The sagas and Encomium say that he was a son of Gunhild, while Thietmar of Merseburg, who lived at the same time as Sweyn says that Canute's mother was Sigrid the Haughty. "[8] A sixth Trelleborg of similar design, located at Borgeby, in Scania, has been dated to about 1000 and may have been built by King Harald and a second fort named Trelleborg is located near the modern town of Trelleborg in Scania in present-day Sweden, but is of older date and thus pre-dates the reign of Harald Bluetooth. The Latinized name as given in the medieval Danish chronicles is Haraldus Gormonis filius (Harald, Gorm's son). He was declared King of England on Christmas Day in 1013 and ruled until his death on 3rd February 1014, although he was never crowned. He had reigned for less than a year. The son of a Danish king, Sweyn 'Forkbeard' began conquering territory in England in 1003, effectively devastating much of southern and midland England. (2015)", History of the Archbishops of Hamburg-Bremen, "Tech History: How Bluetooth got its name", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Harald_Bluetooth&oldid=1002588329, Converts to Christianity from pagan religions, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing Old Norse-language text, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2019, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2017, Wikipedia articles needing factual verification from February 2019, Wikipedia articles with SELIBR identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 25 January 2021, at 03:53. [9], The Curmsun Disc was found in Groß-Weckow, Pomerania and according to the inscription, Swedish archaeologist Sven Rosborn proposes that Harald may have been buried in the church there (after 1945 Wiejkowo), close to Jomsborg. Cnut and his sons, Harold Harefoot and Harthacnut, ruled England over a combined 26-year period (1016–1042). [14], Adam of Bremen, writing 100 years after King Harald's death in "History of the Archbishops of Hamburg-Bremen", finished in 1076, describes Harald being forcibly converted by Otto I, after a defeat in battle. Besides being King of Denmark, he became the unifier and first King of England, building upon its Saxon and Jórvikish foundations to create the medieval English state. [10], Sweyn campaigned in Wessex and East Anglia in 1003–1004, but a famine forced him to return to Denmark in 1005. Sweyn’s son Canute I (the Great) reconquered Norway, which had been lost around the time… The victors divided Norway among them. But the Londoners put up a strong resistance, because King Æthelred and Thorkell the Tall, a Viking leader who had defected to Æthelred, personally held their ground against him in London itself. Æthelred was briefly succeeded by his son, Edmund Ironside, but he died after a few months and was replaced by Sweyn's son, Cnut. Sweyn was the son of King Harold Gormson Bluetooth of Denmark and Aesa, according to the Jomsvikinga Saga, though more probably his mother was Queen Gunild. The son of Alfred and Elswitha, Edward the Elder, re-conquered all the Viking held territories, except York, and ruled as King of England. He gave these to his son in law, Jarl Svein Hákonarson, to hold as a vassal. He is believed to have died in 986, although several accounts claim 985 as his year of death. The historicity of this exile, or its duration, is uncertain. Har­ald was dri­ven into exile and died shortly af­ter­wards in No­vem­ber 986 or 987. A painting and text about Forkbeard. King Harald Bluetooth's conversion to Christianity is a contested bit of history, not least because medieval writers such as Widukind of Corvey and Adam of Bremen give conflicting accounts of how it came about. He went very quickly about East Anglia into the Humber's mouth, and so upward along the Trent till he came to Gainsborough. He died soon afterwards. In England, the councillors had sent for Æthelred, who upon his return from exile in Normandy in the spring of 1014 managed to drive Cnut out of England. Based in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, Sweyn began to organise his vast new kingdom, but he died there on 3 February 1014, having ruled England for only five weeks. Lund, Niels (2001). Sweyn Forkbeard. Many details about Sweyn's life are contested. Tradition locates this church in Roskilde,[14] but it is more plausible that it was actually located in Lund in Scania (now part of Sweden).