Who Is Canute King

Canute was the son of Sweyn I Forkbeard, the king of Denmark, and grandson of the Polish ruler Mieszko. As a young man, Canute was left in charge of the fleet at Gainsborough, Lincolnshire. There it is said that he met Aelfgifu, daughter of an ealdorman of Northumbria, who bore him his two sons, Sweyn and Harold. By the end of 1013, Sweyn I Forkbeard was accepted as king of England, but died in February 1014. Canute and the men of Lindsey planned an expedition, but Canute deserted his allies at Easter and sailed to Denmark, leaving his hostages ashore at Sandwich. In 1015 he returned and began a long struggle with Aethelred’s son Edmund II Ironside. After Aethelred died in April 1016, the English witan elected Canute king at Southampton. He