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00:21On the shores of Sandwich,
00:25a man walks in silence.
00:31His name is Knut, a Viking prince born into a line of kings who have ruled Denmark for
00:39more than half a century.
00:46A few days earlier, he believed he could rely on a pact his father had forged with the English
00:52nobility, an agreement that he thought would make him king of England.
01:02But the lords turned their backs on him.
01:10And today, it is their sons who will pay the price.
01:21Many of these hostages may have been young men not much older than him.
01:26In many ways, that highlights the ruthlessness Knut was wishing to demonstrate in this particular
01:35action.
01:38He is only 20 years old, but Knut does not tremble.
01:46With a single gesture, he orders the hostages to be mutilated.
01:52Noses, ears, hands.
01:58Just enough for England to understand.
02:05He is not killing them.
02:07He wants these people to go back and send the message, don't underestimate me.
02:13In his eyes burns a cold fury.
02:15He swears he will return.
02:19And this time, he will take England.
02:56And this time, he will return to the end.
02:59Bye.
03:02Bye.
03:03Bye.
03:04Bye.
03:06Bye.
03:08Bye.
03:09Bye.
03:14Bye.
03:20On the shores of the Roskilde Fjord,
03:24Canute watches the longships approaching.
03:29On board stands his brother, Harold.
03:35As always, a single glance is enough to spark a furious race.
03:41Not for the thrill of the game, but out of defiance.
03:46Between the two brothers, everything already seems written.
03:56It is not Canute, but Harold, who will wear the crown.
04:03Canute is the second son, and I think that's important
04:07in understanding the man and understanding his ambitions,
04:11because he can be Prince Harry to Prince William
04:14as long as Harold stays alive, Canute is not really going to be
04:18in a substantial position of power in Denmark.
04:22So there was a lot to play for, and that probably explains
04:25some of the kinds of jockeying and competitiveness
04:27we often see amongst heirs in this period.
04:35Ideally located at the crossroads of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea,
04:39the Kingdom of Denmark is one of the most powerful and feared realms in Scandinavia.
04:48Its coastline, scattered with islands and carved out by fjords,
04:52shelters natural harbours where hundreds of merchant ships converge.
05:03Like in Roskilde, the capital, the merchant's stores overflow
05:08with riches from the east and west.
05:13Amber,
05:16furs,
05:18weapons,
05:19and slaves.
05:24For Canute, who has never left his homeland,
05:27these treasures are a call to adventure.
05:31The kings of the Danes could be divided into two main categories,
05:35kings of the land and kings of the sea.
05:37Those who stay in the country and govern it,
05:40and the younger sons often chose the sea,
05:42setting out for adventure in England,
05:44in West Francia,
05:45or elsewhere.
05:49It seems Canute was raised with that very purpose in mind,
05:53to conquer,
05:54to wage war,
05:55to amass wealth abroad,
05:57and then return home to carve out his own share of power,
06:00by force or by strategy.
06:06Canute's thirst for power comes from an extraordinary lineage.
06:10Her grandfather, Harold Bluetooth,
06:13who for the first time united the kingdom under a single crown,
06:17and a father,
06:19Svein Falkbeard,
06:21a feared Viking warlord
06:23who has ruled Denmark for more than 20 years,
06:26a lineage forged in blood and betrayal.
06:30Harold Bluetooth was a long,
06:32ruling and highly successful king,
06:35and therefore his son Svein was chomping at the bit,
06:38because it's of course in the interest of Svein
06:39to gain as much power and authority as possible,
06:42as quickly as possible,
06:43and it's in Harold's interest to prevent him doing so,
06:46because only one can be king at the same times.
06:50And it ends up in battle.
06:52Again, we don't know where the battle was,
06:54but we do know that Harold is injured,
06:56and he retreats to his allies in the Baltic,
06:58where he dies.
07:01Svein has seized power
07:02through the murder of his father.
07:04This is not a strong beginning.
07:06This is a weak and wobbly start.
07:12It is in a world where loyalty hangs by a thread
07:15and power is won by the sword
07:17that Panute comes of age.
07:25A ruthless world
07:26that one morning comes knocking at his door.
07:32King Svein summoned him to his hall.
07:37Canute does not yet know it,
07:39but his father has made his decision.
07:43Within weeks,
07:45they will march on England.
07:4911th centuries was a major target for the Vikings.
07:53It's wealthy.
07:54It's organised.
07:56It's bureaucratic.
07:57The English have produced a money-making machine.
08:01Trade is going well.
08:03There are large amounts of gold and silver lying around,
08:06and it's close.
08:10This time, it is no mere raid.
08:16Svein is aiming for the entire kingdom,
08:19and above all, the crown of England.
08:23And so one way of solving the problem
08:26of only having one Danish kingdom
08:27that you can give to your son and son heirs
08:29is to conquer another kingdom
08:31and to offer prospects to Canute.
08:33So at the back of his mind probably is
08:36that he'd like to have and control England himself,
08:38but if he takes England,
08:40England can then be Canute.
08:45Canute is stunned.
08:46To conquer England never before
08:49had a Viking dared to imagine it.
08:56For the first time in his life,
08:58Canute glimpses a spark of hope.
09:02The chance to break free from his place
09:04as the younger son
09:06and finally forge his own destiny.
09:23In his palace,
09:25King Æthelred hastily gathers his counsellors.
09:28They confirm what many feared.
09:32A massive fleet is assembling in Denmark.
09:35There is no longer any doubt.
09:38The Vikings are coming back.
09:43It's very likely that Æthelred
09:45would have known about
09:47Sven's invasion project.
09:49I think with the amount of traffic
09:52across the North Sea
09:54during the late Viking Age,
09:56rumours that something was afoot
09:58would be very likely
09:59to reach the English court at this time.
