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Sweyn Forkbeard: England's forgotten Viking king
BBC News ^ | David McKenna

Posted on 12/30/2013 6:09:05 PM PST by SunkenCiv

On Christmas Day 1013, Danish ruler Sweyn Forkbeard was declared King of all England and the town of Gainsborough its capital. But why is so little known of the man who would be England's shortest-reigning king and the role he played in shaping the early history of the nation?

For 20 years, Sweyn, a "murderous character" who deposed his father Harold Bluetooth, waged war on England.

And exactly 1,000 years ago, with his son Canute by his side, a large-scale invasion finally proved decisive.

It was a brutal time, which saw women burned alive, children impaled on lances and men dying suspended from their private parts...

Ethelred the Unready had ordered the slaughter of all Danes living in England in 1002, in what became known as the St Brice's Day massacre.

Another reason why Sweyn's story remains largely untold may be the lack of physical evidence.

Mr Childs says there was once a fortification in Gainsborough on the site of what is now the Old Hall, with evidence of a moat fed from the nearby River Trent.

And clues to a "sizeable" army camp can also be found in the town's Castle Hills.

(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...


TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: 1000; 1002; 1002ad; 1013; ancientnavigation; bluetooth; britain; burning; canute; canutethegreat; cnut; cnutthegreat; denmark; england; ethelred; ethelredthwunready; forkbeard; funeral; gainsborough; godsgravesglyphs; greatheathenarmy; haraldbluetooth; haroldbluetooth; massacre; middleages; murder; navigation; renaissance; rivertrent; roskilde; stbricesday; stbricesdaymassacre; sweynforkbeard; thevikings; torture; unitedkingdom; vikinggreatarmy; vikings
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Bluetooth Ping! I knew it was an old protocol, but had no idea how old.
Sweyn Forkbeard (shown left), England's shortest reigning king, remains in the shadows of both his son Canute the Great, and father Harold Bluetooth

Sweyn Forkbeard (shown left), England's shortest reigning king, remains in the shadows of both his son Canute the Great, and father Harold Bluetooth

1 posted on 12/30/2013 6:09:06 PM PST by SunkenCiv
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To: SunkenCiv

My maternal grandfather’s family came from Nutsford. I suspect it’s a contraction of Canutes Ford.


2 posted on 12/30/2013 6:14:30 PM PST by SWAMPSNIPER (The Second Amendment, a Matter of Fact, Not a Matter of Opinion)
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To: SWAMPSNIPER

Could be!


3 posted on 12/30/2013 6:18:07 PM PST by SunkenCiv (http://www.freerepublic.com/~mestamachine/)
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To: StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; decimon; 1010RD; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; ...

4 posted on 12/30/2013 6:18:43 PM PST by SunkenCiv (http://www.freerepublic.com/~mestamachine/)
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To: SunkenCiv

Among my ancestors were men using the first name “Athe” which I believe comes from northern England, and could be a means of noting their Nordic ancestry?


5 posted on 12/30/2013 6:19:57 PM PST by truth_seeker (Nissan)
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To: truth_seeker

Mine were Vingen. From Vingen Fjord.


6 posted on 12/30/2013 6:27:19 PM PST by Lurkina.n.Learnin (This is not just stupid, we're talking Democrat stupid here.)
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To: SWAMPSNIPER

My English Grandmother’s maiden name was Nutting. I researched the origin of the name and came across this:

This is a famous English surname, believed to be from Yorkshire, which is certainly where the first recording comes from. The style and spelling suggests that it may have an Olde English or Danish-Viking pre 7th century origin, and derive from the word “knut”, which literally means a hard fruit. To this has been added the term “inga”, normally used to indicated a people or tribe. “Knut” was used for many centuries as a baptismal or given name before the introduction of hereditary surnames, and can be found in a such a name as the famous “King Canute”.


7 posted on 12/30/2013 6:31:48 PM PST by heylady (“Sometimes I wish I could be a Democrat and then I remember I have a soul.”( Deb))
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To: truth_seeker

Athe is a Saxon first name, like Aethelstan and Ethelred.

