. Yet it was presumably this Danish fleet that continued to ravage the English coast from 991 to 993. In 994, Olaf Tryggvason, already a baptized Christian, was confirmed as Christian in a ceremony at Andover; King Ethelred stood as his sponsor. After receiving gifts, Olaf promised "that he would never come back to England in hostility" -though "other component parts of the Viking force appear to have decided to stay in England, for it is apparent from the treaty that some had chosen to enter into King Ethelred's service as mercenaries, based presumably on the Isle of Wright." In 997, Danish raids began again. According to Keynes, "there is no suggestion that this was a new fleet or army, and presumably the mercenary force created in 994 from the residue of the raiding army of 991 had turned on those whom it had been hired to protect. It harried Cornwall, Devon, western Somerset and south Wales in 997, Dorest, Hampshire and Sussex in 998. In 999, it raided Kent, and, in 1000, it left England for Normandy, perhaps because the English had refused in this latest wave of attacks to acquiesce to the Danish demands for tribute. This sudden relief from attack Ethelred used to gather his resources and armies... In 1002, the English bought a truce for £24,000...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Brice%27s_Day_massacre St. Brice's Day massacre, 11/13/1002, ordered by Ethelred the Unready after being told that the Danish men in England "would faithlessly take his life, and then all his councilors, and possess his kingdom afterwards." The massacre in Oxford was justified by Ethelred in a royal charter of 1004 explaining the need to rebuild St Fridewide's Church "since a decree was sent out by me with the counsel of my leading men and magnates, to the effect that all the Danes who had sprung up in this island, sprouting like cockle amongst the wheat, were to be destroyed by a most just extermination, and thus extermination, and thus this decree was to be put into effect even as far as death, those Danes who dwelt in the aforementioned town, striving to escape death, entered this sanctuary of Christ, having broken by force the doors and bolts, and resolved to make refuge and defense for themselves therein against the people of the town and the suburbs; but when all the people in pursuit strove, forced by necessity, to drive them out, and could not, they set fire to the planks and burnt, as it seems, this church with its ornaments and its books. Afterwards, with God's aid, it was renewed by me." The skeletons of 34 to 38 young men, all aged 16 to 25, were found during an excavation at St John's College, Oxford in 2008. Chemical analysis carried out in 2012 by Oxford University researchers suggest that the remains are Viking; older scars on the bones provide evidence that they were professional warriors. It is thought that they were stabbed repeatedly and then brutally slaughtered. Charring on the bones is consistent with historical records of the church burning. The sister of Sweyn Forkbeard, King of Denmark, was said to have been among the victims; a likely wish to avenge her a principal motive for his invasion of western England the following year. By 1004 Sweyn was in East Anglia, where he sacked Norwich... The Danish army left England for Denmark in 1005... An expedition the following year was bought off in early 1007 by tribute and for the next two years England was free from attack. In 1008, the government created a new fleet of warships, organized on a national scale, but this was weakened when one of its commanders took to piracy, and the king his council decided not to risk it in a general action. In Stenton's view: "The history of England in the next generation was really determined between 1009 and 1012... the ignominious collapse of the English defense caused a loss of morale which was irreparable." The Danish army of 1009, led by Thorkell the Tall and his brother Hemming, was the most formidable force to invade England since Ethelred became king. It harried England until it was bought off by £48,000 in April 1012. Invasion of 1013. Sweyn then launched an invasion in 1013 intending to crown himself king of England, during which he proved himself to be a general greater than any other Viking leader of his generation. By the end of 1013 English resistance had collapsed and Sweyn had conquered the country, forcing Ethelred into exile in Normandy. When Sweyn died 2/3/1014, the crews of the Danish ships in the Trent that had supported Sweyn immediately swore their allegiance to Sweyn's son Cnut the Great, but leading English noblemen sent a deputation to Ethelred to negotiate his restoration to the throne. He was required to declare his loyalty to them, to bring in reforms regarding everything that they disliked and to forgive all that had been done against him. The terms of this agreement are of great constitutional interest in early English History as they are the first recorded pact between a King and his subjects and are also widely regarded as showing that many English noblemen had submitted to Sweyn simply because of their distrust of Ethelred. Ethelred then launched an expedition against Cnut and his allies, the men of the Kingdom of Lindsey. Cnut's army had not completed its preparations, in April 1014, he withdrew from England. In Aug. 1015, Cnut returned to find a complex and volatile situation unfolding in England. Ethelred's son Edmund Ironside, had revolted in the Danelaw, which was angry at Cnut and Ethelred for the ravaging of Lindsey and was prepared to support Edmund in any uprising against both of them. Over the next few months Cnut conquered most of England, while Edmund rejoined Ethelred to defend London when Ethelred died on 4/23/1016. He was buried in Old St Paul's Cathedral, London. The tomb and his monument were destroyed along with the cathedral in the Great Fire of London in 1666. A modern monument in the crypt lists his among the important graves lost. He was succeeded by his son, Edmund.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Ironside 4th cousin 32x removed, Edmund ‘Ironside’, King of the English d. 1016. Reign (4/23/1016-11/30/1016). His father, Ethelred, was usurped by Sweyn Forkbeard in 1014; after his death (that same year), Ethelred returned to the throne but not without opposition. Sweyn's son Cnut was forced back to Denmark, where he set about assembling an army. People who had sided with the Danes were punished, some were killed. Among those killed were Sigeferth and his brother Morcar (in 1015); King Ethelred seized their lands and imprisoned Sigeferth's widow, Ealdgyth. Later, his son Edmund, seized her and married her. Aug 1015, Cnut returned to England, and over the next few months, conquered most of England. Ethelred died 4/3/1016, Edmund succeeded him. Edmund fought five battles against the Danes, ending in his defeat 10/18/1016 at the Battle of Ashingdon, after which they agreed to divide the kingdom, Edmund taking Wessex and Cnut the rest of the country. However, Edmund died on 11/30/1016; the cause and location are uncertain. He was buried near his grandfather Edgar at Glastonbury Abbey in Somerset, however the abbey was destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century, any remains of a monument or crypt would have been plundered and the location of his remains is unclear. He left two sons, Edward and Edmund; however, Cnut became the king of all England.
