Svein Forkbeard and his invasions of England (OCR GCSE History B (Schools History Project)): Revision Notes
Svein Forkbeard and his invasions of England
Svein Forkbeard
Sweyn or Svein Forkbeard, who ruled England for five weeks, is often regarded as the 'forgotten king'. On December 25, 1013, Sweyn was declared King of England. Although he was never really crowned, he ruled England until his death on February 3, 1014.
Image of England's shortest reigning king, Sweyn Forkbeard
With his father Harald Bluetooth converted to Christianity, Sweyn was baptised a Christian. By the early 990s, he focused his attention on England, which was then ruled by Ethelred the Unready. Like many Anglo-Saxon kings, Ethelred paid Sweyn significant Danegeld for peace. However, the Danes continued to raid northern England, while others also settled. As a result, Ethelred ordered the massacre of Danes in England, including men, women and children. Sweyn's sister, Gunhilde, became one of the casualties of the St. Brice's Day massacre.
As his revenge, Sweyn with his son Cnut attacked England in 1003. He and his men plundered without mercy. Ethelred paid off the Danes again. Sweyn attacked Sandwich and London. Dissatisfied with their king, influential English earls declared Sweyn as the new King of England, while Ethelred fled to Normandy.
Svein Forkbeard and his invasions of England
In contrast, some historians doubted the reason behind Sweyn's invasion of England, since those time were characterised by Viking raids of the British Isles. In 1009, Thorkell the Tall, a Danish warlord, attempted to invade England until 1012. However, Thorkell switched sides and supported Ethelred after receiving a huge bribe. This act may have convinced Svein to conquer England, even before Thorkell.
Due to illness, Sweyn, who was in his fifties, died in Gainsborough in Lincolnshire. His body was initially buried in York, then moved to Roskilde Cathedral in Denmark.
Following his death, two of his sons, Harald II and Cnut struggled for power. Harald II inherited the title King of Denmark, while Cnut continued with his campaign in England and was later declared king by his father's soldiers in 1015.
Image depicting Sweyn Forkbeard's invasion of England