 |
| Depiction in Life of St Edward the Confessor (c. 1230) |
Birth name: Sveinn Haraldsson
Born: 17 April 963, Kingdom of Denmark
Father: King Harald I of Denmark and Norway 'Bluetooth' *disputed*
Mother: Lady Tove of the Obotrites *disputed*
House: Knýtlinga
Nationality: Danish
Religion: Norse Paganism then Catholicism
Claim: Right of conquest
Reign: December 1013 - 03 February 1014 (5 weeks)
Coronation: N/A
Predecessor: Æthelred 'The Unready'
Successor: Æthelred 'The Unready'
Died: 03 February 1014 (aged 50), Gainsborough, Mercia, Kingdom of England
Cause: Accidental fall from a horse *disputed*
Burial: Roskilde Cathedral or Lund Cathedral
Motto: N/A
Spouse(s):
- Lady Świętosława of Poland (m. ??? - ????) *disputed*
- Sigrid of Sweden 'The Haughty' (m. ??? - ????) *disputed*
- Lady Gunhild of Wenden (m. ??? - ????) *disputed*
Children:
- With Lady Świętosława of Poland or Sigrid of Sweden or Lady Gunhild of Wenden
- Gytha Svensdatter (c. 985 - ????)
- King Cnut of Denmark, Norway and the English 'The Great' (c. 990 - 1035)
- King Harald II of Denmark (c. 996 - c. 1018)
- Estrid Svendsdatter, Lady of Skåne (c. 997 - c. 1073)
- Gunnhild Svendsdatter (??? - ????)
- Santslaue Svensdatter (??? - ????)
- Thyra Svensdatter (??? - ????)
Appearance:
Not much is known about Sweyn's physical appearance, other than that he was famous for styling his long beard in a bifurcated fashion, which split his facial hair in two down the middle. This resulted in his famous nickname of 'Forkbeard'.
Character:
Sweyn was reported to have been a very violent warrior, even usurping his own father for the throne while he was still alive. He often campaigned through fear, and pillaged and plundered many towns within England, especially in revenge for the possible murder of his sister. In battle, he was a terrifying force, as his enemies and civilians alike would quickly surrender and submit to him.
His religious identity receives mixed reports, with some sources claiming he was a Pagan for the majority of his life, while others claim he was a follower of Christianity from his youth. He was known to build churches, so the latter is more likely to be true.
Sweyn was also a skilled tactician, able to extort a great deal of wealth in order to pay for his invasions.
Biography:
The date of Sweyn's birth is not fully known for certain, though is suspected to be some time around the year 963. It's likely that his father was King Harald I 'Bluetooth' of Denmark and Norway, and the identity of his mother is even less known for sure, though is most likely Lady Tove of the Obotrites. A woman named Gunhild has also been suggested as the possible identity of his mother. It is believed that Sweyn had at least three siblings.
Not much is known about Sweyn's early life, but he was likely initially brought up in Norse Paganism before his father converted to Christianity, in which Sweyn was also baptised into the religion.
At some point, Sweyn married the former Queen of Sweden, though the name and identity of this woman is greatly debated. Some sources refer to her as Gunhild, though this was likely the Scandinavian name that was associated with her. She had also been referred to as Sigrid the Haughty, who became legendary in Scandinavian sagas, but in all likelihood, her true identity was probably Princess Świętosława of Poland. It may also be possible that all of these were three separate women. Regardless, Sweyn would go on to have around seven children.
Around 985, Sweyn began to rebel against his father and seized the thrones of Denmark and Norway for himself. Harald was exiled, where he would die a short time later, further cementing Sweyn's position. It's possible that Sweyn was then defeated and exiled himself by his father's German allies, and was replaced by King Eric the Victorious of Sweden, but this is not known for sure. It's possible that Sweyn lived in the Kingdom of Scotland during this time, and was only able to return as king, and achieve victory, once he had fully accepted Christianity, but it's possible that this was just propaganda. By 1000, whether he had been exiled or not, Sweyn was very much the ruler of both Denmark and Norway.
Over the next few years, Sweyn would face numerous battles with powerful jarls within his Scandinavian territories, as well as King Olof of Sweden. Sweyn was able to turn Norway into his vassal state. Though Sweyn allowed religious freedom in his realm, he would frequently be in religious conflict with the Holy Roman Empire, which perhaps explains the previously mentioned tale of his exile.
By 1002, Sweyn was leading raids across the coasts of England, which has been argued to be in response to King Æthelred of the English's slaughter of numerous Danes within the kingdom, including Sweyn's own sister. Sweyn was also able to steal plenty of valuables and material wealth from these raids, which was also likely a motivating factor.
He lead a military campaign further into Wessex, however, famine conditions in England forced him and his soldiers to flee back to Denmark. But by 1013, Sweyn had acquired enough wealth that he was able to lead a full invasion of England.
In August of that same year, Sweyn and his forces landed in East Anglia before travelling north, and quickly defeated Northumbria. This area of land was often culturally close to the Danes, and quickly submitted to Sweyn's rule. His campaign was assisted by his son, Cnut, who aided in gathering hostages for his father.
Sweyn then travelled south to London, where he was finally met by much stronger resistance. King Æthelred, who had previously been reluctant to do much against Viking attacks, finally stood his ground, though this was no doubt due to help from the Viking leader, Thorkell the Tall, who had defected from Sweyn's side to Æthelred. However, the people of London grew fearful of Sweyn, and possessed little loyalty to Æthelred, who's reign had been largely unpopular. Thus, London finally submitted, and Æthelred was forced to flee with his wife, Queen Emma of Normandy, and his younger children. Meanwhile, Æthelred's older sons from his first marriage chose to stay and fight.
Sweyn was proclaimed the new King of the English, but his reign would only last for five weeks.
Sweyn suddenly died in early 1014, though the cause of his death is debated. The most popular theory is that he died after accidentally falling from his horse, while the other popular theory suggests he died of a haemorrhage.
Another popular myth claims that he was murdered the ghost of St Edmund, who himself had been killed by Vikings around two hundred years earlier.
Rule:
Due to only reigning for just five weeks, Sweyn did not achieve or complete anything of note.
Trivia:
- Sweyn's descendants through his daughter, Estrid, still rule the Kingdom of Denmark until this very day.
Quotes:
N/A
Timeline of Reign:
| 1013: Exile of King Æthelred - Having lost his kingdom, Æthelred and his family flee to Normandy.
Sources & Further Reading:
Johnson, B. (2017). Sweyn Forkbeard, King of England. Historic UK. https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Sweyn-Forkbeard/
Swenson, B. J. (2022). Sweyn Forkbeard: First Danish King of England and the Alliance that Forged the North Sea Empire, 986-1014AD (Part I) - THE HISTORY AVENUE. THE HISTORY AVENUE. https://the-history-avenue.eu/2022/05/28/sweyn-forkbeard-first-danish-king-of-england-and-the-alliance-that-forged-the-north-sea-empire-986-1014ad-part-i/
Sweyn I | King of Denmark and England. (n.d.). Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sweyn-I
Sweyn Forkbeard.jpg - Wikimedia Commons. (2022). Wikimedia.org. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sweyn_Forkbeard.jpg
No comments:
Post a Comment