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| Cnut the Great’s Domains “North Sea Empire” (1016-1035) |
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danelaw Danelaw, the part of England in which the laws of the Danes held sway; areas in northern and eastern England. From 1016 to 1035, Cnut the Great ruled over a unified English kingdom, itself the product of a resurgent Wessex, as part of his North Sea Empire, together with Denmark, Norway and part of Sweden. Cnut was succeeded in England on his death by his son Harold Harefoot… in 1042 until 1066 the monarchy reverted to the English line in the form of Edward the Confessor. Edward died in January 1066 without an obvious successor, and an English nobleman, Harold Godwinson, took the throne. In the autumn of that same year, two rival claimants to the throne led invasions of England in short succession. First, Harald Hardrada of Norway took York in September, but was defeated by Harold at the Battle of Stamford Bridge, in Yorkshire. Then, three weeks later, William of Normandy defeated Harold at the Battle of Hastings, in Sussex and in December he accepted the submission of Edgar the Ætheling, last in the line of Anglo-Saxon kings, at Berkhamsted.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Kn%C3%BDtlinga House of Knýtlinga (English: “House of Cnut’s Descendants”) later referred to as the House of Denmark. At the height of its power (1028-1030) the House reigned over Denmark, England and Norway. After the death of Cnut the Great’s heirs within the decade of his own death and the Norman conquest of England in 1066, the legacy of Knýtlinga was largely lost to history. Danish kings of England: Sweyn Forkbeard, 1013-14 (also king of Denmark 986/7-1014 and Norway 999-1014); Cnut, 1016-1035 (also king of Denmark 1018-35 and Norway 1028-35); Harold Harefoot, 1035-40; Harthacnut, 1040-42 (also king of Denmark 1035-1042)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Kn%C3%BDtlinga House of Knýtlinga (English: “House of Cnut’s Descendants”) later referred to as the House of Denmark. At the height of its power (1028-1030) the House reigned over Denmark, England and Norway. After the death of Cnut the Great’s heirs within the decade of his own death and the Norman conquest of England in 1066, the legacy of Knýtlinga was largely lost to history. Danish kings of England: Sweyn Forkbeard, 1013-14 (also king of Denmark 986/7-1014 and Norway 999-1014); Cnut, 1016-1035 (also king of Denmark 1018-35 and Norway 1028-35); Harold Harefoot, 1035-40; Harthacnut, 1040-42 (also king of Denmark 1035-1042)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cnut_the_Great (husband of 30th GGM, Emma of Normandy, widow of Ethelred, daughter of Richard I the Fearless, 3rd Duke of Normandy) Cnut 'the Great', King of England, b. ca 995 d. 11/12/1035 (age 40); son of Sweyn Forkbeard (who reigned as King of England 1013-1014). Reign of Cnut (1016-1035). The medieval historian Norman Cantor stated that he was "the most effective king in Anglo-Saxon history", although Cnut himself was Danish and not a Briton or Anglo-Saxon. As a Danish prince, Cnut won the throne in 1016 in the wake of centuries of Viking activity in northwestern Europe. His accession to the Danish throne in 1018 brought the crowns of England and Denmark together. Cnut maintained his power by uniting Danes and English under cultural bonds of wealth and custom, as well as by sheer brutality. The kingship of England lent the Danes an important link to the maritime zone between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, where Cnut had a strong interest and wielded much influence among the Norse–Gaels. Cnut's possession of England's dioceses and the continental Diocese of Denmark -along with a claim laid upon it by the Holy Roman Empire's Archdiocese of Hamburg-Bremen -was a source of great leverage within the Catholic Church, gaining notable concessions from Pope Benedict VIII and his successor John XIX... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Helge%C3%A5 Battle of Helgeå. After his 1026 victory against Norway and Sweden, and on his way to Rome for this coronation, Cnut, in a letter written for the benefit of his subjects, which now exists in two 12th-century Latin versions, deemed himself "King of all England and Denmark and the Norwegians and some of the Swedes". The Anglo-Saxon kings used the title "king of the English". Cnut was "king of all England." Forkbeard, who was the son and heir to King Harald Bluetooth from a line of Scandinavian rulers central to the unification of Denmark. Harthacnut was the semi-legendary founder of the Danish royal house at the beginning of the 10th century, and his son, Gorm the Old, was the first in the official line. Harald Bluetooth, Gorm's son and Cnut's grandfather, was the Danish king at the time of the Christianization of Denmark, the first Scandinavian king to accept Christianity... sources give a Polish princess as Cnut's mother, whom they call Gunhild and a daughter of Burislav, the king of Vindland... Adam of Bremen is unique in equating Cnut's mother with the former queen of Sweden, wife of Eric the Victorious and by this marriage mother of (King of Sweden) Olof Skötkonung. (father of Ingergerd, Grand Princess of Kievan Rus'). But since Adam is the only source to equate the identity of Cnut's and Olof Skokonung's mother, this is often seen as an error