10:05The nobles know it.
10:07They can no longer rely on Æthelred.
10:11Rarely in the kingdom's history
10:13has a king faced such open doubt.
10:18For over 20 years,
10:20men from the Northmen
10:21have ravaged his lands.
10:24And for over 20 years,
10:26Æthelred has failed to stop them.
10:30And of course,
10:31paying tribute
10:32has almost become
10:33the default solution.
10:35Whenever a fleet appeared,
10:37Æthelred seemed to offer
10:39greater and greater sums.
10:41He is often portrayed
10:43as the archetypal weak king,
10:44a ruler who preferred
10:46to pay off his enemies
10:47rather than fight them.
10:49Paying his adversaries
10:50to get rid of them.
10:58Ever heavier tributes
10:59have drained the kingdom.
11:03His subjects are weary
11:04of a king unable
11:05to put an end
11:06to this infernal spiral.
11:09But this time,
11:11Æthelred believes
11:12the outcome
11:13may be different.
11:15He has secured
11:16a powerful new ally.
11:19The Dane Thorkell the Tall.
11:22One of the most feared
11:24Viking leaders of his age
11:25and above all.
11:29A sworn enemy
11:30of Svein Falkbeard.
11:37Thorkell the Tall
11:38is the greatest worry
11:41for the Danish kingship.
11:42He is a member
11:43of the elite
11:44of eastern Denmark,
11:47so the southern tip
11:47of Sweden.
11:48This is an area
11:49that Knut's dynasty
11:50have pushed aggressively
11:52into and he's seen
11:53his power and his wealth
11:54and his privilege
11:55being eroded
11:56and he's not happy.
11:59Four years earlier,
12:00in 1009,
12:02Thorkell had fled Denmark
12:03with 45 ships.
12:07For three years,
12:09he ravaged England,
12:11leaving death
12:12and chaos in his wake.
12:16To stop him,
12:19Æthelred once again
12:20chose to pay.
12:24But this time,
12:25there was a condition.
12:34At this point in 1013,
12:36Thorkell had signed up
12:38with Æthelred the Unready.
12:39He was taking Æthelred's money,
12:41providing protection.
12:43He pays them
12:44to be his private bodyguard.
12:46If you've got one
12:47of the largest
12:48and scariest Viking armies
12:49and you pay it
12:50to work for you,
12:51sitting in England,
12:52frightening off other Vikings,
12:54well, this is a brilliant idea.
12:57And so the strategy
12:58here really
12:59is to set a thief
13:01to catch a thief,
13:02to use a Viking
13:03to stop future Vikings.
13:05And that's his hope really,
13:06is that Thorkell
13:07and his formidable army
13:08will be able
13:09to stop people like Swain.
13:16Æthelred and Thorkell
13:17struck a pact.
13:20In exchange
13:21for a generous tribute,
13:23the Dane would place
13:24his men
13:24and his 45 ships
13:26at the king's disposal.
13:29Swain and Cnut
13:30would now face
13:31not only Æthelred's army,
13:33but a seasoned Viking force
13:35hardened by years of raiding.
13:49Swain learns of the alliance
13:50between Æthelred and Thorkell
13:52and immediately understands
13:54that time is running out.
13:57He knew that his old rival's loyalty
13:59belonged to no one
14:00but himself.
14:05Behind this alliance
14:07of convenience,
14:08Thorkell is pursuing
14:10only one cause,
14:11his own.
14:14Orkell clearly poses
14:15a threat to Swain and Cnut
14:17because he's shown
14:18just how weak
14:19the English regime
14:20now is
14:21and he's come
14:22within a whisker
14:23of conquering England himself.
14:25So it may well be
14:26that he himself
14:27is harbouring ambitions
14:28that at some point
14:29he might just
14:31move from being
14:32the leading general
14:32to being the ruler
14:33of England.
14:35And so for Swain,
14:37it's a matter of
14:38trying to take England
14:39before Thorkell
14:40does the same.
14:44At the start of spring,
14:46Swain issues a great call
14:48to arms across Scandinavia.
14:55Each noble is ordered
14:56to provide men,
14:58weapons,
14:59provisions
14:59and to join
15:01the gathering fleet.
15:06This is the first time
15:08that a king
15:10of Scandinavia
15:11has called
15:12for such a campaign
15:14and he's drawing in people
15:16from all across Scandinavia.
15:18It's an invasion,
15:19it's not raiding
15:20and that's the key difference.
15:23On foot and on horseback,
15:26thousands of Danes,
15:28Norwegians and Swedes
15:29converge on Roskilde.
15:35Soon they are joined
15:36by hundreds of fortune seekers.
15:43Within a few weeks,
15:45several thousand men
15:46and more than a hundred ships
15:48gather under the king's banner.
15:52So we are looking
15:53at a scale of attack
15:54which is certainly
15:55very different
15:56to those England
15:57had traditionally seen
15:59in the earlier Viking ages.
16:00So this is a very,
16:01very large army
16:02that can rival
16:03any of the English armies.
16:08Canute watches
16:09the constant movement
16:10on the docks
16:11and the forest of masts
16:13stretching across the horizon.
16:18He could feel it.
16:22Everything in his life
16:23had led to this moment.
16:27From a very young age,
16:29Canute would have been
16:29trained up to be a warrior.
16:32So crucial to his upbringing
16:33would have been
16:34learning those skills of war,
16:36honing them through things
16:37like hunting,
16:38but also alongside that,
16:40learning the tricks
16:41of the trade at court
16:42where also politics
16:43was an important consideration,
16:45where making deals,
16:46where hard-nosed
16:47realpolitik
16:48was also something
16:49to be learned
16:49at a very young age.
