Cnut the Great: The Life and Legacy of Scandinavia's Most Famous King

"King of all England and Denmark and the Norwegians and of some of the Swedes" (Cnut's self-proclaimed title) "Knut was exceptionally tall and strong, and the handsomest of men, all except for his nose, that was thin, high-set, and rather hooked. He had a fair complexion none-the-less, and a fine, thick head of hair. His eyes were better than those of other men, both the handsomer and the keener of their sight." (Knytlinga Saga) In a sense, Cnut the Great was practically destined for greatness, if only because he came from a distinguished Danish royal family. Cnut's father was Sweyn Forkbeard, and his grandfather was Harald Bluetooth, both prominent and legendary kings of Denmark. Meanwhile, his mother was the widow of the Swedish king Erik the Victorious, the daughter of the Polish duke Mieszko, and a sister of the Polish king Boleslav Chrobry. Thanks to his background and his own abilities, Cnut became the most prominent of the Danish kings of England (from 1016), but he was also, at