Dig Into History – April 2019

14

Cnut the Great

(1016–1035Ƌƍ)

Cnut (also spelled Canute) was

one of the most powerful kings in

pre-Conquest England, and

one of the most successful during

the Early Middle Ages. Cnut’s

father, Sweyn, had conquered

England and briefly ruled the

area, but when Sweyn died in

1014, many of the English resisted

Cnut. Cnut did have many of the

Danes in England under his

command, and he stopped most

of the heavy raiding against the

English. The English accepted

Cnut as their king, and he was

finally crowned in 1017. As a

result, the English were able use

their troops to support Cnut.

After Cnut’s brother King

Harald II of Denmark died in

1018, Cnut felt secure enough

to leave England in order to

assert his claim to the throne of

Denmark. He met little resistance

and became King of England

and Denmark. In 1028, he added

the kingdom of Norway to his

growing empire.

Cnut proved to be a talented

ruler, politician, and military

leader. He worked hard to

maintain a good relationship

with the Church, and his

growing reputation earned him

an invitation to the coronation

of the Holy Roman Emperor

Conrad II in Rome in 1027.

Leaving the lands he controlled

for a trip to Rome was clear

proof of the stability he had

achieved in his kingdoms.

Although Cnut’s empire

did not last beyond his death,

his reign as King of England,

Denmark, and Norway stands

as an exceptional political

achievement in medieval Europe.

The all too brief years of stability

he brought to his kingdoms serve

to cement his legacy as one of

the great kings in Europe during

the Early Middle Ages.

Ben Bertrand is a Master’s student at

Boston College, who focuses on violence and

society in the Middle Ages.

Kortney Arnold is a Master’s student

at Boston College, studying medieval

political history.

Pre-Conquest England refers to the time period between the departure of the Romans in the early fifth

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English king Edmund II
(left) charges King Cnut at
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