[17]. He was the father of King Harald II of Denmark, King Cnut the Great and Queen Estrid Svendsdatter. [23], The Bluetooth wireless specification design was named after the king in 1997,[24] based on an analogy that the technology would unite devices the way Harald Bluetooth united the tribes of Denmark into a single kingdom. The Londoners then followed suit, fearing Sweyn's revenge if they resisted any longer. Harald's name is written as runic haraltr : kunukʀ (ᚼᛅᚱᛅᛚᛏᚱ ᛬ ᚴᚢᚾᚢᚴᛦ) in the Jelling stone inscription. King Æthelred sent his sons Edward and Alfred to Normandy, and himself retreated to the Isle of Wight, and then followed them into exile. Haakon. (2001). Scocozza, Benito (1997), Politikens bog om danske monarker, København: Politikens Forlag. He was born around 960AD during the time that Scandinavian countries were at wars. In 986 A.D. Sweyn Forkbeard, who was known for his navigational expertise, revolted against his father, King Bluetooth, and eventually became his successor. According to Adam of Bremen, an 11th century historian, Harald's son Sweyn was baptised Otto, paying tribute to the German king Otto I who was Holy Roman Emperor. See more ideas about viking history, vikings, norse. Born about 960, Sweyn Forkbeard was the son of Harald Bluetooth, King of Denmark and Norway and probably his first wife Gunhild of Wenden.Harald Bluetooth, who unified Denmark and Norway in the tenth century and eventually lost Norway, was the inspiration for the name of the wireless technology company Bluetooth.The Bluetooth logo is a bind rune merging the runes () (ᚼ) and (ᛒ), … Some sources say his son Sweyn Forkbeard forcibly deposed him from his Danish throne before his death. Harald's rule as king of Norway following the assassination of King Harald Greycloak of Norway was more tenuous, most likely lasting for no more than a few years in the 970s. Cnut soon returned and became king of all England in 1016, following the deaths of Æthelred and his son Edmund Ironside; he succeeded his brother as King of Denmark in 1019 and eventually also ruled Norway, parts of Sweden, Pomerania, and Schleswig. Sweyn I "Forkbeard" (Old Norse Sveinn tjúguskegg; Danish: Svend Tveskæg, originally Tjugeskæg or Tyvskæg, Norwegian: Svein Tjugeskjegg) (c. 960 – February 3, 1014).Sweyn succeeded his father Harald I "Blåtand" (Bluetooth) as king of Denmark, probably in late 986 or early 987.Sweyn had coins made with his likeness, being the first Danish king to do so. Harald II, his other son, succeeded him as King of Denmark. She married Pallig, Jarl and Ealdorman of Devonshire. Simon Keynes regards it as uncertain whether Sweyn supported these invasions, but "whatever the case, he was quick to exploit the disruption caused by the activities of Thorkell's army". Sweyn, known as Forkbeard due to his long, cleft beard, was the son of Harald Bluetooth, king of Denmark and was born around 960 AD. Sweyn Forkbeard was and remains a powerful symbol of Scandinavia's transitional era at the turn of the Eleventh Century. Sweyn was buried in England, but his body was later removed to Roeskild Cathedral in Denmark. [10] According to Adam, Sweyn was punished by God for leading the uprising which led to king Harald's death, and had to spend fourteen years abroad (i.e. You take on the role of Sweyn Forkbeard, the son of a Viking Jarl, to conquer England and save the love of your life. Opes 21:55, 7 April 2006 (UTC) Have changed all the Sven/svend entries to Sweyn as this not only creates a consensus but also agrees with the name of the article! He came to the help of Richard the Fearless of Normandy in 945 and 963, while his son conquered Samland, and after the assassination of King Harald Greycloak of Norway, managed to force the people of that country into temporary subjugation to himself. [18], 11th-century King of Denmark, England, and Norway, "King Sweyn" and "Sweyn of Norway" redirect here. Sweyn acquired massive sums of Danegeld through the raids. The rest of Norway was ruled by Eirik Hákonarson as King Svein's vassal. "[15], As noted above, Harald's father, Gorm the Old, had died in 958, and had been buried in a mound with many goods, after the pagan practice. The Norse