Sweyn I of Denmark
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Sweyn Forkbeard ( non, Sveinn Haraldsson tjúguskegg ; da, Svend Tveskæg; 17 April 963 – 3 February 1014) was King of Denmark from 986 to 1014, also at times
King of the English This list of kings and reigning queens of the Kingdom of England begins with Alfred the Great, who initially ruled Wessex, one of the seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms which later made up modern England. Alfred styled himself King of the Anglo-Sa ...
and
King of Norway The Norwegian monarch is the head of state of Norway, which is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system. The Norwegian monarchy can trace its line back to the reign of Harald Fairhair and the previous petty kingd ...
. He was the father of King
Harald II of Denmark Harald Svendsen (c. 996–998 − c. 1018) was King of Denmark (being Harald II) from 1014 until his death in c. 1018. and was regent while his father was fighting Æthelred the Unready in England. He inherited the Danish throne in 1014, and hel ...
, King
Cnut the Great Cnut (; ang, Cnut cyning; non, Knútr inn ríki ; or , no, Knut den mektige, sv, Knut den Store. died 12 November 1035), also known as Cnut the Great and Canute, was King of England from 1016, King of Denmark from 1018, and King of Norwa ...
, and Queen
Estrid Svendsdatter Estrid Svendsdatter of Denmark (''Estrith'', ''Astrith'': 990/997 – 1057/1073), was a Danish princess and titular queen, a Russian princess and, possibly, duchess of Normandy by marriage. She was the daughter of Sweyn Forkbeard and perhaps Gunh ...
. In the mid-980s, Sweyn revolted against his father,
Harald Bluetooth Harald "Bluetooth" Gormsson ( non, Haraldr Blátǫnn Gormsson; da, Harald Blåtand Gormsen, died c. 985/86) was a king of Denmark and Norway. He was the son of King Gorm the Old and of Thyra Dannebod. Harald ruled as king of Denmark from c. ...
, and seized the throne. Harald was driven into exile and died shortly afterwards in November 986 or 987. In 1000, with the allegiance of
Eric The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...
,
Earl of Lade The Earls of Lade ( no, ladejarler) were a dynasty of Norse '' jarls'' from Lade (Old Norse: ''Hlaðir''), who ruled what is now Trøndelag and Hålogaland from the 9th century to the 11th century. The seat of the Earls of Lade was at Lade G ...
, Sweyn ruled most of
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
. In 1013, shortly before his death, he became the first Danish king of the English after a long effort.


Biography

Historiographical sources on Sweyn's life include the '' Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' (where his name is rendered as ''Swegen''),
Adam of Bremen Adam of Bremen ( la, Adamus Bremensis; german: Adam von Bremen) (before 1050 – 12 October 1081/1085) was a German medieval chronicler. He lived and worked in the second half of the eleventh century. Adam is most famous for his chronicle ''Gesta ...
's 11th-century '' Deeds of the Bishops of Hamburg'', and Snorri Sturluson's 13th-century ''
Heimskringla ''Heimskringla'' () is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorre Sturlason (1178/79–1241) 1230. The name ''Heimskringla'' was first used in the 17th century, derive ...
''. Conflicting accounts of Sweyn's later life also appear in the ''Encomium Emmae Reginae'', an 11th-century Latin ''encomium'' in honour of his son king Cnut's queen Emma of Normandy, along with ''John of Worcester, Chronicon ex chronicis'' by Florence of Worcester, another 11th-century author. There are conflicting accounts of Sweyn's heritage. One chronicle, ''Gesta Wulinensis ecclesiae pontificum'', only recently discovered in 2019 and written around 990 by Avico, the chaplain of
Harald Bluetooth Harald "Bluetooth" Gormsson ( non, Haraldr Blátǫnn Gormsson; da, Harald Blåtand Gormsen, died c. 985/86) was a king of Denmark and Norway. He was the son of King Gorm the Old and of Thyra Dannebod. Harald ruled as king of Denmark from c. ...
, states that Sweyn was the son of Harald's older brother, Knut Danaást and Tove of the Obotrites, Tove. According to this source, Knut Danaást was killed in battle on 17 October 962 and his wife was pregnant with Sweyn at the time. Tove married her brother-in-law Harald in January 963 and Sweyn was born around Easter 963. Harald raised Sweyn as his adopted son. According to
Adam of Bremen Adam of Bremen ( la, Adamus Bremensis; german: Adam von Bremen) (before 1050 – 12 October 1081/1085) was a German medieval chronicler. He lived and worked in the second half of the eleventh century. Adam is most famous for his chronicle ''Gesta ...
, Sweyn was the son of Harald Bluetooth and a woman named "Gunhild". When Harald converted to Christianity, Sweyn was baptised "Otto" (in honour of German king Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I). Sweyn married the widow of Eric the Victorious, Erik, king of Sweden, named "Gunhild" in some sources, or identified as an unnamed sister of Bolesław I the Brave, Boleslaus, ruler of Poland. Historian Ian Howard describes Sweyn as "a competent military commander, politician and diplomat" who made "a formidable and successful king."