In Search of Aethelstan (pts 1 thr 6)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCsXLdytwj8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhZPeM8cjNU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apAoRnAMiN4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdYtYZ4DePg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbpG_fkMTnU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoPqV0n4fz8


8 posted on 12/30/2013 6:33:49 PM PST by SunkenCiv (http://www.freerepublic.com/~mestamachine/)
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To: SunkenCiv

9 posted on 12/30/2013 6:43:00 PM PST by JoeProBono (SOME IMAGES MAY BE DISTURBING VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED;-{)
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To: SunkenCiv
For 20 years, Sweyn, a "murderous character" who deposed his father Harold Bluetooth, waged war on England.

In the 1970's, science fiction writer John Norman wrote a series of novels that take place on a planet called Gor, where life resembles that of ancient Greece and Rome, Aztec Mexico, Viking-ruled Scandinavia, etc., with some exotic beasts and space aliens thrown in. Two of his Viking-type characters are named Ivar Forkbeard and Sweyn Bluetooth.

10 posted on 12/30/2013 6:48:23 PM PST by Fiji Hill
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To: SunkenCiv
The St. Brice's Day massacre should not be confused with the battle of Brice's Cross Roads, almost 862 years later. No Danes harmed on the latter occasion.

Speaking of crossroads, tomorrow is the anniversary of the battle of Parker's Crossroads (NBF: "Charge them both ways!"), Dec. 31, 1862.

11 posted on 12/30/2013 6:55:32 PM PST by Verginius Rufus
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To: Fiji Hill

I always liked the covers of those paperbacks.


12 posted on 12/30/2013 6:58:51 PM PST by SunkenCiv (http://www.freerepublic.com/~mestamachine/)
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To: SunkenCiv

According to Wikipedia, Sweyn was an ancestor of James VI of Scotland, and therefore also of Queen Elizabeth II.


13 posted on 12/30/2013 7:01:06 PM PST by Verginius Rufus
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To: SunkenCiv
I always liked the covers of those paperbacks.

Those stories would be considered highly politically incorrect today.

14 posted on 12/30/2013 7:06:49 PM PST by Fiji Hill
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To: Fiji Hill
Possibly.


15 posted on 12/30/2013 7:12:31 PM PST by ClearCase_guy
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To: SunkenCiv
"Bluetooth Ping! I knew it was an old protocol, but had no idea how old."

Bluetooth does take it's name after Harold because of his role as a uniter. The Bluetooth icon is an old rune...


16 posted on 12/30/2013 7:15:18 PM PST by Joe 6-pack (Qui me amat, amat et canem meum.)
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To: SunkenCiv

‘Aethel’ is simply an Anglo-Saxon word meaning noble or glorious. It is a common element in Germanic first names for obvious reasons. The modern German cognate is ‘edel’.


17 posted on 12/30/2013 7:18:23 PM PST by proxy_user
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To: SunkenCiv

“Ethelred The Unready”?
Now, there’s a name that will strike fear in the hearts of your enemies.

“”Who is leading them?”

“Ethelred The Unready.”

“They couldn’t get Steve The Sleepy?”


18 posted on 12/30/2013 7:35:43 PM PST by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
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To: SunkenCiv

19 posted on 12/30/2013 8:11:08 PM PST by MuttTheHoople (Nothing is more savage and brutal than justifiably angry Americans. DonÂ’t believe me? Ask the Germa)
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To: proxy_user
‘Aethel’ is simply an Anglo-Saxon word meaning noble or glorious. It is a common element in Germanic first names for obvious reasons. The modern German cognate is ‘edel’.

The girl's name Ethel is the only purely Anglo-Saxon first name that has survived to this day that I can think of. The German name Adelheid, which becomes Adelaide or Adeline in English, is also related.

20 posted on 12/30/2013 8:47:15 PM PST by Fiji Hill
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