by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021
The House of Denmark or House of Knýtlinga (English: “House of Cnut’s Descendants”) was a ruling royal house in Scandinavia and England. Its most famous king was Cnut the Great, who gave his name to this dynasty. In 1018, the House of Knýtlinga brought the crowns of Denmark and England together under a personal union. At the height of its power, this royal house reigned over Denmark, England, Norway, and parts of Sweden.
All photos are from Wikipedia unless otherwise noted.
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Winchester Cathedral
The construction of Winchester Cathedral began in 1079 and the cathedral was consecrated in 1093. The royal mortuary chests said to contain the remains of kings and consorts of the House of Wessex, first buried in the Old Minster, were moved to Winchester Cathedral. During the English Civil War, Winchester Cathedral was ransacked and the royal 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. The six mortuary chests were found to hold the remains of at least 23 individuals, more than originally thought.
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House of Denmark
- Sweyn Forkbeard, King of England, Denmark, and Norway (reigned in England 1013 – 1014
- Cnut the Great, King of England, Denmark, and Norway (son of Sweyn Forkbeard, reigned 1016 – 1035)
- Harold I Harefoot, King of England (son of Cnut and his first wife Ælfgifu of Northampton, reigned 1035 – 1040)
- Harthacnut, King of England and Denmark (son of Cnut and his second wife Emma of Normandy, reigned 1040 – 1042)
Biographical information below is from Unofficial Royalty articles.
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Sweyn Forkbeard, King of England, Denmark, and Norway (reigned in England 1013 – 1014)
Born about 960 in Denmark, Sweyn Forkbeard was the son of Harald Bluetooth, King of Denmark and Norway, and probably his first wife Gunhild of Wenden. 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. However, fearing the Danes would attack English settlements, Æthelred II the Unready, King of the English ordered all the Danish men who were in England to be killed. This is called the St. Brice’s Day Massacre because it occurred on November 13, 1002, the feast day of St. Brice, fifth-century Bishop of Tours.
The Danes retaliated and within a few years, all England came under Danish rule. Sweyn Forkbeard, King of Denmark was acknowledged as King of England. Sweyn’s reign was short-lived as he suddenly died in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, England 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 in Roskilde, Denmark. 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.
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Cnut the Great, King of England, Denmark, and Norway (reigned in England 1016 – 1035)
Cnut the Great, King of England, Denmark, and Norway was born circa 995 in Denmark, the elder son of Sweyn Forkbeard, then King of Denmark and Norway, later also King of England. It is probable that Gunhilda of Wenden was the mother of Cnut.
After the death of his father in 1014, Cnut’s younger brother became Harald II, King of Denmark, and Cnut was proclaimed King of England by the Danes in England. However, leading English noblemen sent a deputation to Æthelred II, King of the English, who had lost his throne to Sweyn Forkbeard, 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 married twice. His first marriage was to Ælfgifu of Northampton, daughter of Ælfhelm, Ealdorman of Northumbria. They had two sons including Harold Harefoot, King of England. Cnut then married Emma of Normandy, the widow of Æthelred II, King of the English, and had two children including Harthacnut, King of Denmark and England.
Cnut the Great died on November 12, 1035, when he was about 40 years old. He was buried at the Old Minster in Winchester, England. 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 of Cnut and his second wife Emma
Emma of Normandy, Queen of the English, Queen of Denmark
Emma of Normandy was queen consort of two Kings of England and 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. 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. Emma and Æthelred had three children including Saint Edward the Confessor, King of England.
When Sweyn Forkbeard, King of Denmark and Norway launched an invasion of England, Emma and her children were first sent to the Isle of Wight for safety and then sent to 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 died, his son Cnut the Great of Denmark decided his troops were not ready for battle and retreated to Denmark. Æthelred was then restored as King of England. However, his second reign was short-lived as Æthelred died two years later.
After fighting several battles for the throne of England, Æthelred’s son from his first marriage Edmund II (Ironside) and Sweyn Forkbeard’s son Cnut agreed to divide the Kingdom of England with Edmund taking Wessex and Cnut the rest. After Edmund died, leaving two young sons. Cnut became the King of England. 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 including Harthacnut, King of Denmark and England.
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. When Harold Harefoot, King of England 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 Edward the Confessor from the marriage to Æthelred became King of England. Emma was present at Edward’s coronation on Easter, April 3, 1043, at the Old Minster in Winchester.
Emma, aged 66-67 died on March 6, 1052, at St. Mary’s Abbey in Winchester, England. She was buried at the Old Minster in Winchester with 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.
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Harold I Harefoot, King of England (reigned November 12, 1035 – March 17, 1040
Born about 1016 in Denmark, (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.
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 to Emma of Normandy 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 Witan elected Harold Harefoot Regent of England as a temporary measure. Harold Harefoot 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.
Harold Harefoot’s reign was short. He 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 that would start to be built on the site two years later. On June 14, 1040, Harthacnut arrived in 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.
St. Clement Danes Church
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Harthacnut, King of Denmark and England (reigned as King of England March 17, 1040 – June 8, 1042)
Born in England around 1018, Harthacnut, King of Denmark and England was the son of Cnut the Great, King of England, Denmark, and Norway and his second wife Emma of Normandy. As explained above, Harthacnut should have become king of both Denmark and England upon his father’s death but Harthacnut could not get to England, and his half-brother Harold Harefoot was proclaimed King of England. Upon the death of his half-brother, Harthacnut, who was already King of Denmark, also became King of England. 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. Edward was the son of Harthacnut’s mother Emma of Normandy and her first husband Æthelred II, King of the English
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/
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