Revolt and possible exile

In the mid-980s, Sweyn revolted against his father and seized the throne. Harald was driven into exile and died shortly afterwards in November 986 or 987. Adam of Bremen depicted Sweyn as a rebellious pagan who persecuted Christians, betrayed his father and expelled German bishops from Scania and Zealand. According to Adam, Sweyn was sent into exile by his father's German friends and deposed in favour of king Eric the Victorious of Sweden, whom Adam wrote ruled Denmark until his death in 994 or 995. Sørensen (2001) argues that Adam's depiction of Sweyn may be overly negative, as seen through an "unsympathetic and intolerant eye". Adam's account is thus not seen as entirely reliable; the claimed 14 years' exile of Sweyn to Scotland does not seem to agree with Sweyn's building churches in Denmark throughout the same period, including the churches in Lund and Roskilde.Lund, Niels (2001). "The Danish Empire and the End of the Viking Age", ''The Oxford Illustrated History of the Vikings''. Ed. P. H. Sawyer. Oxford University Press, 2001, pp. 167–181. . According to Adam, Sweyn was punished by God for leading the uprising which led to king Harald's death, and had to spend fourteen years abroad (i.e. 986–1000). The historicity of this exile, or its duration, is uncertain. Adam purports that Sweyn was shunned by all those with whom he sought refuge, but was finally allowed to live for a while in Scotland. Adam also suggests that Sweyn in his youth lived among heathens, and only achieved success as a ruler after accepting Christianity.


Battle of Svolder

Harald Bluetooth Harald "Bluetooth" Gormsson ( non, Haraldr Blátǫnn Gormsson; da, Harald Blåtand Gormsen, died c. 985/86) was a king of Denmark and Norway. He was the son of King Gorm the Old and of Thyra Dannebod. Harald ruled as king of Denmark from c. ...
had already established a foothold in Norway, controlling Viken (region), Viken in c. 970. He may, however, have lost control over his Norwegian claims following his defeat against a German army in 974. Sweyn built an alliance with Swedish king Olof Skötkonung and Eiríkr Hákonarson, Eirik Hákonarson, Earls of Lade, Jarl of Lade, against Norwegian king Olaf Tryggvason. The Kings' sagas ascribe the causes of the alliance to Olaf Tryggvason's ill-fated marriage proposal to Sigrid the Haughty and his problematic marriage to Tyra of Denmark, Thyri, sister of Sweyn Forkbeard. According to the sagas, Sigrid pushed Sweyn into war with Olaf because Olaf had slapped her. The allies attacked and defeated king Olaf in the western Baltic Sea when he was sailing home from an expedition, in the Battle of Svolder, fought in September of either 999 or 1000. The victors divided Norway among them. According to the account of the ''Heimskringla'', Sweyn regained direct control of Viken (region), Viken district. King Olaf of Sweden received four districts in Trondheim as well as Møre og Romsdal, Møre, Romsdal and Rånrike (the ''Fagrskinna'', by contrast, says that the Swedish part consisted of Oppland and a part of Trondheim). He gave these to his son in law, Jarl Sweyn Haakonsson, Svein Hákonarson, to hold as a vassal. The rest of Norway was ruled by Eirik Hákonarson as King Svein's vassal. The Jarls Eirik and Svein proved strong, competent rulers, and their reign was prosperous. Most sources say that they adopted Christianity but allowed the people religious freedom, leading to a backlash against Christianity which undid much of Olaf Tryggvason's missionary work.