of Adam, and it is often assumed that Sweyn had two wives, the first being Cnut's mother, and the second being the former Queen of Sweden. Cnut's brother Harald was the first born and crown prince. Hardly anything is known for sure of Cnut's life until the year he was part of a Scandinavian force under his father, King Sweyn, in his invasion of England in the summer 1013. On the death of Sweyn Forkbeard after a few months as king, 2/3/1014, Harald succeeded him as King of Denmark, while Cnut was immediately elected king by the Vikings and the people of Danelaw. However, the English nobility recalled Ethelred from Normandy and restored him as king; Ethelred led an army against Cnut, who fled to Denmark. Cnut and Harald "went amongst the Wends" to fetch their mother back to the Danish court. She had been sent away by their father after the death of the Swedish king Eric the Victorious in 995, and his marriage to Sigrid the Haughty, the Swedish queen mother. This wedlock formed a strong alliance between the successor to the throne of Sweden, Olof Skokonung, and the rulers of Denmark, his in-laws. In the summer of 1015, Cnut's fleet set sail for England with a Danish army of perhaps 10,000 in 200 longships. Cnut was at the head of an array of Vikings from all over Scandinavia. The invasion force was to engage in often close and grisly warfare with the English for the next fourteen months. Practically all of the battles were fought against the eldest son of Ethelred, Edmund Ironside... Wessex, long ruled by the dynasty of Alfred and Ethelred, submitted to Cnut late in 1015, as it had to his father two years earlier. At this point Eadric Streona, the Earldorman of Mercia, deserted Ethelred together with 40 ships and joined forces with Cnut... Edmund was elected king after the death of Ethelred 4/23/1016... 10/18/1016, the Danes were engaged by Edmund's army as they retired towards their ships, leading to the Battle of Ashingdon... On an island near Deerhurst, Cnut and Edmund -who had been wounded -met to negotiate terms of peace. It was agreed that all of England north of the Thames was to be the domain of the Danish prince, while all to the south was kept by the English king, along with London. Accession to the reign of the entire realm was set to pass to Cnut upon Edmund's death. Edmund died 11/30/16, in accord with the treaty, Cnut became king of all England; he ruled for 19 years. The protection he lent against Viking raiders -many of them under his command -restored prosperity and the resources he commanded in England helped him to establish control of the majority of Scandinavia. July 1017, Cnut married Emma of Normandy, widow of Ethelred and daughter of Richard the Fearless, 1st Duke of Normandy. Cnut was quick to eliminate any prospective challenge from the survivors of the Wessex dynasty; executing a number of English noblemen whom he considered suspect. Ethelred's son by Elfgifu, Eadwig Atheling fled from England but was killed on Cnut's orders -the sons of Edmund Ironside's sons Edward the Exile and Edmund Atheling likewise fled abroad, Edward eventually to Hungary. Emma's sons by Ethelred, Edward the Confessor and Alfred Atheling, went into exile among their relatives in Normandy. Cnut put forward Harthacnut, his son by Emma, to be his heir. Cnut extended the existing trend for multiple shires to be grouped together under a single ealdorman, dividing the country into four large administrative units whose geographical extent was based on the largest and most durable of the separate kingdoms that had preceded the unification of England. The officials responsible for these provinces were designated earls, a title of Scandinavian origin already in localized use in England, which now everywhere replaced that of ealdorman... Cnut was generally remembered as a wise and successful king of England, although this view may in part be attributable to his good treatment of the Church, keeper of the historic record. Accordingly, we hear of him, even today, as a religious man, despite the fact that he was in an arguably sinful relationship, with two wives, and the harsh treatment he dealt his fellow Christian opponents... Cnut died 11/12/1035 at Shaftesbury, Dorset, England; was buried in the Old Minster, Winchester. After the Norman conquest of England, Bishop Walkelin built a new cathedral alongside and the Old Minster was demolished in 1093. Many of the kings of Wessex and of England had been buried in the Old Minster, so their bodies were exhumed and re-interred in the new building -the bones of the monarchs are now housed in mortuary chests around the choir. In Denmark, Cnut was succeeded by Harthacnut who was "forsaken [by the English] because he was too long in Denmark", and his mother Queen Emma, previously resident at Winchester, was made to flee to Bruges in Flanders, under pressure from supporters of Cnut's other son... Harold Harefoot -regent in England 1035-37 -succeeded to claim the throne in 1037, reigning until his death in 1040. Eventual peace in Scandinavia left Harthacnut free claim the throne himself in 1040... He brought the crowns of Denmark and England together again until his death in 1042. The inheritance of England was briefly to return to its Anglo-Saxon lineage with Edward the Confessor...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Harefoot Harold Harefoot, King of England b. ca 1016 d. 3/17/1040.