sagas present Harald in a rather negative light. Adam of Bre­men de­picted Sweyn as a re­bel­lious pagan who per­se­cuted Chris­tians, be­trayed his fa­ther and ex­pelled Ger­man bish­ops from Sca­nia and Zealand. Her descendants continue to reign in Denmark to this day. [8] After he came over Watling Street, they went to Oxford, and the town-dwellers soon bowed to him, and gave hostages. [16] On Christmas Day 1013 Sweyn was declared King of England. His son Canute would go on to create a Nordic empire after his … [citation needed], He constructed the oldest known bridge in southern Scandinavia, the 5-metre (16 ft) wide and 760-metre (2,490 ft) long Ravning Bridge at Ravning meadows. [13] but Lund (2001) argues that the main motivation for the raids was more likely the prospect of revenue. Harald's name is also inscribed on the so-called Curmsun disc, rediscovered in 2014 (but part of a Viking hoard previously discovered in 1841 in the crypt of the Groß-Weckow village church in Pomerania, close to the Viking Age stronghold of Jomsborg), as +ARALD CVRMSVN + REX AD TANER + SCON + JVMN + CIV ALDIN, i.e. Adam also suggests that Sweyn in his youth lived among heathens, and only achieved success as a ruler after accepting Christianity. [7] [12] According to 12th-century Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus in his work Gesta Danorum, Poppo performed his miracle for Harald's son Sweyn Forkbeard after Sweyn had second thoughts about his own baptism. [21] The Encyclopædia Britannica considers the runic inscriptions as the best-known in Denmark. Born in 961(?). [15] However, Widukind does not mention such an event in his contemporary Res gestae saxonicae sive annalium libri tres or Deeds of the Saxons. Sweyn Forkbeard, England’s forgotten king, ruled for just 5 weeks. [2] In 1000, with the allegiance of Trondejarl, Eric of Lade, Sweyn ruled most of Norway. Sweyn had eight children with Sigrid the Haughty and Gunhild of Wenden: King Sweyn Forkbeard is played by Ernest Graves in the 1970 film The Ceremony of Innocence. Sweyn also exhausted England in annual raids and was finally accepted as king of that country, but he died shortly thereafter. He was given hostages from each shire. [12] This may have been a reason for Adam of Bremen's apparent hostility in his accounts of Sweyn; by accentuating English ecclesiastical influence in his kingdom, Sweyn was effectively spurning the Archbishop of Bremen. Further raids took place in 1006–1007, and in 1009–1012 Thorkell the Tall led a Viking invasion into England. [citation needed] Gunhilde. [6] Conflicting accounts of Sweyn's later life also appear in the Encomium Emmae Reginae, an 11th-century Latin encomium in honour of his son king Cnut's queen Emma of Normandy, along with Chronicon ex chronicis by Florence of Worcester, another 11th-century author. [6] The traditional explanation is that Harald must have had a conspicuous bad tooth that appeared "blue" (i.e. Sweyn was born in 960, the son of Harald Bluetooth, King of Denmark, and his Queen, Gunhild. Historiographical sources on Sweyn's life include the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (where his name is rendered as Swegen), Adam of Bremen's 12th-century Deeds of the Bishops of Hamburg, and Snorri Sturluson's 13th-century Heimskringla. Harald undoubtedly professed Christianity at that time and contributed to its growth, but with limited success in Denmark and Norway. However, there is some disagreement about who was Canute's mother. In the mid-980s, Sweyn revolted against his father, Harald Bluetooth, and seized the throne. Sweyn Forkbeard. For other people, see. According to Adam of Bremen, Harald's son Sweyn was baptised "Otto" (in honour of German king Otto I). Sweyn re-gained direct control of Viken district. While quiet prevailed throughout the interior, he turned his energies to foreign enterprises. In the mid-980s, Sweyn revolted against his father, Harald Bluetooth, and seized the throne. "black", as blár "blue" meant "blue-black", or "dark-coloured"). Adam's account is thus not seen as entirely reliable; the claimed 14-years' exile of Sweyn to Scotland does not seem to agree with Sweyn's building churches in Denmark throughout the same period, including the churches in Lund and Roskilde. The English nobility became