The Children of Sweyn, Part 1

King Sweyn II of Denmark (c.1019 - 1076) had two wives and numerous mistresses, resulting in about 20 children. His first wife was Gyda of Sweden, who we are told by later chronicles was the daughter of King of Sweden Anund Jacob and Queen Gunnhildr Sveinsdóttir. The marriage was short-lived, and Adam of Bremen suspects she was poisoned by Thora, a concubine of Sweyn. His second marriage was to Gyda's mother, Gunnhildr, after Anund Jacob died (c.1050). Although they had a son (Sweyn), Bishop Adalbert of Hamburg ended the marriage by threatening excommunication because the husband was too closely related to his wife/mother-in-law. Gunnhildr returned to Sweden.

Sweyn never re-married that we know of, but that did not stop him from fathering children. His legitimate child by Gunnhildr died young. Of his known children, many survived and become known to history.

Harald Hen, born c.1050, became King Harald III after his father, reigning from 1076 to 1080. The election to succeed Sweyn was between Harald and his brother (who also became king) Canute IV of Denmark (later Canute the Saint). Harald's reign was challenged by his brothers, who were supported by Olaf III of Norway, who might have wanted to carry on the legacy of his father, Harald Hardrada, who hassled Sweyn for much of his reign.

Although Saxo Grammaticus, in his Gesta Danorum ("Deeds of the Danish People"), calls Harald III weak and ineffective, another chronicler says he was beloved by the people. He started no new wars, he standardized Danish coinage, allowed public use of royal forests, and eliminated trial by combat and trial by ordeal, replacing them with the English system of calling other men to swear to your bona fides.

Upon his death, he was succeeded by his brother Canute the Saint (born c.1042; reigned 1080 - 1086). Canute was more ambitious than his brother, and led yet another Danish raid on England. Since his great-uncle Cnut was once king of England, Canute IV considered himself the rightful heir to that crown and considered William I "the Conqueror" a usurper.

Canute IV married Adela, daughter of Robert I of Flanders (an ally of Denmark). With the help of his father-in-law and Olaf III of Norway, he planned an assault on England and assembled a fleet of ships. At the same time, however, Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV was being seen as a growing threat to Denmark and Flanders. The fleet never sailed, because Canute and Robert were afraid to leave Denmark and Flanders undefended against Henry's thoughts of expansion.

Canute was killed in 1086 by a lance thrust in his side during a peasant revolt. Canute had also been a devout advocate for the Church. A famine that followed his death was attributed to the unjust killing of a saintly man.  Miracles were attributed to him not long after. Pope Paschal II confirmed the "cult of Canute," and he became the first Dane to be canonized. (The illustration is of his statue in St. Peter's Church in Odense, Denmark.)

His successor was another illegitimate child of Sweyn's, Olaf Hunger, and his nickname was not in any way flattering. I'll explain tomorrow.

Sweyn's Reign, and Religion

The conflict between Sweyn II of Denmark and Harald Hardrada was called off in 1064, with Sweyn agreeing to recognize Harald as King of Norway. With no more conflict against Denmark, Harald sailed to England to conquer that land, where he died in 1066 at the Battle of Stamford Bridge.

The war with Norway had been devastating economically for Denmark, and recovery was slow. Sweyn's reputation for kindness and generosity went a long way toward keeping the loyalty of his people during difficult times, however. He also created close ties to the Church, reaching out to popes for support and friendship. He tried to get his great-grandfather, the first Christian King of Denmark Harold Bluetooth, canonized as a saint.

He divided Denmark into eight dioceses with papal support, and brought Anglo-Dane clerics from England to prevent the expansion of German influence on Danish churches. Bishop Adalbert of Hamburg (with jurisdiction over Denmark's Christian population) was trying to extend more influence of the German-based Holy Roman Empire to the Scandinavian countries. Sweyn requested of Pope Leo IX to have an archbishop for Denmark to stave off Adalbert. The request was not fulfilled before Leo died in 1054.

Churches were built throughout Denmark with the king's support. The German chronicler Adam of Bremen visited Denmark and wrote about how impressed he was with Sweyn's wisdom and how astounded he was at the hundreds of churches he saw. Originally wooden, hundreds of churches were re-built with stone in the 12th century.

Adam of Bremen interviewed Sweyn, who told him much about his family and life. Much of what we know about Denmark in the 9th and 10th centuries comes from Adam's work, Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum ("Deeds of Bishops of the Hamburg Church").

Sweyn tried his own hand at taking over England, the land of his birth, after William of Normandy had conquered it. He allied with Edgar Ætheling to challenge William, but after managing only to conquer York, William bribed him to desert Edgar.

Sweyn had two wives, and numerous mistresses. He fathered at least 20 children, many of whom went on to make names for themselves. Perhaps tomorrow we'll visit a selection of his children and their accomplishments.