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| Runestone, Småland, Sweden English translation: Tumi/Tummi/Domi raised this stone in memory of Ôzurr, his brother, he who was King Haraldr’s seaman. |
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harthacnut 1st cousin 30x removed, Harthacnut, King of Denmark and England. ca. b. 1018 d. 6/8/1042 (age 24); son of Cnut 'the Great' and 2nd wife Emma of Normandy, daughter of Richard I the Fearless, 1st Duke of Normandy. Reign, King of Denmark (1035-1042). Reign, King of England (1040-1042). When Cnut died in 1035, Magnus I took control of Norway, but Harthacnut succeeded as King of Denmark and became King of England in 1040 after the death of his half-brother Harold Harefoot. In the 1020s, Denmark was threatened by Norway and Sweden; in 1026, Cnut decided to strengthen its defenses by bringing over his 8-yr-old son to be the future king under a council headed by his brother-in-law, Earl Ulf. However, Ulf alienated Cnut by getting the Danish provinces to acknowledge Harthacnut as king without reference to Cnut's overall authority and by failing to take vigorous measures to meet Norwegian and Swedish invasions. In 1027, Cnut arrived with a fleet. He forgave Harthacnut his insubordination in view of his youth but had Ulf murdered. He drove the invaders out of Denmark and established his authority over Norway, returning to England in 1028 and leaving Denmark to be ruled by King Harthacnut. Cnut had left Norway under the rule of Håkon Eiriksson, but he was drowned in 1029, and Cnut appointed his son Svein to rule Norway with the assistance of Elfgifu, Cnut's 1st wife and Svein's mother. However, they made themselves unpopular by heavy taxation and favoring Danish advisers over the Norwegian nobles, and when King Magnus I of Norway invaded in 1035, they were forced to flee to Harthacnut's court. When his father died in 1035, Harthacnut succeeded him as Cnut III, King of Denmark. He was unable to come to England in view of the situation in Denmark, and it was agreed that Svein's full brother, Harold Harefoot, should act as regent, with Emma holding Wessex on Harthacnut's behalf In 1037, Harold was generally accepted as king; Emma fled to Bruges in Flanders. In 1039, Harthacnut sailed with ten ships to meet his mother in Bruges but delayed an invasion as it was clear Harold was sick and would soon die, which he did in March 1040. Envoys soon crossed the channel to offer Harthacnut the throne. Harthacnut doubled the size of the English fleet from sixteen to thirty-two ships, to pay for it he severely increased the rate of taxation. In 1041 two of his tax gathers were so harsh in dealing with people in and around Worcester that they rioted and killed the tax gatherers. Harthacnut reacted by imposing a then-legal punishment known as 'harrying'. He ordered his earls to burn the town and kill the population (very few people were killed as they knew what was coming and fled). In 1041 Earl Eadwult gave offence to the king but then sought reconciliation; he was promised safe conduct but murdered by Siward who became earl of the whole of Northumbria. The crime was widely condemned, and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle described it as "a betrayal" and the king as an "oath-breaker". Harthacnut suffered from bouts of illness (possibly tuberculosis) and probably knew he had not long to live. In 1041, he invited his half-brother, Edward the Confessor (his mother Emma's son by Ethelred the Unready) back from exile in Normandy and probably made him his heir. He may have been influenced by his mother who hoped to keep her power by ensuring that one of her sons succeeded. Harthacnut was unmarried and had no known children. He died 6/8/1042 (possibly of a stroke or poisoning). He was the last Scandinavian (House of Denmark) to rule England.There were several potential claims to the throne; ultimately he was succeeded by Edward the Confessor.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winchester_Cathedral Winchester Cathedral
one of the largest cathedrals in Europe, with the longest nave and greatest overall length of any Gothic cathedral in Europe. Dedicated to the Holy Trinity, Saint Peter, Saint Paul. It is the seat of the Bishop of Winchester and center of the Diocese of Winchester. The cathedral was founded in 642 on a site immediately to the north of the present one. This building is known as the Old Minster. It became part of a monastic settlement in 971. So-called mortuary chests said to contain the remains of Saxon kings such as King Eadwig of England, first buried in the Old Minster, and his wife Elfgifu, are in the present cathedral. The Old Minster was demolished in 1093, immediately after the consecration of its successor… The original crossing tower collapsed in 1107, an accident blamed by the cathedral’s medieval chroniclers on the fact that the dissolute William Rufus had been buried beneath it in 1100. Later alterations. After King Henry VIII seized control of the Catholic Church in England and declared himself head of the Church of England, the Benedictine foundation, the Priory of Saint Swithun, was dissolved. The priory surrendered to the king in 1539. The monastic buildings, including the cloister and chapter house were later demolished, mostly during the 1560-1580 bishopric of the Protestant Robert Horne. Funerals, coronations, and marriages. Funeral of King Harthacanute (1042). Funeral of King William II of England (1100). Coronation of Henry the Young King and his queen, Marguerite (1172). 