Harthacanute
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| Harthacanute | ||
|---|---|---|
| King of Denmark and England | ||
| Reign | March 17, 1040 – June 8, 1042 | |
| Born | 1018 | |
| England | ||
| Died | June 8, 1042 | |
| Buried | Winchester Cathedral, Winchester, England | |
| Predecessor | Canute the Great (Denmark) Harold Harefoot (England) |
|
| Successor | Magnus I (Denmark) Edward the Confessor (England) |
|
| Father | Canute the Great | |
| Mother | Emma of Normandy | |
Harthacanute (Canute the Hardy, sometimes Hardicanute, Hardecanute; Danish: Hardeknud) (1018 – June 8, 1042) was King of Denmark from 1035 to 1042 and England from 1040 to 1042. He was the only son of Canute the Great and Emma of Normandy.
He followed his father as King of Denmark in 1035, reigning as Canute III, but conflict with Magnus I of Norway prevented him from sailing to England to secure his position there. Therefore his elder illegitimate half-brother Harold Harefoot became regent in England.
Harold took the English crown for himself in 1037. After Harthacanute had settled the situation in Scandinavia he prepared an invasion of England. But Harold died before that invasion.
Harthacanute was a harsh and unpopular ruler: to pay for his fleet, he severely increased the rate of taxation, and in 1041 the people of Worcester killed two of Harthacanute's men who had been collecting the tax. Therefore Harthacanute burned the city was burned. The story of Lady Godiva riding naked through the streets of Coventry to persuade the local earl to lower taxes may come from the reign of Harthacanute. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle says of him: "He never accomplished anything kingly for as long as he ruled."
In 1041, Harthacanute invited his half-brother Edward the Confessor (his mother Emma's son by Ethelred the Unready) back from exile in Normandy to become a member of his household, and probably made Edward his heir. Harthacanute was unmarried and had no children. On June 8, 1042, he died at Lambeth—he "died as he stood at his drink, and he suddenly fell to the earth. He was buried at Winchester, Hampshire. Edward followed him on the throne.
[change] References
| Came after: Canute I |
King of Denmark as Canute III 1035–1042 |
Came before: Magnus I |
| Came after: Harold I |
King of England as Harthacanute 1040–1042 |
Came before: Edward the Confessor |
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| Alfred • Edward the Elder • Ælfweard • Athelstan • Edmund I • Edred • Edwy • Edgar I • Edward the Martyr • Ethelred • Sweyn I • Edmund II • Canute • Harold I • Harthacanute • Edward the Confessor • Harold II • Edgar II • William I • William II • Henry I • Stephen • Matilda • Henry II • Richard I • John • Henry III • Edward I • Edward II • Edward III • Richard II • Henry IV • Henry V • Henry VI • Edward IV • Edward V • Richard III • Henry VII • Henry VIII • Edward VI • Lady Jane Grey • Mary I • Elizabeth I • James I • Charles I • Interregnum • Charles II • James II • William III and Mary II (as co-monarchs William & Mary) • William III (own reign) • Anne |