16:53Setting aside the rivalry,
16:55Harold greets his brother
16:57one last time.
16:59Their father had entrusted him
17:01with the Regency of Denmark,
17:02confirming his status
17:04as the rightful heir.
17:08Canute has no choice.
17:11If he ever wished to rule,
17:14he would have to carve out
17:15his own kingdom.
17:25At dawn,
17:27the Armada weighs anchor
17:28and turns west.
17:31On board,
17:32father and son
17:33share the same dream,
17:35to conquer one of the richest
17:36kingdoms in the west.
17:39The task is immense
17:41and Swain expects
17:43Canute to stand by his side.
17:47The role that Swain
17:49wants for Canute
17:51is as a junior partner.
17:53It's very handy
17:54to have a member
17:56of your family
17:56who's able to provide
17:58some leadership
17:58within the Danish army.
18:01But Swain also knows
18:03that his son
18:04still has much to prove.
18:06His first lesson
18:07will be to earn
18:08the loyalty of his men.
18:16At the heart of any
18:17Viking expedition
18:18lies the ability
18:20to reward followers.
18:21And obviously,
18:22if a leader is able
18:24to distribute wealth,
18:25gold,
18:25and precious metals,
18:27it tends to secure
18:28his men's loyalty.
18:33The second essential factor
18:34is prestige,
18:35delivering victory
18:37and being able
18:38to lead military operations
18:39successfully.
18:43Within days,
18:44the fleet will reach
18:45the English coast.
18:48There,
18:49the young prince
18:49is about to shed
18:51his former self
18:52and embrace
18:53his destiny
18:54as a warrior,
18:56a Viking,
18:57a war leader.
19:09Once again,
19:10Æthelred prepares
19:11to face the fury
19:12of the Northmen.
19:15All his hopes
19:16now rest on Thorkil.
19:19He orders him
19:20to deploy his fleet
19:21at Greenwich
19:22along the Thames,
19:24hoping to lure
19:25Canute and Swain
19:26into a trap.
19:31But one question
19:33torments him.
19:34Could he really
19:35be trusted?
19:37Æthelred knew
19:38his own fleet
19:39would be powerless
19:39to stop the Danes.
19:41Yet just five years
19:43earlier,
19:43that same fleet
19:45had seemed invincible.
19:50Æthelred had,
19:51amongst his attempts
19:52to face down
19:54the Viking threat,
19:55sought to reinforce
19:56England's naval capabilities.
19:58And he raises
19:58a very, very large navy
20:00with the prospect
20:01of preventing
20:02future invasion.
20:06Shipyards across
20:07the kingdom
20:08had been mobilized.
20:10Within months,
20:11an armada
20:12of 300 brand-new ships
20:14gathers along
20:15the southern coast
20:15of England.
20:20Never before
20:22had an English king
20:23achieved such a feat.
20:27Everything seems
20:28to be going well,
20:28since 300 ships
20:30are more than the Danes
20:31seem capable
20:32of assembling
20:32at that time.
20:33But there's
20:34a major problem,
20:35the leadership
20:35within the Anglo-Saxon forces.
20:39Æthelred entrusts
20:40command of the fleet
20:41to two close nobles
20:43of his inner circle,
20:45Wolfnoth
20:47and Biotric.
20:52But one evening,
20:54a quarrel broke out.
20:56The two men
20:57accuse each other
20:58of treason.
21:02In a fit of rage,
21:05Wolfnoth
21:05seizes 20 ships
21:09and rebels.
21:13And so he takes
21:14a portion
21:15of the English fleet
21:15off with him,
21:16the rest goes
21:17to try to chase them
21:18and then a storm
21:19dashes them entirely.
21:21Many of the ships sink.
21:23The survivors
21:24who manage
21:24to reach the beach
21:25are slaughtered
21:26and the ships
21:27are set on fire
21:28to Wolfnoth's initiative.
21:32A single dispute
21:34was enough
21:34to set the royal fleet
21:36ablaze.
21:38Along with the last hopes
21:40of the English people.
21:48The irony is
21:50that in 1009,
21:51shortly afterwards,
21:53Thorkell the Tall
21:53arrived at Sandwich
21:55with barely 50 ships,
21:56a relatively small force,
21:58and he meets
21:58no resistance at all.
22:00And so what was
22:01in essence
22:02a very good strategic plan
22:03is completely undermined
22:05due to divisions
22:06within the English camp
22:07rather than any
22:08battle being offered
22:09with the Vikings.
22:16After 10 days at sea,
22:18the fleet finally reaches
22:20the English coast.
22:22The island has more
22:23than 12,000 kilometers
22:25of coastline,
22:26countless possible
22:28landing points
22:28for the Vikings.
22:34Geography of the English
22:35coastline
22:36contributed enormously
22:38to the success
22:39of Viking raids
22:41because Vikings
22:43could move very rapidly
22:44around the coastline.
22:46And so consequently,
22:47it's virtually impossible
22:48to defend.
22:49So it is unfortunately
22:51perfect for Scandinavian
22:53attack.
23:00An unfamiliar landscape
23:02and yet strangely familiar.
23:07He remembers the evenings
23:09of his childhood,
23:10lulled by tales
23:12of raids and battles.
23:14And one name
23:16keeps coming back.
23:18Sandwich,
23:19an English town
23:21invaded many times.
23:26Among the entry points
23:28into England,
23:29the port of Sandwich
23:30is extremely important
23:31as it allows ships
23:32to be sheltered
23:33quite easily.
23:34It also offers
23:35easy access
23:36to the mouth
23:37of the Thames.
