Defectors

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 stance and defected to join the English forces of King Æthelred the Unready, taking 45 ships' worth of loyal men with him. There is some reason to believe that Thorkell was married to a daughter of Æthelred, possibly Eadgyth (Edith).

As mercenaries for Æthelred, the Danes fought in 1013 against their former liege lord, King Sweyn Forkbeard of Denmark and his son, Cnut (whom Thorkell had helped raise and educate). Sweyn was successful, forcing Æthelred into exile by the end of 1013. Sweyn died not long after, however, on 2 February 1014, and Cnut was declared his successor.

The remaining English nobles called Æthelred back from the continent to reclaim the throne (Cnut was back in Denmark). While Cnut was preparing a fleet to re-take England, Æthelred's eldest son Æthelstan died, making his second son Edmund Ironside the new heir to the throne of England.

Cnut's invasion arrived in September 1015 with numerous mercenaries and help from Poland and Sweden. Thorkell decided to leave the employ of Æthelred, defecting to join up with Cnut. While they plundered southern England, the elderly and ill Æthelred left leadership of the army to Edmund. Edmund's army was joined by an army raised by Eadric Streona, but Eadric betrayed Edmund and the English, convincing 40 ships to defect with him and join Cnut.

During a Battle of Otford (near the village of Otford in Kent), Eadric defected from Cnut back to the English. This seems to have been simply a ruse, because at the following crucial Battle of Assandun he defected again, leaving Edmund's army alone to fight Cnut. A majority of English nobility were killed, defeated by Cnut. 

For Thorkell's defection back to Cnut, he received East Anglia. Eadric received Mercia, but Cnut knew he could not be trusted. Eadric must have acted true to form for the dastardly fellow he was, because less than two years later Cnut had him beheaded.

Thorkell, again, had some falling out with Cnut, in 1021. Cnut banished Thorkell, who returned to Denmark. Fearing Thorkell's reputation as a powerful leader, Cnut didn't want Thorkell to defect again to join some enemy of Cnut, so he made him an earl of Denmark and foster-father to Cnut's son, Harthacnut.

Mentions of Thorkell end in 1023. The details of his death are unknown. One of his sons was in the retinue of Harthacnut, but after Harthacnut's death Thorkell's wife and sons were expelled from Denmark, suggesting there was suspicion on the family.

Now: mentioned several times but never discussed in detail, let's talk about Cnut's father and Thorkell's lord, Sweyn Forkbeard.

Thorkell the Tall

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 on a few runestones, such as the one pictured here in Sweden, commemorating the taking of Danegeld in England. (I actually mentioned Thorkell, though not by name, 12 years ago; same illustration, it turns out; there aren't many graphics available that can be linked to Thorkell.)

Legend says Thorkell helped raise the young Cnut, taking him on raids and teaching him warfare. The Encomium Emmae Reginae ("Encomium of Queen Emma"), about Emma of Normandy, tells us he was a great leader and warrior.

Landing with an army on the shores of Sandwich in the south-east in 1009, he began a progress through southern England either destroying or getting paid off. Canterbury initially gave them 3000 pounds of silver, which assuaged the Danes and sent them to London for their next attacks.

London's defenses and people were too much, however, and the Danes' siege failed to defeat the city, so they returned to Canterbury. Canterbury was besieged for two weeks. It finally fell due to treachery by Ælfmaer, Abbot of St Augustine's, who (according to William of Malmesbury and others) let the Danes into the city. (Cnut made him Bishop of Sherborne in 1023.) Canterbury Cathedral was burned, and the archbishop of Canterbury, Ælfheah, was captured for ransom. The Danes demanded an additional 3000 pounds of silver to let the captives go.

Ælfheah refused to be ransomed, and over seven months took the opportunity to speak to his captors and persuade many of them to convert to Christianity. On 19 April, during a feast in which the Danes got very drunk, they decided to kill Ælfheah.

Thorkell tried to save the archbishop. He begged the Danes to let Ælfheah live, offering them all that he possessed except his ship. The crowd would not be stopped. Ælfheah was pelted with stones and bones and finally beheaded by one impatient man.

More attacks across southern England produced a total of 48,000 pounds of silver, but Thorkell and men loyal to him split from the other Danes. Thorkell and 45 ships defected and offered themselves to King Æthelred as mercenaries.

This would mean that Thorkell would ultimately wind up on the other side of a battle with his own king and the son of that king, Cnut, whom Thorkell helped raise. I'll tell you how that went tomorrow.