Religion

Sweyn apparently recruited priests and bishops from England, in preference to the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen, Archbishopric of Bremen. In part, this reflected the fact that there were numerous Christian priests of Danish origin in the Danelaw, while Sweyn had few personal connections to Germany. However, Sweyn's preference for the English church may also have had a political motive, because German bishops were an integral part of the state. It has been suggested that Sweyn was seeking to pre-empt any diminution of his independence by German leaders.Lund, Niels (1986). "The armies of Swein Forkbeard and Cnut: leding or li(th)" ''Anglo-Saxon England'' 15 (1986), pp. 39–40''The Christianization of Scandinavia'', Birgit Sawyer, et al., ed. Kungälv: Viktoria Bokforlag, p. 80. . This may have been a reason for Adam of Bremen's apparent hostility in his accounts of Sweyn; by accentuating English ecclesiastical influence in his kingdom, Sweyn was effectively spurning the Archbishop of Bremen.


Invasions of England

The "John of Wallingford (d. 1258), Chronicle of John of Wallingford" (c. 1225–1250) records Sweyn's involvement in raids against England during 1002–1005, 1006–1007 and 1009–1012 to avenge the St. Brice's Day massacre of England's Danish inhabitants in November 1002. According to Ashley (1998), Sweyn's invasion was partly motivated by the massacre of Danes in England ordered by Æthelred the Unready in 1002, in which his sister and brother-in-law are said to have been killed, but Lund (2001) argues that the main motivation for the raids was more likely the prospect of revenue. At the outset of the invasions, Sweyn negotiated an agreement with Duke Richard II of Normandy whereby the Danes gained permission to sell their spoils of war in Normandy. Sweyn campaigned in Wessex and East Anglia in 1003–1004, but a famine forced him to return to Denmark in 1005. Further raids took place in 1006–1007, and in 1009–1012 Thorkell the Tall led a Viking invasion into England. Simon Keynes regards it as uncertain whether Sweyn supported these invasions, but "whatever the case, he was quick to exploit the disruption caused by the activities of Thorkell's army". Sweyn acquired massive sums of ''Danegeld'' through the raids. In 1013, he is reported to have personally led his forces in a full-scale invasion of England. The medieval ''Peterborough Chronicle'' (part of the '' Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'') states:
before the month of August came king Sweyn with his fleet to Sandwich, Kent, Sandwich. He went very quickly about Kingdom of East Anglia, East Anglia into the Humber's mouth, and so upward along the River Trent, Trent till he came to Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, Gainsborough. Earl Uhtred the Bold, Uchtred and all Northumbria quickly bowed to him, as did all the people of the Kingdom of Lindsey, then the people of the Five Boroughs of the Danelaw, Five Boroughs. He was given hostages from each shire. When he understood that all the people had submitted to him, he bade that his force should be provisioned and horsed; he went south with the main part of the invasion force, while some of the invasion force, as well as the hostages, were with his son Cnut. After he came over Watling Street, they went to Oxford, and the town-dwellers soon bowed to him, and gave hostages. From there they went to Winchester, and the people did the same, then eastward to London.The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Everyman Press: London, 1912. Translation by James Ingram (London, 1823) and J. A. Giles (London, 1847). Medieval and Classical Literature Library Release #17. Retrieved 12 October 2006.
But the Londoners put up a strong resistance, because King Æthelred and Thorkell the Tall, a Viking leader who had defected to Æthelred, personally held their ground against him in London itself. Sweyn then went west to Bath, Somerset, Bath, where the western thanes submitted to him and gave hostages. The Londoners then followed suit, fearing Sweyn's revenge if they resisted any longer. King Æthelred sent his sons Edward the Confessor, Edward and Alfred Aetheling, Alfred to Normandy, and himself retreated to the Isle of Wight, and then followed them into exile. On Christmas Day 1013 Sweyn was declared King of England. Based in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, Sweyn began to organise his vast new kingdom, but he died there on 3 February 1014, having ruled England for only five weeks. Sweyn's cause of death is unknown. Some theorise that he was killed, whereas other sources say he died after falling off a horse. His embalmed body was returned to Denmark for burial in the church he had built. Tradition locates this church in Roskilde, but it is more plausible that it was actually located in Lund in Scania (now part of Sweden).