23:38It is difficult
23:39to secure for defenders
23:40and easy to access
23:41for attackers.
23:42An ideal place
23:43to launch an invasion.
23:51Knut leaps
23:52from the ship
23:53and for the first time
23:55sets foot
23:55on the soil
23:56of the Kingdom
23:57of England.
24:00What does he feel?
24:02Excitement?
24:04Rage?
24:06He probably has
24:07no time to wonder.
24:09On the beach,
24:10English soldiers
24:11are trying to stand
24:12in their way.
24:16For the young Dane,
24:17it is a baptism
24:19of fire
24:19and perhaps
24:20his first chance
24:21to prove himself.
24:26All of these
24:27great Scandinavian leaders
24:29are warriors
24:30and lead troops
24:31into battle
24:31and clearly
24:32are battle-hardened
24:33and known for this fact
24:34and that is an essential
24:35part of their reputation.
24:37At the same time,
24:38they are almost
24:39certainly not normally
24:41in the front line
24:42of the fray.
24:42So, as a Scandinavian leader,
24:44you need to have
24:45the respect of your men,
24:46you need to be known
24:47to be a formidable warrior,
24:48but you also need
24:50to not be silly
24:51and ridiculous
24:52and take unnecessary risks.
24:55And Knut is an excellent example.
24:57We rarely see him fighting,
24:58except when he knows
24:59he will win,
25:00which is quite wise of him.
25:05The English troops
25:07are quickly defeated.
25:12The Vikings set up camp
25:14for the night.
25:18Around the fire,
25:19Svein and Knut
25:21ponder their next move.
25:25England is divided
25:26into several Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.
25:29Mercia to the west,
25:32Northumbria to the north,
25:35East Anglia to the east
25:39and Wessex,
25:41the centre of power,
25:42to the south.
25:45That is where Thorkell
25:47deployed his fleet
25:48to defend London.
25:52Svein knows
25:54that attacking head-on
25:55would be suicidal.
25:59Thorkell is very frightening
26:01for Svein,
26:02presumably because
26:03he's slightly scared
26:04that he might either
26:05not win or damage
26:06an enormous part
26:07of the Danish royal forces.
26:09If we add to this
26:10the fortifications
26:11of the city of London,
26:12then yes,
26:13it clearly becomes
26:13very difficult for Svein.
26:15He could go straight forward,
26:17but that would involve
26:18a real risk.
26:19Avoiding Thorkell
26:20is therefore
26:20the logical choice.
26:23At first light,
26:25Svein and Knut
26:26weigh anchor.
26:29They sail north,
26:31and at the mouth
26:32north of the Thames,
26:33they turn away,
26:34leaving London behind.
26:39They head
26:39toward the Danelaw,
26:42a vast territory
26:43stretching from East Anglia
26:45to Northumbria,
26:46where Viking influence
26:48runs deep.
26:51Danelaw
26:51is a term
26:53which is used
26:54to refer
26:55to the areas
26:56in England
26:57which were settled
26:58by Scandinavian settlers
27:01from the early Viking age.
27:03It does mean to say
27:04that there was
27:04a significant
27:06Scandinavian,
27:07particularly Danish,
27:09influence.
27:10These people
27:11are both simultaneously
27:13Scandinavian
27:13and English.
27:15They don't see themselves,
27:16I think,
27:17as allied
27:18to either party.
27:19Sometimes they work
27:20with the Danes,
27:20sometimes they work
27:21with the English,
27:22but they see themselves
27:23as a unit
27:24in themselves.
27:25And I think
27:25that's what attracts
27:27Sven Fortbeard.
27:28He recognises
27:29the Danelaw
27:30as somewhere
27:31that looks like home.
27:32And he knows
27:33how to rule that area.
27:35He knows
27:36how to control this.
27:40Sven and Knut
27:41are taking a gamble.
27:43If there is one place
27:44in England
27:45ready to welcome them,
27:46it's there.
27:50Here,
27:51resentment
27:52towards King
27:53Æthelred
27:53runs strong.
27:56A resentment
27:56born of a past
27:58neither Sven
27:59nor Knut
28:00has forgotten.
28:22As England buckles
28:24under Danish attacks
28:25and the ever-growing
28:26weight of tribute,
28:28the nobility
28:29grows restless
28:34and the rest
28:34determined to regain
28:35control,
28:36Æthelred makes
28:37a drastic decision.
28:40In November
28:41of the year
28:421002,
28:43he sends messengers
28:44across the kingdom.
28:53On St. Brice's Day,
28:55the 13th of November,
28:57armed men slip silently
28:59through the sleeping
29:00streets of towns
29:01and villages
29:01across the Danelaw.
29:07The St. Brice's Day Massacre
29:10becomes one of those
29:11very storied events
29:13of Æthelred's reign.
29:14And it's the first
29:15real sign
29:16that panic
29:17is starting to grip
29:18Æthelred's court,
29:19that the logical,
29:21perhaps more sensible,
29:22measured responses
29:23have failed.
29:24And so,
29:25he starts looking
29:26moving to more extreme measures.
29:27And what he fastens upon
29:29is the idea
29:30that the Danes
29:31who are resident
29:32in his kingdom,
29:33the Scandinavians
29:33resident in his kingdom,
29:34are plotting against him.
29:35And so he decides
29:36to kill them all.
29:39In York,
29:40the Danes
29:41are hunted down
29:42and enter into a church
29:43where they seek refuge.
29:52But outside,
29:54torches arc through the air
29:56towards the sacred building.
30:03The St. Brice's Day Massacre
30:05is quite a stain
30:07on the reputation
30:08of King Æthelred
30:10because whatever the scale
30:12of the St. Brice's Day Massacre,
30:14it had an impact
30:16across the world
30:17connected with the Danes.