2nd coronation of Richard I of England (1194). Marriage of King Henry IV of England and Joanna of Navarre (1403). Marriage of Queen Mary I of England and King Philip II of Spain (1554). Jane Austen, who died in Winchester 7/18/1817: her funeral was held in the cathedral and she was buried in the north aisle. Displaced in mortuary chests. Cynegils, King of Wessex (611-643). Cenwalh, King of Wessex (643-672). Egbert of Wessex, King of Wessex (802-839). Ethelwulf, King of Wessex (839-856). Eadred, King of Wessex (946-955). Eadwig, King of England and later Wessex (955-959). Cnut or Canute, King of England (1016-1035) and also of Denmark and Norway. Emma of Normandy, wife of Cnut and also Ethelred II of England. William II ‘Rufus’, King of England (1087-1100) -not in the traditional tomb associated with him, which may in fact be that of Henry of Blois, brother of King Stephen of England. Harthacnut, King of England (1040-1042) and also of Denmark -buried in wall of choir screen? One of the mortuary chests also refers to a king ‘Edmund’, of which nothing else is known. It is possible that this could be Edmund Ironside, King of England (1016) but he is buried at Glastonbury Abbey by most accounts, including the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Originally buried at Winchester. Edward the Elder, King of England (899-924) -later moved to Hyde Abbey. Alfred the Great, King of Wessex -moved from Old Minster and later to Hyde Abbey.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winchester_Cathedral Winchester Cathedral
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_the_Confessor 1st cousin 30x removed, Edward the Confessor b. 1003 d. 1/5/1066. Reign (1042-1066). Coronation, 4/3/1043, Winchester Cathedral. Edward succeeded his half-brother Harthacnut (son of his mother from her 2nd marriage to Cnut the Great). Edward was among the last of the Anglo-Saxon kings of England, and usually considered the last king of the House of Wessex. Edward's succession restored the rule of the House of Wessex after the period of Danish rule since Cnut conquered England in 1016 (Edward went into exile in Normandy, he was the leading Anglo-Saxon claimant to England's throne.) On 1/23/1045, Edward married Edith of Wessex, daughter of Godwin, Earl of Wessex and Gytha Thorkelsdóttir. The wealth of Edward's lands exceeded that of the greatest earls, but they were scattered among the southern earldoms. He had no personal power-base, and does not seem to have attempted to build one. In 1050-51 he even paid off the fourteen foreign ships which constituted his standing navy and abolished the tax raised to pay for it. Ca. 1051, Archbishop Robert accused Godwin of plotting to kill the king, just as he had killed his brother Alfred in 1036, while Leofric and Siqward supported the king and called up their vassals. Sweyn and Harold called up their own vassals, but neither side wanted a fight, and Godwin and Sweyn appear to have each given a son as hostage. Godwin and his sons fled, going to Flanders and Ireland. Edward repudiated Edith and sent her to a nunnery, perhaps because she was childless... Godwin and his sons returned with an army following a year later, and received considerable support... Both sides were concerned that a civil war would leave the country open to foreign invasion. Edward was forced to restore Godwin and Harold to their earldoms and Edith was restored as queen... Godwin died in 1053, his son Harold succeeded to his earldom of Wessex. In 1055 Siward and Harold's brother, Tostig was appointed in Northumbria. In 1057 Leofric and Ralph died, and Leofric's son Elfgar succeeded as Earl of Mercia, while Harold's brother Gyrth succeeded Elfgar as Earl of East Anglia. The fourth surviving Godwin brother, Leofwine, was given an earldom in the south-east carved out of Harold's territory, and Harold received Ralph's territory in compensation. Thus by 1057 the Godwin brothers controlled all of England subordinately apart from Mercia. In the 1050s, Edward pursued an aggressive, and generally successful, policy in dealing with Scotland and Wales. Malcolm Canmore was an exile at Edward's court after Macbeth killed his father, Duncan I, and seized the Scottish throne. In 1054 Edward sent Siward to invade Scotland. He defeated Macbeth, and Malcolm gained control of southern Scotland. By 1058 Malcolm had killed Macbeth in battle and taken the Scottish throne. In 1061 Malcolm started raiding Northumbria with the aim of adding it to his territory. In 1053 Edward ordered the assassination of the south Welsh prince Rhys ap Rhydderch in reprisal for a raid on England, and Rhys's head was delivered to him. In 1055 Gruffydd ap Llywelyn was established as the ruler of all Wales, and allied himself with Elfgar of Mercia, who had been outlawed for treason. In 1056, Edward recalled Edward Atheling to England and made him his heir. Edward was the surviving son of King Edmund Ironside, he had spent in life in exile following the defeat of his father by Canute the Great in 1016. Edward died in late Aug. 1057, withing two days of his arrival in England; he was buried in Old St Paul's Cathedral. [Edward's son, Edgar was elected King of England after the Battle of Hastings but submitted to William the Conqueror]... Oct 1065 Harold's brother, Tostig, the earl of Northumbria, was hunting with the king when his thegns in Northumbria rebelled against his rule, which they claimed was oppressive, and killed some 200 of his followers. They nominated Morcar and invited the brothers to join them in marching south. They met Harold at Northampton, and Tostig accused Harold before the king of conspiring with the rebels. Edward was forced to submit to his banishment... The Normans claimed that Edward sent Harold to Normandy in about 1064 to confirm the promise of the succession to William. Edward was said to have made a deathbed promise to Harold which over-rode his promise to William; he died 1/5/1066 (he was canonized in 1161 in Rome by Pope Alexander III). He was buried 1/6/1066 in Westminster Abbey; Harold was crowned on the same day.
