Daily Medieval

Pope Innocent III believed in the absolute power of the pope over secular authorities , and he did what he could to assert that power where...

Pope Innocent III was determined to assert papal authority over every area possible. He made sure that kings, although they had their ...

Finally, the pope mentioned more than any other in this blog gets his time in the spotlight. He was named Lothario at birth, and his father,...

Pope Alexander III decided that it was time to tackle the pagans on the southern shores of the Baltic Sea (the Baltic is between the penins...

950 to 1320 CE saw growth and development in the Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, as well as Iceland. Finland (shown h...

In 1179, Pope Alexander III , now able to function as the recognized pope after his imperial-supported rival popes were suppressed, was in a...

A man born in Siena c.1100 grew up to make significant changes to the Roman Catholic Church. His name was Roland, and he studied theology at...

After Niels , the fourth and last of the sons of Sweyn II to become kings of Denmark, died, the throne passed to the next generation; in th...

After the untimely death of King Eric the Evergood in Cyprus, his brother Niels became King of Denmark, the latest and last of the sons of ...

After the death of King Canute IV of Denmark, he was succeeded by his brother Olaf (c.1050 - 1095). Olaf's reign suffered through severa...

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 ...

The conflict between Sweyn II  of Denmark and Harald Hardrada was called off in 1064, with Sweyn agreeing to recognize Harald as King of N...

Sweyn's care for his people allowed Harald Hardrada to escape during their sea skirmish, but Sweyn himself had a similar close call. I...

Also known as Sweyn Estridsson or Estridsen, because his mother was Estrid , daughter of Sweyn Forkbeard , Sweyn II was King of Denmark from...

Estrid Svensdatter, daughter of Sweyn Forkbeard and sister of Cnut , was born c.990 and lived at least until 1057. We do not know about her...

It may well have been news of the wholesale slaughter of Danes  in 1002 that was ordered by King Æthelred that motivated Sweyn Forkbeard t...

One site of the  St. Brice's Day Massacre  in 1002 seems to have been Oxford. Æthelred called it in a 1004 charter "a most just ext...

Clashes with Danes in England resulted in establishing the Danelaw, originally just the set of Danish laws agreed upon with Alfred the Great...

European history classrooms in America often talk about the Danish King Cnut (Canute) and his conquest of England. The modern world also he...

It must have been a shock when Thorkell the Tall , a leader and warrior of the early 12th-century Danish invasion of England, changed his st...

The Danish raid on Canterbury in 1011 included a leader named Thorkell the Tall. He was an important enough man that his name was recorded o...

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Alfheah  (also called Alphege), was captured during an invasion of Vikings in 1011.  Eadric Streona  was suppo...

Yesterday mentioned that Eadric Streona failed to negotiate the release of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Ælfheah, from the Vikings. Ælfheah...

Eadric, the son of Ethelric, started as a relative unknown. His father was at the court of Æthelred the Unready , but was not distinguished....

Edmund, son of Æthelred the Unready  and his first wife Ælfgifu of York, was likely born between 990 and 993, one of several siblings. He wa...

After Edmund of East Anglia began to be treated as a saint , he became an important focal point for Christians in East Anglia, and embraced...

When King Edmund of East Anglia bought off the Vikings of the Great Heathen Army in 865, he might have thought he was safe from that point...