30:19It must have been
30:20in the back of the minds
30:21of some of the Vikings
30:23who were present in England
30:24in Sven's army.
30:27Æthelred believed
30:28he was securing his kingdom.
30:31Instead,
30:32he unleashed
30:33a terrible storm.
30:36Now,
30:37who can say
30:37whether the people
30:38of the Danelaw
30:39will remain loyal to him?
30:46Sven and Knut's ships
30:47sail up the estuary
30:49of the river Humber.
30:51They then enter
30:52the calm waters
30:53of the river Trent.
30:57On deck,
30:59Knut remains watchful.
31:01He scans the river banks,
31:03alert to the slightest movement.
31:06He has not forgotten
31:07the tales of the elders.
31:10Venturing deep
31:11into the English countryside
31:12is never without danger.
31:16Since the 9th century,
31:18the Anglo-Saxons
31:19have established
31:20a network of fortifications
31:21known as the Burrs,
31:22which were a kind
31:23of fortified stronghold.
31:24Some were old,
31:25restored Roman fortresses.
31:27Others were exceptional
31:28natural sites,
31:29headlands or cliffs
31:30that were walled off
31:31to create a fortified point
31:33that was difficult to seize.
31:36Their purpose
31:37was to protect merchants,
31:39shelter populations,
31:40and above all,
31:41to create a defensive mesh
31:43across the territory.
31:45When you look at the map
31:46of these Burrs,
31:47it really gives the impression
31:48of a tight mesh
31:49designed to prevent
31:50any Viking army
31:51from slipping through the net.
31:57The fleet reaches Gainsborough,
32:00a small fortified town
32:01south of York.
32:06Zvein orders the landing.
32:11For Knut,
32:12who is experiencing
32:13his first military campaign,
32:15everything seems too easy.
32:19Since leaving the North Sea,
32:21nothing has stood in their way.
32:23No traps,
32:24no ambushes.
32:27This is an area of England
32:29which has often been distant
32:30from royal control and power,
32:32which is naturally suspicious
32:34of English monarchs
32:35at the best of time.
32:35And that means that
32:36when Knut and Swain
32:38land at Gainsborough,
32:39they're rapidly able
32:40to gain the support
32:41of the local population.
32:42And they almost certainly
32:43know that in advance.
32:44It's no accident
32:45that they,
32:45instead of attacking
32:46the south of England,
32:47the heartlands
32:48of the English kingdom,
32:49they go to precisely
32:50where there's the chink
32:52in Æthelred's armour.
32:56A group of horsemen
32:58approaches the camp.
33:01At their head
33:02rides the powerful
33:03Uhtred of Northumbria.
33:06He comes to request
33:08an audience with Zvein.
33:16Knut watches him
33:17in silence.
33:21Here stands the enemy
33:22he expected to fight.
33:25But Uhtred has not come
33:27for battle.
33:28Instead,
33:29he offers his submission,
33:31that of Linse
33:32and the five boroughs.
33:35To Knut,
33:37raised in the Viking
33:38code of honour,
33:38this surrender
33:40without battle
33:41or glory
33:41speaks volumes
33:43about his adversary.
33:46What we have to realise
33:49at this time
33:49is that the idea
33:50of English unity
33:52is only a relatively
33:54recent construction
33:56of the 10th century.
33:59And for Uhtred,
34:00it was probably
34:01his interests
34:02to submit
34:04to a Danish lord
34:05rather than
34:06a distant English king
34:08in the south
34:09of the island.
34:12It seems he was
34:13caught off guard,
34:14that he's defending
34:15his own interests
34:16in an unstable situation.
34:18Separated from
34:19the main Anglo-Saxon army,
34:20he knows no help
34:22is coming.
34:23For him,
34:23it becomes a matter
34:24of real politic.
34:25If it does not submit,
34:26he knows he will die.
34:27Thus, he becomes
34:28Zvein's ally,
34:29at least in the short term.
34:32As a pledge
34:33of good faith,
34:34Uhtred does not
34:35come alone.
34:36He brings with him
34:38the sons of the
34:39great northern families
34:40sent to serve
34:41as hostages.
34:45Young men,
34:46barely older
34:47than Knut himself.
34:49And yet,
34:51everything separates them.
34:55On one side,
34:56the young conqueror.
34:59On the other,
35:00an unarmed youth,
35:02handed over
35:03as collateral
35:04for an oath.
35:06If you come to
35:07an agreement
35:07with anybody
35:09in politics
35:09in this period,
35:10you try to take a hostage
35:11to make sure
35:12the man is going to do
35:13what he's going to do.
35:13And those hostages
35:15are then a token
35:16of their seriousness.
35:18They have to be
35:18very high-ranking individuals,
35:20and they are your collateral.
35:22And this is saying,
35:23well,
35:23we're not going to
35:24leave them tied up
35:25to a radiator
35:25with handcuffs on.
35:27We will treat them
35:28with honour,
35:29with dignity.
35:29But if anything
35:30should happen,
35:31then it's the end
35:33of your son here.
35:34You know,
35:35this is a very
35:36practical guarantee,
35:37but it's also
35:39playing on this idea
35:40of honour as well.
35:46Without spilling
35:47a drop of blood,
35:49Svein and Knut
35:49seize control
35:50of northern England.
35:56But for Svein,
35:58this is only
35:59the beginning.
36:00What he wants
36:01is the crown.
36:03The northern nobility
36:05gathers and proclaims
36:07Svein king of England,
36:08rejecting Aethelred.
36:13But the rest of the realm
36:15still has to be persuaded
36:16to accept
36:17such a dramatic
36:18change of allegiance.
