Sweyn Godwinson () ( 1020 – 1052), also spelled Swein, was the eldest son of Earl Godwin of Wessex, and brother of Harold II of England.

Early life

In 1043 Sweyn was raised to an earldom which included

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, and

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.Ann Williams, Swein, ''Oxford Online Dictionary of National Biography''
/ref> He signed his first Royal charter in 1044. There is some evidence suggesting that Sweyn claimed to be a son of King Canute, but his mother indignantly denied this and brought forth witnesses to his parentage.

Focus on Wales

From the start, Sweyn sought peace with Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, the King of

Gwynedd Gwynedd () is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The ci ...

in northern Wales. This allowed the King of Gwynedd to gain the upper hand on Gruffydd ap Rhydderch, King of

Deheubarth Deheubarth (; , thus 'the South') was a regional name for the Welsh kingdoms, realms of south Wales, particularly as opposed to kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd (Latin: ''Venedotia''). It is now used as a shorthand for the various realms united under ...

and his main Welsh rival. Sweyn supported the King of

with more than words of alliance. In 1046, he joined in on an invasion of

First Exile

On his return from this campaign Sweyn abducted Eadgifu, the

Abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa'') is the female superior of a community of nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic, Lutheran and Anglican abbeys, the mod ...

of Leominster, apparently intending to marry her and gain control of Leominster's vast estate. However, King Edward refused permission and Eadgifu returned to her abbey. Late in 1047 Sweyn left England to take refuge with Baldwin V, Count of Flanders. During his exile he travelled first to

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

, then to

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

before returning to England in 1049 to beg for forgiveness. He appears to have been expelled from Denmark for an unspecified offence. His brother Harold and cousin Beorn first opposed Sweyn's return, but Beorn eventually agreed to support him. While accompanying his cousin to meet the King, Sweyn had his cousin Beorn murdered and was again exiled, condemned as a ''niðing'', a man of no honour.

Pardoned and restored

It appears that Sweyn was pardoned, despite his crimes, the following year (1050), and restored to his office. Some say it was his father Earl Godwin who pleaded his case to the King, others that it was Aldred or Ealdred,

Bishop of Worcester The Bishop of Worcester is the Ordinary (officer), head of the Church of England Anglican Diocese of Worcester, Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury, England. The title can be traced back to the foundation of the diocese in the ...

, who met him in

returning from his

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

. In any case, his last stay in England would not be long.

Exile for life

In 1051, Earl Godwin and all his sons were exiled from England following a dispute with the King. Sweyn received the sternest judgement of them all, and was exiled for life. Again, he travelled to Flanders – this time never to return.

Killed on return from pilgrimage

It appears he was driven by remorse for his sins, as he undertook a barefoot

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

. It was on his return from there he was killed, although the sources differ on where.DeVries, ''The Norwegian Invasion of England in 1066'' pp. 112-113. Sweyn had one son, Hakon, said to have been a hostage in Normandy until brought back by Harold in 1064, but nothing more is known of him. The exile and eventual death of Sweyn left Harold as the heir apparent of the Godwinson family.

Family trees

* Cnut the Great's family tree

Notes

References

Sources

* * * *

External links

* House of Godwin Anglo-Norse people Anglo-Saxon people Earls of Herefordshire 11th-century English nobility 1020s births 1052 deaths Year of birth uncertain {{House of Godwin