Background - House of Godwin - Harold was a son of Goodwin (1001-1053), the powerful Earl of Wessex, and of Gytha Thordelsdottir, sister-in-law of King Cnut the Great... Godwin began his political career by supporting King Edmund Ironside but switched to supporting King Cnut by 1018, when Cnut named him Earl of Wessex. Godwin remained an earl throughout the remainder of Cnut's reign. On Cnut's death in 1035, Godwin originally supported Harthacnut instead of Cnut's initial successor Harold Harefoot, but switched sides in 1037 (he was involved in the 1036 murder of Alfred Atheling, half-brother of Harthacnut and younger brother of the later King Edward the Confessor). When Harold Harefoot died in 1040, Harthacnut became King of England... In 1045 Godwin reached the height of his power when the new king Edward the Confessor married Godwin's daughter Edith. Around that time his son Harold became Earl of East Anglia and began a relationship with Edith 'the fair' who appears to have been the heiress to lands in Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Essex (lands in Harold's new earldom). The relationship was a form of marriage that was more danico ('in the Danish manner') but not blessed or sanctioned by the Church, it was accepted by most laypeople in England at the time and any children of such a union were considered legitimate. Harold's elder brother Sweyn was exiled in 1047 after abducting the abbess of Leominster and his lands were divided between Harold and a cousin, Beorn. In 1049, Harold was in command of a fleet sent to aid the German Emperor Henry III against Baldwin V, Count of Flanders, who was in revolt against Henry... When in 1051 Earl Godwin was sent into exile, Harold accompanied his father and helped him to regain his position a year later; when Godwin died in 1053, Harold succeeded him as Earl of Wessex, making him the most powerful figure in England after the king. In 1058, Harold became Earl of Hereford and replaced his late father as the focus of opposition to growing Norman influence in England under the restored monarchy of Edward the Confessor. He led a series of successful campaigns (1062-63) against Gruffydd ap Llywelyn of Gwyneed, the ruler of Wales; ending with Gruffydd's defeat and death in 1063. In 1064, Harold apparently was shipwrecked at Ponthieu. The earliest post-conquest Norman chroniclers report that King Edward had previously sent Robert, Archbishop of Canterbury, to appoint as his heir Edward's maternal kinsman, William of Normandy, and that at this later date Harold was sent to swear fealty. (Scholars disagree). William, at least, seems to have believed he had been offered the succession, but there must have been some confusion either on William's part of perhaps by both men, since the English succession the English succession was neither inherited nor determined by the reigning monarch. Instead the Witenagemot, the assembly of the kingdom's leading notables, would convene after a king's death to select a successor. Other acts of Edward are inconsistent with his having made such a promise, such as his efforts to return his nephew Edward the Exile, son of King Edmund Ironside, from Hungary in 1057. Later Norman chroniclers suggest Harold was seeking the release of members of his family who had been held hostage since Godwin's exile in 1051... There is general agreement that he left from Bosham, was blown off course, landing at Ponthieu. He was captured by Guy I, Count of Ponthieu and taken as a hostage to the count's castle at Beaurain... Duke William arrived soon afterward and ordered Guy to turn Harold over to him. Harold then apparently accompanied William to battle against William's enemy, Conan II, Duke of Brittany... after Conan's surrender, William presented Harold with weapons and arms, knighting him. The Bayeux Tapestry, shows that Harold swore an oath on sacred relics to William to support his claim to the English throne... In 1065, Harold supported Northumbrian rebels against his brother, Tostig, and replaced him with Morcar. This strengthened his acceptability as Edward's successor, but fatally split his own family, driving Tostig into alliance with King Harald Hardrada of Norway. At the end of 1065 King Edward the Confessor fell into a coma without clarifying his preference for the succession. He was said, by one source, to have briefly regained consciousness and commended his widow and the kingdom to Harold's "protection; he died 1/5/1066.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Godwinson Harold Godwinson, King of England b. ca. 1022, Wessex, England d. 10/14/1066, Battle of Hastings, Sussex, England. Reign (1/5 - 10/14/1066). Coronation, 1/6/1066. Upon the death of Edward the Confessor, 1/5/1066, the Witenagemot convened and chose Harold to succeeded; his coronation followed on the 6th. Hearing of Harold's coronation, Duke William II of Normandy began plans to invade England, building 700 warships and transports. Claiming that Harold had sworn on sacred relics to support his claim to the throne after having been shipwrecked at Ponthieu, William received the Church's blessing and nobles flocked to his cause. In anticipation of the invasion, Harold assembled his troops on the Isle of Wright... with provisions running out, Harold disbanded his army and returned to London. On the same day Harald Hardrada of Norway, who also claimed the English crown joined Tostig and invaded, landing his fleet at the mouth of the Tyne. The invading forces of Hardrada and Tostig defeated the English earls Edwin of Mercia and Morcar of Northumbria at the Battle of Fulford near York 9/20/1066. Harold led his army north on a forced march from London, reached Yorkshire in four days, and caught Hardrada by surprise. On Sept 25, in the Battle of Stamford Bridge, Harold defeated Hardrada and Tostig, who were both killed. On 9/12/1066 William's fleet sailed from Normandy. Several ships sank in storms, which forced the fleet to take shelter and wait for the wind to change... Harold's army marched 241 miles to intercept William, who had landed perhaps 7,000 men in Sussex. Harold established his army in hastily built earthworks near Hastings. The two arms clashed at the Battle of Hastings, at Senlac Hill on 10/14/1066, where after nine hours of fighting, Harold was killed and his forces defeated. The account of the contemporary chronicler William of Poitiers, states that the body of Harold was given to William Malet for burial: The two brothers of the King were found near and Harold himself, stripped of all badges of honor, could