36:21And what better
36:23a way to seal
36:23that bond
36:24than marriage?
36:29A union between
36:30Knut
36:31and a young
36:32noble woman
36:32from a powerful
36:33Anglo-Danish lineage
36:35could ease tension
36:36and seal alliance.
36:39Her name is
36:40Elgifu,
36:41from Northampton.
36:46Elgifu in Northampton.
36:47Here's the woman
36:48that Sven Forkbeard
36:49looks at the political
36:50landscape of the north
36:51and says,
36:52that one.
36:53She's the one
36:54that's going to marry
36:55my son because
36:56she's the one
36:56who can help us
36:57control this region.
36:58She's the heiress
36:59to this old
37:00political machinery.
37:01She is the daughter
37:03of Alfhelm,
37:04who had been
37:05a alderman,
37:06so the leading man
37:07in the southern part
37:08of Northumbria.
37:09But he had been
37:10murdered in
37:11Ethelred's court
37:12in 1006
37:13in a purge.
37:15But that family
37:16nonetheless remains
37:17important and very
37:18alienated from
37:19Ethelred.
37:20And so,
37:21in a sense,
37:22she can be a
37:22lightning rod
37:23for channeling
37:24that descent
37:24towards support
37:25for Swain and
37:27Knut.
37:27And so,
37:28for Knut
37:28coming in with
37:29Swain,
37:29perhaps also
37:30at the back
37:30of his mind,
37:32the prospect
37:32may be of
37:33becoming an
37:33eventual king
37:34of England
37:35or an under-king
37:36of England
37:36under his father.
37:37She is the
37:38perfect match
37:39to make
37:40in that moment.
37:45Knut knows
37:46exactly what
37:47Swain expects
37:48of him.
37:49Without hesitation,
37:50he leads
37:51this perfect
37:52stranger
37:52to the altar.
37:58And under
37:59his father's
38:00watchful eye,
38:01he takes
38:02Elgifu
38:03as his wife.
38:07The young prince
38:08understands that
38:09his destiny
38:10is now lying
38:11here.
38:12The path
38:13is set.
38:14Knut will not
38:15look back.
38:22At the end
38:23of summer,
38:24Swain orders
38:25his army
38:25to prepare.
38:28Supplies,
38:29reinforcements,
38:32horses.
38:35To his
38:36seasoned warriors
38:37are added
38:37the levies
38:38raised in
38:39the Danelaw.
38:42Before departing,
38:43he entrusts
38:44his son
38:44with the
38:45reins of
38:45the conquered
38:46territory.
38:48Knut might
38:49have preferred
38:50to march
38:50to war,
38:51but instead
38:52another trial
38:54awaits him.
38:55In his
38:56father's absence,
38:57he must guard
38:58the fleet,
38:59watch over
39:00the hostages
39:02and raise
39:03the funds
39:03needed to
39:04sustain the
39:05war.
39:08Sons are
39:09expected to
39:10be trained
39:10up in
39:10kingship
39:11and to
39:11learn the
39:11tricks of
39:12the trade
39:12as soon as
39:13possible.
39:14And one
39:14of the best
39:14ways to do
39:15this for
39:15someone like
39:16Swain,
39:16to ensure
39:16his sons
39:17that experience,
39:18is to allow
39:18them an element
39:19of rule while
39:20he's still
39:20alive.
39:21So we're
39:22seeing him
39:22potentially
39:23setting up
39:24Knut as
39:24his under
39:25king,
39:26his representative
39:27in England.
39:28And the
39:28sense of
39:28responsibility
39:29that this
39:29new conquest,
39:30this new
39:31land,
39:31this new
39:32world,
39:32as it
39:32were,
39:33that they've
39:33struck into
39:34is now
39:35his to
39:36control.
39:36It must
39:37be overwhelming
39:37but simultaneously,
39:39simultaneously
39:40steps up
39:41to the
39:41plate.
39:42Is it a
39:42mark of
39:43trust being
39:43placed in
39:44him?
39:45Partly,
39:45perhaps.
39:46But what
39:47always strikes
39:48me is that
39:48Knut still
39:49does not
39:50fight.
39:50He's not
39:51on the
39:51front lines
39:52learning how
39:52to lead
39:53an army.
39:53He really
39:54gives the
39:54impression of
39:55being kept
39:55safe in
39:56reserve by
39:57his father.
39:57In a way,
39:58he's already
39:59being shaped
40:00into an
40:00administrator
40:00who's learning
40:01governance,
40:02which is,
40:03in fact,
40:03rather wise.
40:06For the
40:07young Viking,
40:07the moment of
40:08truth has
40:09come.
40:11Knut watches
40:12his father
40:13disappear in
40:14the distance.
40:20now alone,
40:22he must prove
40:23himself worthy
40:24of the task.
40:26More than
40:27anything,
40:28he must
40:29ensure his
40:29father will
40:30be proud
40:31of him.
40:36Svein's
40:37long column
40:38of troops
40:38stretches
40:39southward,
40:40towards the
40:41heart of
40:41the kingdom.
40:44But instead
40:45of heading
40:45for London
40:46where
40:46Æthelred
40:47awaits,
40:48Svein leads
40:49his men
40:49west,
40:52towards Oxford.
40:56Svein's
40:57decision to
40:58attack Oxford
40:59rather than
40:59London almost
41:00certainly is
41:01suggestive of
41:02serious strategic
41:03calculation.
41:04While Æthelred's
41:05regime has shown
41:06itself to be
41:07toothless in
41:08many respects
41:09not very
41:10successful on
41:10the battlefield,
41:11it remains
41:12capable of
41:13deploying armies
41:14of a large
41:15scale and
41:16it still has
41:17the forces of
41:18Thorkell the
41:18Tall at
41:19Greenwich.
