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| Depiction in Life of St Edward the Confessor (c. 1230) |
Birth name: Haraldr Knutsson
Born: ????
Father: King Cnut of Denmark, Norway and the English 'The Great'
Mother: Lady Ælfgifu of Northampton
House: Knýtlinga
Nationality: Danish
Religion: Catholicism *disputed*
Claim: Child of Cnut 'The Great'
Reign: 12 November 1035 - 17 March 1040 (4 years)
Coronation: N/A
Predecessor: Cnut 'The Great'
Successor: Harthacnut 'Tough-Knot'
Died: 17 March 1040 (aged *unknown*), Oxford, Wessex, Kingdom of England
Cause: Unknown illness
Burial: Westminster Abbey then St Clement Danes
Motto: N/A
Spouse(s):
- Ælfgifu (m. ???? - ????) *disputed*
Children:
- With Ælfgifu *disputed*
- Ælfwine Haroldsson (c. 1035 - c. 1062) *disputed*
Appearance:
Unknown.
Character:
Harold was likely ambitious in character, though this was perhaps in large part driven by his mother. He could sometimes be viewed as cruel and ruthless, especially regarding the murder of Alfred Ætheling, which likely occurred on his orders, or at least carried out in his name.
He is known to have enjoyed hunting.
It's also possible that he was not a religious man, even being rumoured to have rejected Christianity, though this was painted as being due to the fact that he couldn't get his own way. However, the validity of these claims is not known for certain. Harold could have perhaps been genuinely irreligious.
His nickname 'Harefoot' comes from the fact that people often regarded him as swift acting.
Biography:
A lot of the circumstances surrounding Harold are very much unknown. He was the son of King Cnut of Denmark, Norway and the English, and his first wife, Lady Ælfgifu of Northampton. However, some have argued a century later that Harold was in fact not Cnut's son, and that Ælfgifu had adopted him and passed him off as Cnut's child. This is likely just a myth. Regardless, the year of Harold's birth is not known, though he did have an older brother, as well as two half siblings from his father's second marriage to Lady Emma of Normandy.
Not much is known about Harold's early life at all. His older brother, Svein, and his mother were sent to Norway to rule as regents, while his younger half-brother, Harthacnut, was sent to Denmark. Upon his father's second and concurrent marriage to Emma of Normandy, he promised that his children by Emma would take priority in the line of succession, meaning that Harold stood little chance in ascending to the thrones in both England and Denmark.
Cnut would die in 1035, meaning that Harthacnut was technically the new king of both England and Denmark (Norway had been lost due to rebellions against his brother's unpopular rule there). However, issues in Denmark meant that he was unable to cross the North Sea and claim the throne in England.
Harold was installed as a regent, much to the annoyance of Emma, who attempted to maintain popular support for her own son's interests. Meanwhile, Harold received support from his own mother, Ælfgifu, who believed that her son should be the rightful king. He quickly appears to have wanted to establish himself as the official ruler instead of being a regent, as he attempted to have a coronation ceremony for himself, but the Archbishop of Canterbury refused. Apparently as a result of this, Harold rejected Christianity while he remained uncrowned, and refused to attend church, which would have been incredibly scandalous. However, it is unknown how true these claims are.
Ælfgifu began to bribe nobles into supporting Harold's claim, and Harthacnut's continued absence from the realm also began to fuel further support for Harold. England became divided between both Harold and Harthacnut, with Harold ruling the land north of the River Thames, while Emma of Normandy acted as Harthacnut's regent in the south with the help of Godwin, Earl of Wessex.
By 1037, Godwin switched to Harold's side, and all of England began to officially recognise Harold as their king. Harthacnut remained stuck in Denmark, while Emma was forced to flee to Flanders. However, it is widely believed that Ælfgifu was the true power behind the throne, though at this point, there is little record regarding what happened during the majority of Harold's reign.
Just a year earlier in 1036, one of the most arguably disastrous moments of his reign occurred. Emma's surviving sons by Æthelred, Alfred and Edward, were invited by her to return to England, likely in the hopes that they would fight for their own claims to the throne. However, she would later claim that this letter was forged by Harold to lure her sons into a trap. Regardless of who was the actual sender of the letter, upon their separate arrivals into the kingdom, Alfred was attacked by Godwin and blinded, an act which rendered him ineligible to become king, before dying of his injuries. Edward was also attacked, but he managed to defend himself and flee back into exile in Normandy. This incident was largely due to the staunch support that Harold was now receiving from the most powerful nobles within England. But this would result in further angering Emma and Harthacnut.
It's possible that at some point in his life, Harold married a woman named Ælfgifu, but this is not known for sure. He may have also had a son by her, named Ælfwine, but once again, there are very limited sources regarding Harold's life. It is possible that his son went on to become a monk.
Harold died of unknown causes in 1040. Members of the church viewed his death as divine justice for his crimes against Christianity.
Rule:
Not much is known about Harold's reign, though there is plenty of evidence to show genuine popularity and support, despite bribes for support from his mother. He certainly had the support of the most powerful English nobleman, Godwin, who attacked rival claimants to the English throne, and murdered one of them, likely on Harold's behalf.
However, he does not appear to have been popular with the church, especially after attempting to try and force the Archbishop of Canterbury to crown him as the King of England. The extent to the truthfulness of events is not known, but regardless, he was disliked by the church so much that such scandalous stories would be created about him, and even referring to his death as divine judgement.
Unknown.