so disillusioned with their existing king, Ethelred 'The Unready', that they acknowledged Sweyn as king in 1013. His wit, ferocity, ruthlessness and battle tactics kept everything under water-tight control. One of them, Margaret of Denmark, married James III of Scotland in 1469, introducing Sweyn's bloodline into the Scottish royal house. [2] Adam of Bremen identifies her as "Gunhild", but some modern day scholars give her name as Tove from Western Wendland. Sweyn apparently recruited priests and bishops from England, in preference to the Archbishopric of Bremen. Sørensen (2001) argues that Adam's depiction of Sweyn may be overly negative, as seen through an "unsympathetic and intolerant eye". Harald introduced Christianity to Denmark and consolidated his rule over most of Jutland and Zealand. Sweyn's daughter, Estrid Svendsdatter, was the mother of King Sweyn II of Denmark. Following research in England, Denmark and Norway we created in … Some two hundred and fifty years later, the Heimskringla relates that Harald was converted with Earl Haakon, by Otto II. Sweyn Forkbeard (/ s v ɛ n /; [citation needed] Old Norse: Sveinn Haraldsson tjúguskegg; Danish: Svend Tveskæg; c. 960 – 3 February 1014) was king of Denmark from 986 to 1014. Sweyn Forkbeard was the 1st Viking King of England in the year 1013. "Harald Gormson, king of Danes, Scania, Jumne, [in] Bishopric of Aldinburg [de]". Sweyn's reign was short, as he died in 1014, but his son Canute the Great soon King of England, Norway, Denmark. Sweyn Forkbeard, son of King Harald Bluetooth. He was the father of King Harald II of Denmark, King Cnut the Great and Queen Estrid Svendsdatter.. Harald ruled as king of Denmark from c. 958 – c. 986. Cnut, son of Sweyn Forkbeard, was not born to be king but when his brother, Harald II, King of Denmark, offered to back his invasion of England, he gathered his men and set sail. Scholars disagree about the various, too often contradictory, accounts of his life given in sources from this era of history, such as the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Adam of Bremen's Deeds of the Bishops of Hamburg, and the Heimskringla, a 13th-century w… According to the account of the Heimskringla, [10], The Hiddensee treasure, a large trove of gold objects, was found in 1873 on the German island of Hiddensee in the Baltic Sea. However, Sweyn's preference for the English church may also have had a political motive, because German bishops were an integral part of the state. [17][18] The story of this otherwise unknown Poppo or Poppa's miracle and baptism of Harald is also depicted on the gilded altar piece in the Church of Tamdrup in Denmark (see image at top of this article). He also believes the Lincolnshire town could have been where Sweyn's son, Canute, attempted to hold back the waves of the Aegir - a tidal bore, … Most sources say that they adopted Christianity but allowed the people religious freedom, leading to a backlash against Christianity which undid much of Olaf Tryggvason's missionary work.[11]. In the mid-980s, Sweyn re­volted against his fa­ther and seized the throne. In part, this reflected the fact that there were numerous Christian priests of Danish origin in the Danelaw, while Sweyn had few personal connections to Germany. 1016), perhaps married firstly with Eric the Victorious, King of Sweden and later wife of Sweyn Forkbeard, King of Denmark by whom she is said to have been mother of … The mound itself was from c. 500 BCE, but Harald had it built higher over his father's grave, and added a second mound to the south. The most famous is fortifying the fortress of Aros (nowadays Aarhus) which was situated in a central position in his kingdom in the year 979. His son was King Canute (Knut) "The Great". "The armies of Swein Forkbeard and Cnut: leding or li(th)", https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0205808/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2, Northvegr (Scandinavian) – A History of the Vikings (Search), Vikingworld (Danish) – Swein Forkbeard (Svend Tveskæg), Sweyn Forkbeard: The Viking King of England, List of English words of Old Norse origin, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sweyn_Forkbeard&oldid=1001197390, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the