Aftermath

Sweyn's elder son, Harald II of Denmark, Harald II, succeeded him as King of Denmark, while his younger son, Cnut the Great, Cnut, was proclaimed King of England by the people of the Danelaw. However, the English nobility sent for Æthelred, who upon his return from exile in Normandy in the spring of 1014 managed to drive Cnut out of England. Cnut soon returned and became king of all England in 1016, following the deaths of Æthelred and his son Edmund Ironside; he succeeded his brother as King of Denmark in 1019 and eventually also ruled Norway, parts of Sweden, Pomerania and Duchy of Schleswig, Schleswig. Cnut and his sons, Harold Harefoot and Harthacnut, ruled England over a combined 26-year period (1016–1042). After Harthacnut's death, the English throne reverted to the House of Wessex under Æthelred's younger son Edward the Confessor (reigned 1042–1066). Sweyn's daughter,
Estrid Svendsdatter Estrid Svendsdatter of Denmark (''Estrith'', ''Astrith'': 990/997 – 1057/1073), was a Danish princess and titular queen, a Russian princess and, possibly, duchess of Normandy by marriage. She was the daughter of Sweyn Forkbeard and perhaps Gunh ...
, was the mother of King Sweyn II of Denmark. Her descendants continue to List of Danish monarchs, reign in Denmark to this day. One of them, Margaret of Denmark, Queen of Scotland, Margaret of Denmark, married James III of Scotland in 1469, introducing Sweyn's bloodline into the Scottish royal house. After James VI of Scotland inherited the English throne in 1603, Sweyn's descendants became monarchs of England again.


Issue

The ''Thietmar of Merseburg#Thietmar's Chronicle, Chronicon'' of Thietmar of Merseburg and the ''Encomium Emmae Reginae, Encomium Emmae'' report Cnut's mother as having been Świętosława, a daughter of Mieszko I of Poland. Old Norse literature, Norse sources of the High Middle Ages, most prominently ''
Heimskringla ''Heimskringla'' () is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorre Sturlason (1178/79–1241) 1230. The name ''Heimskringla'' was first used in the 17th century, derive ...
'' by Snorri Sturluson, also give a Polish princess as Cnut's mother, whom they call Gunhild of Wenden, Gunhild and a daughter of ''Burislav'', the king of ''Wends, Vindland''. Since in the Norse sagas the ''king of Vindland'' is always ''Burislav'', this is reconcilable with the assumption that her father was Mieszko (not his son Bolesław I the Brave, Bolesław). Adam of Bremen in ''Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum'' is unique in equating Cnut's mother (for whom he also produces no name) with the former queen of Sweden, wife of Eric the Victorious and by this marriage mother of Olof Skötkonung. To complicate the matter, ''Heimskringla'' and other sagas also have Sweyn marrying Eric's widow, but she is distinctly another person in these texts, named ''Sigrid the Haughty'', whom Sweyn only marries after ''Gunhild'', the Slavic princess who bore Cnut, has died. Different theories regarding the number and ancestry of Sweyn's wives (or wife) have been advanced (see Sigrid the Haughty and Gunhild of Wenden, Gunhild). But since Adam is the only source to equate the identity of Cnut's and Olof Skötkonung's mother, this is often seen as an error on Adam's part, 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 II of Denmark, Harald was the youngest of the two brothers, according to ''Encomium Emmae.'' Sweyn had eight children with Sigrid the Haughty and Gunhild of Wenden: *
Harald II of Denmark Harald Svendsen (c. 996–998 − c. 1018) was King of Denmark (being Harald II) from 1014 until his death in c. 1018. and was regent while his father was fighting Æthelred the Unready in England. He inherited the Danish throne in 1014, and hel ...
*
Cnut the Great Cnut (; ang, Cnut cyning; non, Knútr inn ríki ; or , no, Knut den mektige, sv, Knut den Store. died 12 November 1035), also known as Cnut the Great and Canute, was King of England from 1016, King of Denmark from 1018, and King of Norwa ...
*
Estrid Svendsdatter Estrid Svendsdatter of Denmark (''Estrith'', ''Astrith'': 990/997 – 1057/1073), was a Danish princess and titular queen, a Russian princess and, possibly, duchess of Normandy by marriage. She was the daughter of Sweyn Forkbeard and perhaps Gunh ...
*Gytha *Gunnhild *Santslaue *Thyra


References


External links

*
Northvegr (Scandinavian) – A History of the Vikings (Search)



Sweyn Forkbeard: The Viking King of England
o
Medieval Archives Podcast
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sweyn 01 960s births 1014 deaths 11th-century English monarchs 10th-century kings of Denmark 11th-century kings of Denmark 10th-century Norwegian monarchs 11th-century Norwegian monarchs Viking warriors Anglo-Norse monarchs Burials at Roskilde Cathedral Danish Christians House of Knýtlinga Monarchs of England before 1066 11th-century Vikings 10th-century Vikings