41:20If Svein had
41:21rushed his
41:22campaign and
41:22gone for that
41:23then potentially
41:24this might have
41:25been game over
41:27for Svein
41:27too early
41:29and it made
41:30sense to
41:31essentially take
41:32the pieces of
41:33the playing board
41:34first of all
41:35before going
41:36to London.
41:43In early
41:44autumn the
41:45invading army
41:45crosses
41:46Watling Street.
41:50This ancient
41:51Roman road
41:52runs across
41:53England from
41:53east to west
41:54and marks a
41:56symbolic frontier
41:57between the
41:57Danelaw and
41:58the southern
41:59lands, still
42:00loyal to
42:00Æthelred.
42:05Svein's orders
42:06are clear.
42:07Beyond this
42:08line there
42:09will be no
42:10mercy.
42:14From farm
42:15to farm,
42:16village to
42:16village,
42:19his army
42:20unleashes its
42:21full destructive
42:22force.
42:25There's no
42:26Geneva Convention
42:27so the objective
42:28is obviously to
42:29put pressure on
42:30the enemy,
42:30to scare them.
42:32Men loot,
42:32kill and burn
42:33as they please.
42:36It's a phrase
42:37frequently used
42:38to describe
42:38Viking armies.
42:39Psychological
42:40warfare is
42:40nothing new.
42:41It exists in
42:42every conflict
42:42at every era.
42:43And for civilian
42:44populations,
42:45it has always
42:46meant the same
42:46thing throughout
42:47history.
42:48Raiding the
42:48countryside,
42:49seizing resources,
42:50living off the
42:51land and killing
42:51a few people
42:52in a particularly
42:53dramatic way
42:54are all part
42:55of the usual
42:55practices.
42:59After a few
43:00days,
43:01Svein and his
43:02men reach
43:02Oxford.
43:05The troops
43:05take position
43:06before the
43:07fortified town.
43:11The city gates
43:13slowly open.
43:16A man steps
43:17forward and
43:18speaks a few
43:19words.
43:21The city
43:22surrenders
43:23without a fight.
43:28The inhabitants
43:29of Oxford
43:30had already
43:30suffered greatly
43:31over the
43:31previous decade.
43:33Resisting now
43:34would mean a
43:34second full-scale
43:35plundering or
43:36another round
43:37of mass
43:37destruction.
43:38Clearly,
43:39not everyone
43:39is eager to
43:40turn their city
43:41into another
43:41Stalingrad.
43:43Surrendering is
43:43the logical
43:44choice if it
43:44spares lives
43:45and avoids
43:46crushing tribute.
43:51Zvein and his
43:52men enter the
43:53city after a
43:54victory won
43:55without a
43:55single sword
43:56stroke.
43:59The strategy
44:00of fear
44:01worked.
44:04The local
44:05nobility
44:06submits.
44:11But for
44:11Zvein,
44:13it is not
44:14enough.
44:17Zvein
44:18Forkbeard is
44:19trying to
44:20terrorise the
44:21south of
44:21England.
44:22He has to
44:22subdue that
44:23part.
44:24He's got to
44:24do this with
44:24big public
44:25displays.
44:26The lords
44:27of each
44:28region must
44:29essentially
44:29kneel before
44:30him in
44:31public.
44:32He needs
44:33Wessex to
44:34be seen to
44:35be beaten
44:35and to be
44:37under the
44:37heel of the
44:38Danish
44:38oppressor.
44:44In the
44:45days that
44:45followed,
44:46the southern
44:46cities fell
44:47one after
44:48another.
44:50Exeter,
44:53Winchester,
44:54all surrendered
44:55without
44:56resistance.
44:58In London,
45:00Ethelred remains
45:01barricaded in
45:02his palace.
45:04More cut
45:05off from his
45:06people than
45:07ever, he
45:08watches helplessly
45:09as his kingdom
45:10collapses.
45:12Ethelred's
45:13passivity has
45:15really dammed
45:16the reputation
45:17of Ethelred.
45:19The 12th
45:20century William
45:20of Malmesbury
45:21referred to
45:22him as being
45:23lazy,
45:23essentially,
45:25and not
45:26getting out
45:26of bed.
45:27But I think
45:28we also have
45:29to remember
45:29that he had
45:31to rely on
45:32regional governors
45:34to raise
45:35forces.
45:36And his
45:37commanders,
45:38his aldermen,
45:39are just
45:39unwilling to
45:40act on his
45:41behalf while
45:42he's in
45:42London.
45:43So it's
45:43something of
45:44a difficult
45:45situation for
45:46Ethelred at
45:47this time.
45:52As autumn
45:53begins,
45:54the noose
45:54tightens around
45:55Ethelred.
45:59From the
45:59ramparts,
46:00he observes
46:01Svein's troops
46:02across the river.
46:06Svein's troops
46:07He knows his
46:07survival may
46:08depend on what
46:09happens here
46:10and now.
46:12Losing the city,
46:13the last
46:13stronghold of
46:14resistance against
46:15the Danes,
46:16would mean
46:16losing the crown.
46:22Beyond the walls,
46:23Svein knows the
46:25confrontation will
46:26be harsh.
46:27For more than a
46:28century, London
46:29has remained
46:30unconquered.
46:35London benefits
46:36from its Roman
46:37walls that
46:37survived throughout
46:38the Middle Ages
46:39and were extensively
46:40restored for
46:41defense.
46:42It is the nerve
46:43center of
46:43Ethelred's defense.
46:45This is where he
46:46resides, likely with
46:47his household troops.
46:50Thorkell is there
46:50as well, probably
46:51with his fleet.