Character:
Harold was likely ambitious in character, though this was perhaps in large part driven by his mother. He could sometimes be viewed as cruel and ruthless, especially regarding the murder of Alfred Ætheling, which likely occurred on his orders, or at least carried out in his name.
He is known to have enjoyed hunting.
It's also possible that he was not a religious man, even being rumoured to have rejected Christianity, though this was painted as being due to the fact that he couldn't get his own way. However, the validity of these claims is not known for certain. Harold could have perhaps been genuinely irreligious.
His nickname 'Harefoot' comes from the fact that people often regarded him as swift acting.
Biography:
A lot of the circumstances surrounding Harold are very much unknown. He was the son of King Cnut of Denmark, Norway and the English, and his first wife, Lady Ælfgifu of Northampton. However, some have argued a century later that Harold was in fact not Cnut's son, and that Ælfgifu had adopted him and passed him off as Cnut's child. This is likely just a myth. Regardless, the year of Harold's birth is not known, though he did have an older brother, as well as two half siblings from his father's second marriage to Lady Emma of Normandy.
Not much is known about Harold's early life at all. His older brother, Svein, and his mother were sent to Norway to rule as regents, while his younger half-brother, Harthacnut, was sent to Denmark. Upon his father's second and concurrent marriage to Emma of Normandy, he promised that his children by Emma would take priority in the line of succession, meaning that Harold stood little chance in ascending to the thrones in both England and Denmark.
Cnut would die in 1035, meaning that Harthacnut was technically the new king of both England and Denmark (Norway had been lost due to rebellions against his brother's unpopular rule there). However, issues in Denmark meant that he was unable to cross the North Sea and claim the throne in England.
Harold was installed as a regent, much to the annoyance of Emma, who attempted to maintain popular support for her own son's interests. Meanwhile, Harold received support from his own mother, Ælfgifu, who believed that her son should be the rightful king. He quickly appears to have wanted to establish himself as the official ruler instead of being a regent, as he attempted to have a coronation ceremony for himself, but the Archbishop of Canterbury refused. Apparently as a result of this, Harold rejected Christianity while he remained uncrowned, and refused to attend church, which would have been incredibly scandalous. However, it is unknown how true these claims are.
Ælfgifu began to bribe nobles into supporting Harold's claim, and Harthacnut's continued absence from the realm also began to fuel further support for Harold. England became divided between both Harold and Harthacnut, with Harold ruling the land north of the River Thames, while Emma of Normandy acted as Harthacnut's regent in the south with the help of Godwin, Earl of Wessex.
By 1037, Godwin switched to Harold's side, and all of England began to officially recognise Harold as their king. Harthacnut remained stuck in Denmark, while Emma was forced to flee to Flanders. However, it is widely believed that Ælfgifu was the true power behind the throne, though at this point, there is little record regarding what happened during the majority of Harold's reign.
Just a year earlier in 1036, one of the most arguably disastrous moments of his reign occurred. Emma's surviving sons by Æthelred, Alfred and Edward, were invited by her to return to England, likely in the hopes that they would fight for their own claims to the throne. However, she would later claim that this letter was forged by Harold to lure her sons into a trap. Regardless of who was the actual sender of the letter, upon their separate arrivals into the kingdom, Alfred was attacked by Godwin and blinded, an act which rendered him ineligible to become king, before dying of his injuries. Edward was also attacked, but he managed to defend himself and flee back into exile in Normandy. This incident was largely due to the staunch support that Harold was now receiving from the most powerful nobles within England. But this would result in further angering Emma and Harthacnut.
It's possible that at some point in his life, Harold married a woman named Ælfgifu, but this is not known for sure. He may have also had a son by her, named Ælfwine, but once again, there are very limited sources regarding Harold's life. It is possible that his son went on to become a monk.
Harold died of unknown causes in 1040. Members of the church viewed his death as divine justice for his crimes against Christianity.
Rule:
Not much is known about Harold's reign, though there is plenty of evidence to show genuine popularity and support, despite bribes for support from his mother. He certainly had the support of the most powerful English nobleman, Godwin, who attacked rival claimants to the English throne, and murdered one of them, likely on Harold's behalf.
However, he does not appear to have been popular with the church, especially after attempting to try and force the Archbishop of Canterbury to crown him as the King of England. The extent to the truthfulness of events is not known, but regardless, he was disliked by the church so much that such scandalous stories would be created about him, and even referring to his death as divine judgement.
Trivia:
- After his death, his half-brother, Harthacnut, would have his body dug up and beheaded in front of a crowd of people before being thrown into the sewers in revenge for his role in the death of Alfred. His body would be fished up by locals and re-buried.
Quotes:
N/A
Timeline of Reign:
| 1035: Harold rejects Christianity - Harold protests the refusal to officially crown him as king.
| 1036: Godwin switches sides - Godwin now sides with Harold's claim.
| 1036: Murder of Alfred Ætheling - Emma of Normandy's son blinded and murdered by Godwin.
| 1036: Edward Ætheling exiled - Future king, Edward the Confessor, forced to flee into exile again.
| 1036: Emma of Normandy exiled - Former queen consort forced to flee into exile.
Sources & Further Reading:
Brain, J. (2022) King Harold I - Harold Harefoot. Historic UK. https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/King-Harold-Harefoot/
Harold I | King of England | Britannica. (n.d.). Www.britannica.com. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Harold-I
Harold Harefoot in the Cambridge University Library.jpg - Wikimedia Commons. (2022). Wikimedia.org. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Harold_Harefoot_in_the_Cambridge_University_Library.jpg
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