Monday, October 18, 2010

Svend Alfifasen, ab. 1015-ab. 1036, and Harald Harefoot, --1040, sons of Knud/Cnut the Great and Aelfgifu of Northampton.


Dansk Biografisk Lexicon
Carl Fr. Bricka
Project Runeberg
(1887-1905)

Svend Alfifasen, o.1015-o 1036, king in Norway, was
a son of king Knud/Cnut the Great and his mistress
(consort) Aelfgifu, a daughter of ealdorman Aelfhelm
in Deira. When Knud married queen Emma (1017 ), he
sent Aelfgifu with her sons Harald and S. to Denmark.
S. was later appointed chief at Jomsborg.After Knud
had conquered Norway he let S., who by his side had
Aelfgifu and Harald, Thorkil Jarl's son, as advisors,
take over the rule (1030).

S. was, without contradiction, elected king at all
the land's things; he was handsome and benevolent,
and the Norwegians admitted that he kept good peace in
the country. Various laws, which he carried through,
awoke some aversion - several laws were adopted in the
later legislation, and his power-hungry mother was
hated; and since crop failures happened, and since
miracles were seen at the killed king Olaf's grave,
announcing his holyness, the public feeling turned
against the foreign rule, and the Thronds fetched
Olaf's son Magnus in Russia. At his arrival S. and
his mother had to flee to Denmark, where S. died
shortly after (ab. 1036).

Munch, Det norske Folks Hist. I, 2, 813 ff. 
Steenstrup, Normannerne III.

Johannes C. H. R. Steenstrup.

Harald Harefod, --1040, king, a son of Knud/Cnut
the Great and Aelfgifu of Northampton. When Knud
married Emma in 1017, he removed Aelfgifu and her
sons. H. was for a time king in Denmark with
Thorkel the Tall as his assistant and guardian;
later he resided in England. At Knud's death in
1035, the northern provinces and the sailors in
London - who was the pro-Danish part of the
country, and who did not like Knud's English-
National politics - joined with H., while the
land-army and the southern provinces acknowledged
Hardicanute.When his arrival to England was
delayed, and while Aelfgifu with gifts and tempting
banquets aimed at attracting Hardicanute's friends,
H. was elected king of all England in 1037,
whereafter Emma was chasen out of the country.

H.'s kingom did not last for long, since he after a
long sickbed died in Oxford 17. March 1040; he was
buried in Westminster. H. seemed to be of an
ambitious and violent character, and it was told
that he found more joy in hunts and dogs than in
church attendance.

Freeman, Norman Conquest I.
Dictionary of National Biography XXIV. 
Steenstrup, Normannerne III.

Johannes C. H. R. Steenstrup.

Dansk Biografisk Lexicon
Carl Fr. Bricka
Project Runeberg
(1887-1905) 
 
translation grethe bachmann  ©copyright 

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