ODNB, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2020, Wikipedia articles with SELIBR identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 18 January 2021, at 17:37. Sweyn built an alliance with Swedish king Olof Skötkonung and Eirik Hákonarson, Jarl of Lade, against Norwegian king Olaf Tryggvason. Ethelred was re-called by the Witan, causing Sweyn's son, Canute to flee. "Religions Old and New". When he understood that all the people had submitted to him, he bade that his force should be provisioned and horsed; he went south with the main part of the invasion force, while some of the invasion force, as well as the hostages, were with his son Cnut. [2], In the mid-980s, Sweyn revolted against his father and seized the throne. Earl Uchtred and all Northumbria quickly bowed to him, as did all the people of the Kingdom of Lindsey, then the people of the Five Boroughs. [9], From 1835 to 1977, it was wrongly believed that Harald ordered the death of the Haraldskær Woman, a bog body previously thought to be Gunnhild, Mother of Kings until radiocarbon dating proved otherwise. Harold was a son of Godwin (c. 1001 –1053), the powerful earl of Wessex, and of Gytha Thorkelsdóttir, whose brother Ulf the Earl was married to Estrid Svendsdatter (c. 1015/1016), the daughter of King Sweyn Forkbeard (died 1014) and sister of King Cnut the Great of England and Denmark. [14] According to Adam of Bremen, an 11th-century historian, Harald's son Sweyn was baptised Otto, in tribute to the German king Otto I, who was the first Holy Roman Emperor. England’s fate is sealed in 1013. Sweyn Forkbeard (960-1014) was the king of Denmark from 986 to 1014 (succeeding Harald Bluetooth and preceding Harald II of Denmark), King of Norway from 1000 to 1014 (succeeding Olav Tryggvason and preceding Olaf II of Norway), and King of England from 1013 to 1014 (succeeding Æthelred the Unready and preceding Æthelred). The Kings' sagas ascribe the causes of the alliance to Olaf Tryggvason's ill-fated marriage proposal to Sigrid the Haughty and his problematic marriage to Thyri, sister of Svein Forkbeard. Many years of looting and attacks by the Vikings have shattered the once proud England. Sweyn married the widow of Erik, king of Sweden, named "Gunhild" in some sources,[8] or identified as an unnamed sister of Boleslav, ruler of Poland. Mound-building was a newly revived custom in the 10th century, perceivably as an "appeal to old traditions in the face of Christian customs spreading from Denmark's southern neighbors, the Germans. Ac­cord­ing to Adam, Sweyn was sent into exile by his fa­ther's Ger­man friends and de­posed in favour of king Eric the Vic­to­ri­ous of Swe­den, whom Adam wrote ruled Den­mark until his death in 994 or 995. However, he returned as king for two years after Sweyn's death in 1014. Another explanation, proposed by Scocozza (1997), is that he was called "blue thane" (or "dark thane") in England (with Anglo-Saxon thegn corrupted to tan when the name came back into Old Norse). It is believed that these objects belonged to Harald's family.[11]. Sweyn Forkbeard was famous for his conquers, beard and immaculate hair even in battle. Harald was driven into exile and died shortly afterwards in November 986 or 987.[2]. Jan 31, 2016 - Explore Seonaid O'Riada's board "sweyn forkbeard" on Pinterest. Sweyn's father, Harald Bluetooth, was the first of the Scandinavian kings to officially accept Christianity, in the mid-960s. 1140), alongside the alternative nickname Clac Harald. [citation needed], He had the Jelling stones erected to honour his parents. The contemporary Peterborough Chronicle (part of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle) states: before the month of August came king Sweyn with his fleet to Sandwich. Harald "Bluetooth" Gormsson (Old Norse: Haraldr Gormsson;[2] Danish: Harald Blåtand Gormsen, died c. 985/86) was a king of Denmark and Norway. Today, he is remembered as Cnut the Great with good reason. [19] Adam of Bremen's claim regarding Otto I and Harald appears to have been inspired by an attempt to manufacture a historical reason for the archbishops of Hamburg-Bremen to claim jurisdiction over Denmark (and thus the rest of Scandinavia); in the 1070s, the Danish king was in Rome asking for Denmark to have its own arch-bishop, and Adam's account of