not be identified by his face but only by certain marks on his body [another source states that Harold's widow Edith was called to identify the body by some private mark known only to her]. His corpse was brought into the Duke's camp, and William gave it for burial to William, surnamed Malet... Burial location disputed: Waltham Abbey, Essex of Bosham, Sussex. The speculation began in 1954, when the nave was re-paved, and the body of King Canute's reputed daughter was re-examined. It was discovered that the body of a richly dressed man was buried beside the child's. A request to exhume a grave in Bosham church was refused by the Diocese of Chichester in Dec. 2003, the Chancellor having ruled that the chances of establishing the identity of the body as Harold's were too slim to justify disturbing a burial place. A prior exhumation had revealed the remains of a man, estimated at up to 60 years of age from photographs of the remains, lacking a head, one leg and the lower part of his other leg, a description consistent with the fate of the king as recorded in the Carmen (with the identification of the grave at Bosham Church). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosham#Harold_Godwinson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_the_Conqueror#Battle_of_Hastings The English did not surrender following William the Conqueror's victory at the Battle of Hastings victory (and the death of their King Harold); instead some of the English clergy and magnates nominated Edgar the Atheling (son of Edward Atheling) as king. After waiting a short while, William secured Dover, parts of Kent, and Canterbury, while also sending a force to capture Winchester. He then marched to Southwark, across the Thames from London, which he reached in late Nov. Next he led his forces around the south and west of London, burning along the way. He finally crossed the Thames at Wallingford in early Dec. Archbishop Stigand submitted to William there, and when the duke moved on to Berkhamsted soon afterwards, Edgar the Atheling, Morcar, Edwin, and Archbishop Ealdred also submitted. William then sent forces into London to construct a castle; he was crowned at Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day 1066.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Godwinson Harold Godwinson, King of England b. ca. 1022, Wessex, England d. 10/14/1066, Battle of Hastings, Sussex, England. Reign (1/5 - 10/14/1066). Coronation, 1/6/1066. Upon the death of Edward the Confessor, 1/5/1066, the Witenagemot convened and chose Harold to succeeded; his coronation followed on the 6th. Hearing of Harold's coronation, Duke William II of Normandy began plans to invade England, building 700 warships and transports. Claiming that Harold had sworn on sacred relics to support his claim to the throne after having been shipwrecked at Ponthieu, William received the Church's blessing and nobles flocked to his cause. In anticipation of the invasion, Harold assembled his troops on the Isle of Wright... with provisions running out, Harold disbanded his army and returned to London. On the same day Harald Hardrada of Norway, who also claimed the English crown joined Tostig and invaded, landing his fleet at the mouth of the Tyne. The invading forces of Hardrada and Tostig defeated the English earls Edwin of Mercia and Morcar of Northumbria at the Battle of Fulford near York 9/20/1066. Harold led his army north on a forced march from London, reached Yorkshire in four days, and caught Hardrada by surprise. On Sept 25, in the Battle of Stamford Bridge, Harold defeated Hardrada and Tostig, who were both killed. On 9/12/1066 William's fleet sailed from Normandy. Several ships sank in storms, which forced the fleet to take shelter and wait for the wind to change... Harold's army marched 241 miles to intercept William, who had landed perhaps 7,000 men in Sussex. Harold established his army in hastily built earthworks near Hastings. The two arms clashed at the Battle of Hastings, at Senlac Hill on 10/14/1066, where after nine hours of fighting, Harold was killed and his forces defeated. The account of the contemporary chronicler William of Poitiers, states that the body of Harold was given to William Malet for burial: The two brothers of the King were found near and Harold himself, stripped of all badges of honor, could not be identified by his face but only by certain marks on his body [another source states that Harold's widow Edith was called to identify the body by some private mark known only to her]. His corpse was brought into the Duke's camp, and William gave it for burial to William, surnamed Malet... Burial location disputed: Waltham Abbey, Essex of Bosham, Sussex. The speculation began in 1954, when the nave was re-paved, and the body of King Canute's reputed daughter was re-examined. It was discovered that the body of a richly dressed man was buried beside the child's. A request to exhume a grave in Bosham church was refused by the Diocese of Chichester in Dec. 2003, the Chancellor having ruled that the chances of establishing the identity of the body as Harold's were too slim to justify disturbing a burial place. A prior exhumation had revealed the remains of a man, estimated at up to 60 years of age from photographs of the remains, lacking a head, one leg and the lower part of his other leg, a description consistent with the fate of the king as recorded in the Carmen (with the identification of the grave at Bosham Church). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosham#Harold_Godwinson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_the_Conqueror#Battle_of_Hastings The English did not surrender following William the Conqueror's victory at the Battle of Hastings victory (and the death of their King Harold); instead some of the English clergy and magnates nominated Edgar the Atheling (son of Edward Atheling) as king. After waiting a short while, William secured Dover, parts of Kent, and Canterbury, while also sending a force to capture Winchester. He then marched to Southwark, across the Thames from London, which he reached in late Nov. Next he led his forces around the south and west of London, burning along the way. He finally crossed the Thames at Wallingford in early Dec. Archbishop Stigand submitted to William there, and when the duke moved on to Berkhamsted soon afterwards, Edgar the Atheling, Morcar, Edwin, and Archbishop Ealdred also submitted. William then sent forces into London to construct a castle; he was crowned at Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day 1066.
