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Original Author: garg

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Danish kings in England. The English accepted Sweyn as king late in 1013, but he died after only a few weeks.

Ethelred returned from Normandy and resumed his reign early in 1014. At his death in 1016, he was succeeded by his son Edmund Ironside. But Sweyn''s son, Cnut (more commonly known as Canute), sought to reclaim his father''s kingdom in England. In 1016, Canute and Edmund signed a treaty dividing England between them. Edmund died suddenly shortly afterwards, leaving Canute as sole king.
Canute ruled England until 1035. He also ruled Denmark and, for a time, Norway. In England, Canute restored order and brought good government to the country. Canute proved an effective king. Ethelred II''s weakness had caused people to lose respect for the monarchy. Canute brought the country back under firm, though sometimes ruthless, rule. He improved England''s defence and helped its traders to win new markets. He also supported the Church.
Canute married Ethelred''s widow, Emma. Their son Hardecanute (also spelled Harthacnut) was in Denmark when his father died in 1035. Because of the political situation in Denmark, Hardecanute could not return to England immediately. In 1036, the Witan (king''s supreme council) elected as king an illegitimate son of Canute, Harold, known as Harefoot. Harold''s mother, Elfgifu of Northampton, and an English earl, Godwin, both helped him to win the kingship.
It seems that Harold I inherited his father''s ruthlessness but not his ability. After Harold died in 1040, Hardecanute finally succeeded as king, but died two years later. The throne then passed to Edward, the only surviving son of Ethelred II and Emma.
Edward, known as the Confessor because of his great piety, had lived in Normandy for 25 years. He was a stranger in England. During his reign, there were many struggles for power. The king could never be ignored, but from time to time the great Earl Godwin and his sons dominated affairs. Edward''s closest heirs by blood were his nephew, Edward the Atheling, and then the Atheling''s young son, Edgar the Atheling. Edward the Atheling died in 1057. In 1051, King Edward seems to have promised some right in the succession to Duke William of Normandy.
The Norman Conquest. The English earls opposed the succession of William. After Edward''s death, Edgar the Atheling was still only a child. So Harold, Godwin''s son, was chosen by the Witan to be king and was crowned as Harold II in January 1066. In the autumn, he had to face two invasions. In the first, Harold''s brother Tostig accompanied a Viking invasion led by King Harald Hardrada of Norway. In the second, Duke William came with an army from Normandy to claim the throne. On September 25, King Harold defeated and killed Tostig and Harald Hardrada at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. But on October 14, in the fateful Battle of Hastings, William defeated and killed Harold and seized the English throne.
Early rulers of Scotland and Wales
The Celtic-speaking Britons who were gradually forced westward and northward by Anglo-Saxon invaders in the A.D. 400''s became the Welsh of later times. Tradition says that Cunedda, ruler of the Britons in the territory along the Firth of Forth, came to North Wales around 400 and drove out Irish invaders. The kingdom of Gwynedd is said to be named after Cunedda. He started a great dynasty whose members gave names to kingdoms in Wales. In the early 600''s, the Anglian kings of Northumbria subdued the British kingdoms in southern Scotland and separated the Britons of ScRONG>Write your abstract here.

Published: September 23, 2007

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