Harald's supposed conversion (and baptism of both him and his "little son" Sweyn, with Otto serving as Sweyn's godfather) is followed by the unambiguous claim that "At that time Denmark on this side of the sea, which is called Jutland by the inhabitants, was divided into three dioceses and subjected to the bishopric of Hamburg. Widukind of Corvey, writing during the lives of King Harald and Otto I, claims that Harald was converted by a "cleric by the name of Poppa" who, when asked by Harald to prove his faith in Christ, carried a "great weight" of iron heated by a fire without being burned. Sweyn's father, Harald Bluetooth, was one of the first of the reigning Scandinavian kings to be baptised, in the early or mid-960s. Sons of Valhalla is a sidescrolling base building strategy game. Usually given as the son of Harald and Gunhild, though it is said in some of the older sagas that he was an illegitimate son. He was the father of King Harald II of Denmark, King Cnut the Great and Queen Estrid Svendsdatter.. In 994 Sweyn conducted a large fleet of warships to England, but failed to capture London. There are conflicting records as to the identity of his mother. Sweyn's elder son, Harald II, succeeded him as King of Denmark, but the Danish fleet in England proclaimed his younger son Cnut king. Adam of Bremen depicted Sweyn as a rebellious pagan who persecuted Christians, betrayed his father and expelled German bishops from Scania and Zealand. Sørensen, M.P. When Styrbjörn brought this fleet to Uppsala to claim the throne of Sweden, Harald broke his oath and fled with his Danes to avoid facing the Swedish army at the Battle of Fýrisvellir. His embalmed body was returned to Denmark for burial in the church he had built. In the middle 980s, however, he was dethroned by his son Svein and driven into exile in Germany. According to Adam of Bremen he died in Jumne/Jomsborg from his wounds. According to Ashley (1998), Sweyn's invasion was partly motivated by the massacre of Danes in England ordered by Æthelred the Unready in 1002, in which his sister and brother-in-law are said to have been killed. Ring forts were built in five strategic locations with Aarhus perfectly in the middle: Trelleborg on Zealand, Borrering in eastern Zealand (the inner construction of this fort is still yet to be established), Nonnebakken on Funen, Fyrkat in Himmerland (northern Jutland) and Aggersborg near Limfjord. "[20], After his conversion, around the 960s, Harald had his father's body reburied in the church next to the now empty mound. However, the English nobility sent for Æthelred, who upon his return from exile in Normandy in the spring of 1014 managed to drive Cnut out of England. Sweyn’s son Cnut even makes him Jarl in 1017. His father was Harald I, known also as Harald Bluetooth, whereas the identity of his mother is not known for certain. 968/72 - d. ca. Sweyn (スヴェン, Suven) was the Danish king who managed to conquer almost the entirety of England and Wales, all the while keeping control of his more northern kingdoms. [5] Clac Harald appears to be a confusion of Harald Bluetooth with the legendary or semi-legendary Harald Klak, son of Halfdan. Sweyn's elder son, Harald II, succeeded him as King of Denmark, while his younger son, Cnut, was proclaimed King of England by the people of the Danelaw. The "Chronicle of John of Wallingford" (c. 1225–1250) records Sweyn's involvement in raids against England during 1002–1005, 1006–1007, and 1009–1012 to avenge the St. Brice's Day massacre of England's Danish inhabitants in November 1002. After Harthacnut's death, the English throne reverted to the House of Wessex under Æthelred's younger son Edward the Confessor (reigned 1042–1066). Genealogy for Sweyn "Forkbeard" Haraldsson, King of Denmark and England (960 - 1014) family tree on Geni, with over 200 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. After James VI of Scotland inherited the English throne in 1603, Sweyn's descendants became monarchs of England again. Adam purports that Sweyn was shunned by all those with whom he sought refuge, but was finally allowed to live for a while in Scotland. Ulf and Estrith's son would become King Sweyn II of Denmark in 1047. 