Marriage Tradition -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/More_danico More danico. a type of traditional marriage practiced in northern Europe during the Middle Ages; often involving powerful rulers in a union with a highborn woman of somewhat lesser rank. Rarely, it occurred to legitimize an abduction, as with Rollo and Poppa, who was taken after a battle at Bayeux… While Roman law had not distinguished between elopement and bride kidnapping the distinction was significant in Germanic law rather than ecclesiastical marriage. The word “secular” here should not be interpreted to mean that no context of Germanic religion was involved. Although the form of any ritual that might have been employed is unknown, it is sometimes assumed that it was a type of handfasting -which is a rural folkloric and neo-pagan custom, initially found in western European countries, in which a couple hold a commitment ceremony. Handfasting is a historical term for “betrothal” or “wedding”. In the Early Modern history of Scotland (16th and 17th centuries), especially in the Hebrides, the term could also refer to a temporary marriage… More danico permitted polygyny (serial or simultaneous), but is not synonymous with it. The “putting away” of a more danico wife could apparently be done at the mere wish of the husband. Often the putting away was done with the intention of marrying a still higher-ranking woman; but since there are numerous instances of the husband returning to the more danico wife, it is possible that the relationship had merely been deactivated or kept in the background. By tradition and customary law, the children of such a relationship were in no way considered of a lesser rank or disadvantaged with respect to inheritance. Historical examples. Rollo, founder of the Norman dynasty, had taken captive at Bayeux, Poppa, daughter of a count, Berengar… (and) that they had been joined in marriage by more danico. She was mother of his son William Longsword. It is related that he put Poppa aside to marry Gisela, daughter of Charles the Simple, and that when Gisela died, he returned to Poppa. However, the absence of any record of this royal princess or her marriage in Frankish sources suggests the entire supposed marriage to Gisela may be apocryphal (of doubtful authenticity).
Conclusion -end of the Anglo-Saxon rule of England. (after the death of Edmund Ironside) in 1016, Cnut 'the Great' became king of all England as per their treaty after the Battle of Ashingdon. Cnut sent Edmund's sons to the king of Sweden; the Swedish king sent them, together with his daughter, on to Kiev. The two boys eventually ended up in Hungary where Edmund died but Edward prospered. Edward Atheling "the Exile" returned to England in 1057 only to die within a few days of his arrival. His son Edgar the Atheling was briefly proclaimed king after the Battle of Hastings in 1066, but later submitted to William the Conqueror. Edgar would live a long and eventful life; fighting in rebellion against William from 1067-1075; fighting alongside the Conqueror's son Robert of Normandy in campaigns in Sicily (1085-1087); and accompanying Robert on the First Crusade (1099-1103). He died in England in 1126. In 1070 Edward the Exile's daughter, Margaret, became Queen consort to Malcolm III of Scotland. Through her and her decedents, Edmund is the direct ancestor of every subsequent Scottish monarch, every English monarch of Great Britain and of the United Kingdom, down to the present.
Conclusion -end of the Anglo-Saxon rule of England. (after the death of Edmund Ironside) in 1016, Cnut 'the Great' became king of all England as per their treaty after the Battle of Ashingdon. Cnut sent Edmund's sons to the king of Sweden; the Swedish king sent them, together with his daughter, on to Kiev. The two boys eventually ended up in Hungary where Edmund died but Edward prospered. Edward Atheling "the Exile" returned to England in 1057 only to die within a few days of his arrival. His son Edgar the Atheling was briefly proclaimed king after the Battle of Hastings in 1066, but later submitted to William the Conqueror. Edgar would live a long and eventful life; fighting in rebellion against William from 1067-1075; fighting alongside the Conqueror's son Robert of Normandy in campaigns in Sicily (1085-1087); and accompanying Robert on the First Crusade (1099-1103). He died in England in 1126. In 1070 Edward the Exile's daughter, Margaret, became Queen consort to Malcolm III of Scotland. Through her and her decedents, Edmund is the direct ancestor of every subsequent Scottish monarch, every English monarch of Great Britain and of the United Kingdom, down to the present.
Other References:
Book: Edmund is one of the main characters in Justin Hill's novel Shieldwall (2011), first in the Conquest Trilogy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_England#English_unification English Unification.
Book: Edmund is one of the main characters in Justin Hill's novel Shieldwall (2011), first in the Conquest Trilogy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_England#English_unification English Unification.
Blog Post: House of Denmark.
http://historicalandmisc.blogspot.com/2017/04/house-of-denmark.html *
Blog Post: Timeline, earliest Dynasties in Europe (687-ca. 987) end of Carolingian Dynasty.
*Quick Links to all Related Blog Posts
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