46:52And then there's
46:53London, large, wealthy,
46:55powerful.
46:55The inhabitants do
46:56not seem at all
46:57inclined to surrender
46:58to the first newcomer.
47:01Svein knows a
47:03frontal assault
47:03would be doomed
47:04to fail.
47:06So, to bypass
47:07the English defenses,
47:08he orders his men
47:10to forge the Thames.
47:19It's possible
47:20that they tried
47:20to cross the river
47:22to the west of London
47:24at low tide,
47:25but you have to
47:25know the river.
47:26in order to do
47:27this.
47:30The maneuver
47:31turns into a
47:32disaster.
47:33Hundreds of men
47:34are swept away
47:35by the current
47:35and the river's
47:36tumultuous waters.
47:42The likelihood
47:43that many men
47:44drowned while
47:45trying to do this
47:46would have been
47:48likely to cause
47:49Svein to think
47:51about changing
47:52the direction
47:53of his campaign.
47:57Svein is forced
47:58to face the truth.
48:00To persist
48:01would cost
48:02countless warriors
48:03and endanger
48:04the entire campaign.
48:09The siege of London
48:10ultimately
48:11is going to fail.
48:12London is just
48:13too tough
48:14a nut to crack
48:15in Svein's time.
48:16So Svein pulls out
48:18and he heads
48:19to the west.
48:24If he cannot force
48:26London to yield,
48:27Svein may try
48:28to isolate it
48:29from the rest
48:30of the kingdom.
48:32To do that,
48:33he must seize
48:34the last key
48:35stronghold of Wessex,
48:37Bath.
48:40This city,
48:41where Ethelred's
48:42father was crowned,
48:43enjoys near-imperial
48:45prestige
48:45and is home
48:47to one of the
48:47kingdom's
48:48most influential
48:49noble families.
48:51This,
48:51if you're going
48:52to crack
48:52an easier nut
48:54and you're going
48:54to make
48:54an enormous
48:55political splash,
48:56do it with these
48:57people.
48:58They're related
48:58to the kingship,
48:59they're long
49:00related to the kingship
49:00and that is a huge
49:02money-making area
49:03for Anglo-Saxon
49:04England.
49:05If you can break
49:06the west,
49:07maybe you don't
49:08have to break
49:08London.
49:09Maybe London
49:09will fall
49:10on its own.
49:13By the end
49:14of 1013,
49:15the nobles
49:16of Bath,
49:17weary of Ethelred's
49:18chaotic rule,
49:19rally to the Dane.
49:22Soon,
49:23the rest
49:24of the kingdom
49:24follows.
49:28Ethelred
49:29will have seen
49:30it sitting in London
49:31as the lights
49:32going out
49:32one after another
49:34across the entire
49:35country
49:35as they just
49:36stopped talking
49:37to him.
49:37And when you've
49:38got nothing left
49:39except the city
49:39of London,
49:40then I think
49:41you leave.
49:43Abandoned
49:44by all,
49:45Ethelred,
49:46the last king
49:47of a five-century-old
49:48dynasty,
49:49flees toward Normandy.
49:57And there
49:57he can remain
49:58king in exile,
50:00awaiting his moment
50:01to reappear.
50:02So he's kind
50:03of a bit like
50:03the free French
50:04government in London
50:05in World War II,
50:06if you will.
50:07He's potentially
50:08there in Normandy
50:09as the,
50:11to his mind,
50:11genuine English
50:13king and the
50:14real government,
50:15waiting for an
50:16opportunity to step
50:18back into those
50:19shoes.
50:27Aboard the ship
50:28carrying him
50:29into exile,
50:31Ethelred watches
50:32the English coastline
50:33fade into the mist.
50:36his defeat
50:38tastes of betrayal.
50:43His people
50:45did not raise
50:46their weapons
50:46to defend him.
50:48The nobles
50:49abandoned him
50:50for a king
50:50from the north.
50:51But Ethelred
50:52is not broken.
50:54He swears
50:55he will return,
50:57whatever the cost.
51:12In Lincoln,
51:13Canute awaits
51:14his father.
51:17The man he finds
51:18is no longer
51:19only king of Denmark.
51:21He is now
51:22king of England.
51:25before him
51:26stands a
51:27transformed son,
51:29seasoned and
51:30hardened by the
51:31demands of power.
51:34It's a new world.
51:36It's the conquest of
51:37somewhere for him to rule.
51:38Harold would now have
51:39Denmark,
51:40he will have
51:41England,
51:41and he is the
51:42second son,
51:43and he's got the
51:44conquest.
51:45But what a conquest.
51:46There is far more money
51:48there in England
51:49than there will ever be
51:51in Denmark.
51:51And that wealth
51:53will be used
51:54by his dynasty
51:55to push
51:56its ambitions
51:57far into
51:59Scandinavia
52:00to rule
52:00what,
52:01we have to use
52:02the modern word,
52:03empire.
52:04If he ever dreamed
52:05of being an emperor,
52:07he did so
52:08on the day
52:09they conquered
52:10southern England.
52:14Together,
52:15Seine and Canute
52:16have achieved
52:17the unthinkable,
52:19seizing the richest
52:20kingdom
52:20in the western world.
52:22For the young prince,
52:23the future
52:24now seems set.
52:26But history
52:27is far from finish
52:28with him.
52:29England will soon
52:30slip from their grasp,
52:32and Canute
52:33will be forced
52:34to face
52:34a new enemy,
52:36far more formidable
52:37than any before.
52:41Better
52:41than could
52:43have existed
52:43world.
52:52I
52:59loved the
52:59summer
52:59so
53:01he
53:01will be
53:01soft in the
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