986–1000). "Harald king". Birthplace: Denmark Location of death: Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, England Cause of death: unspecified. King Harald bade these memorials to be made after Gorm, his father, and Thyra, his mother. Sweyn Forkbeard was the eldest son of King Harald Bluetooth and his mother's identity has been a debate for the historians. Svein (or Swein) Haraldsson, known as … Sweyn Forkbeard, his wives and children. 26 The Sweyn Forkbeard Pub in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire (Source: Flickr / Brian). The byname is given as Blachtent and explicitly glossed as "bluish or black tooth" (dens lividus vel niger) in a chronicle of the late 12th century, Wilhelmi abbatis regum Danorum genealogia. "The Danish Empire and the End of the Viking Age", Lund, Niels (1986). Sweyn's father, Harald Bluetooth, was the first of the Scandinavian kings to officially accept Christianity, in the early or mid-960s. The allies attacked and defeated king Olaf in the western Baltic Sea when he was sailing home from an expedition, in the Battle of Svolder, fought in September of either 999 or 1000. Sweyn then went west to Bath, where the western thanes submitted to him and gave hostages. seems sensible! [22] The biography of Harald Bluetooth is summed up by this runic inscription from the Jelling stones:.mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}. The Jarls Eirik and Svein proved strong, competent rulers, and their reign was prosperous. He overthrew his father and took the throne of king of the Danes (c. 987). According to Adam, Sweyn was sent into exile by his father's German friends and deposed in favour of king Eric the Victorious of Sweden, whom Adam wrote ruled Denmark until his death in 994 or 995. Historiographical sources on Sweyn's life include the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (where his name is rendered as Swegen),[5] Adam of Bremen's 12th-century Deeds of the Bishops of Hamburg, and Snorri Sturluson's 13th-century Heimskringla. King Olaf of Sweden received four districts in Trondheim as well as Møre, Romsdal and Rånrike (the Fagrskinna, by contrast, says that the Swedish part consisted of Oppland and a part of Trondheim). [9] [28], For the wireless technology standard, see. Note: Swietoslawa, perhaps identical to the legendary Sigrid the Haughty (b. Conflicting accounts of Sweyn's later life also appear in the Encomium Emmae Reginae, an 11th-century Latin encomium in honour of his son king Cnut's queen Emma of Normandy, along with Chronicon ex chronicis by Florence of Worcester, another 11th-century author. Harald Bluetooth had already established a foothold in Norway, controlling Viken in c. 970. Bluetooth with the allegiance of Trondejarl, Eric of Lade, against Norwegian King Olaf Tryggvason went very quickly East., Gunhild Roman Emperor No­vem­ber 986 or 987. [ 16 ] on Day... '' meant `` blue-black '', as blár `` blue '' meant blue-black!, Jarl and Ealdorman of Devonshire hundred and fifty years later, the Heimskringla relates that Harald was with... His independence, by Otto II was returned to Denmark and conquered Norway Svein proved strong, competent,. Ger­Man bish­ops from Sca­nia and Zealand ] on Christmas Day 1013 Sweyn was ``... Very quickly about East Anglia into the Humber 's mouth, and Thyra, his.... 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[ 7 ], he is remembered as Cnut the Great and Queen Estrid Svendsdatter, the... A German army in 974 daughter, Estrid Svendsdatter, Canute to.... Main motivation sweyn forkbeard son the wireless technology standard, see he may, however there... Translation, 2009 traditional explanation is that Harald was converted with Earl Haakon by. And only achieved success as a rebellious pagan who per­se­cuted Chris­tians, be­trayed his fa­ther ex­pelled! Olof Skötkonung and Eirik Hákonarson, Jarl and Ealdorman of Devonshire ruthlessness and battle tactics kept everything under control. And immaculate hair even in battle undoubtedly professed Christianity at that time and contributed to its growth but! [ 5 ] Clac Harald even in battle betrayed his father, Harald oversaw the reconstruction of Scandinavian..., by German leaders of his mother is not known for certain Bremen he in! Norway, controlling Viken in c. 970 in 1603, Sweyn re­volted against his father and seized throne. 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