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The Viking Emperor Season 1 Episode 3
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00:12This is a story of conquest, betrayal, and courage.
00:20The story of a son of a Viking sovereign forged in the shadow of battle.
00:25A man destined for nothing, yet fated to build an empire.
00:31He was larger than life in his lifetime, and is somebody who had wide-ranging achievements that surprised even many
00:40of his contemporaries.
00:42The story of a man who became ruler of three kingdoms.
00:47A Viking who became an emperor.
00:51It's one of the great medieval success stories.
00:54What he does, we have no word for. It's completely new.
00:58This is the legend of Canute.
01:01Emperor of the North Sea.
01:27The End
01:27The End
01:59As his men raise their cubs in celebration,
02:06Canute has every reason to rejoice.
02:13In just a few weeks, he has subdued Wessex,
02:17the political and economic heart of the kingdom.
02:22He has won over Iadric Streona,
02:25once the chief advisor of King Aethelred.
02:29And in the north, he has laid a trap for Earl Uhtred
02:34before entrusting his lands to his loyal ally,
02:37the Norwegian Erik of Ladue.
02:42Now, a large part of the kingdom lies under his control.
02:48And yet, the young Dane does not savour his victory.
02:52One man still resists him.
02:55A man who has rallied the English army to his cause.
03:00Edmund Ironside, son of King Aethelred.
03:06Edmund's sudden success as a military leader
03:09throws a real spanner in the works for Canute.
03:12Nobody knew quite what to expect of him,
03:15but his nickname, Ironside, is very much contemporary,
03:17and he proves himself very quickly
03:19to be a highly capable military commander
03:22and willing to take the kind of risks
03:24that his father was very wary of.
03:27And so this makes what looks like a fait accompli, perhaps,
03:31an almost inevitable conquest by Canute,
03:33suddenly come into question.
03:37Canute must put an end to this swiftly
03:39before Edmund grows too powerful.
03:43So, he gives the order.
03:46Tomorrow, they break camp.
03:49Their destination, London.
04:03King Aethelred is now little more than a shadow
04:06of his former self.
04:08At his side stand his son, Edmund,
04:11hastily returned from campaign,
04:14and his second wife, Emma of Normandy,
04:19accompanied by her two younger sons,
04:21Edward and Alfred.
04:26Queen Emma stands beside the dying King Aethelred.
04:29She's determined to see her own faction prevail
04:31and to promote the cause of Edward.
04:32But as he's only ten years old,
04:34the chances of success are slim.
04:36I think we can only imagine
04:38the difficulties of the situation
04:40for Emma at this time.
04:42Her position and her prestige
04:45is reliant on being the widow of King Aethelred,
04:49but her sons by King Aethelred
04:51are the younger sons of the King.
04:54And obviously,
04:54Edmund Ironside's seniority within the family
04:58is putting him at a greatly advantageous situation.
05:04After 37 years of an inglorious reign,
05:08King Aethelred is no more.
05:13His body is carried to the Old St. Paul's Cathedral,
05:19where he is granted all due honours.
05:22And yet, even in his final moments,
05:25he had fled from battle,
05:26leaving his people alone to face their fate.
05:32London's been very loyal to Aethelred.
05:34Aethelred is buried there
05:35as the first English monarch
05:36to be buried in London at Old St. Paul's.
05:38But there's no doubt then
05:40that once Aethelred is gone,
05:42that Edmund is their king.
05:44They've probably had enough of inaction
05:47and enough of them are willing
05:49to roll the dice for one last time
05:53in support of a ruler
05:55who looks like they're ready to save the kingdom.
06:00Before the assembled nobles,
06:02Edmund seizes the crown
06:04and claims the throne.
06:06The nobility immediately bows,
06:09recognising in this 25-year-old warrior
06:12the qualities needed to succeed King Aethelred.
06:17Emma understands then
06:18that her future and that of her children
06:21has grown darker.
06:28She's now in a very difficult scenario
06:30because her sons have definitively lost out
06:33in terms of the succession to Edmund
06:35and her worst fears, in a sense,
06:37risk being materialised.
06:38Edmund's on the throne,
06:39he's now married,
06:41he doubtless will soon be having children
06:43who he'll want to line up for the succession.
06:47But for Edmund,
06:49the recognition of the London nobility
06:50is only the first step.
06:53To be crowned,
06:55he must first reconquer the entire kingdom.
07:15In the south of England,
07:17Knut has dropped anchor.
07:20A few days earlier,
07:21his informants had brought him news.
07:25Aethelred is dead.
07:28And his son has claimed the throne.
07:31Without hesitation,
07:33Knut summons all the abbots,
07:35earls and nobles of the regions
07:36under his control.
07:41The very same men
07:42who, two years earlier,
07:44had denied him the crown.
07:50If you're a leading magnate,
07:51you also don't want to back the wrong horse.
07:54The results of that can be catastrophic.
07:56So you are also having
07:57having to make a calculation
07:59as to who do I think is going to win.
08:01And if I think Knut's chances
08:02are notably better,
08:04even if I might prefer Edmund,
08:06I'd do better to support Knut.
08:08And so it's very likely
08:09that some of this support
08:10is highly pragmatic
08:12and is people who simply want to survive.
08:15Now, Knut, in his turn,
08:17is recognised as the legitimate king of the realm.
08:20England, more divided than ever,
08:22England, more divided than ever,
08:23has two monarchs.
08:25The young Dane understands what it means.
08:29From this moment on,
08:30between Edmund and him,
08:32it will be a fight to the death.
08:41The fleet glides slowly
08:43over the grey waters of the Thames.
08:48In the distance,
08:49Knut sees the thick walls of London
08:51take shape.
08:54He has come to confront his rival
08:57on his own ground.
08:59But taking the city
09:00will be no easy task.
09:04For in a century of Viking raids,
09:07London has never been taken.
09:11At the time,
09:13London was defended by Roman walls
09:15that had been regularly maintained.
09:16And the problem was
09:18that the means available
09:19to attack fortified cities
09:20were extremely limited.
09:23London was a hard nut to crack
09:26and is not a place
09:27that Knut is able
09:28to very easily take,
09:29even with a substantial
09:30military force.
09:34From the ramparts,
09:36Edmund watches the hundreds
09:37of ships gathering
09:38at the city's gates.
09:42Yet, the young king
09:44remains confident.
09:50Across the river
09:51stands an obstacle
09:52long considered impassable.
09:55London Bridge.
09:58A massive fortified structure
10:00linking the city
10:01to the stronghold of Southwark
10:03on the opposite bank.
10:07And this means that Danes
10:09going up the Thames
10:10past London
10:11are having things
10:12thrown or poured on them
10:13as they go past.
10:14I mean, one imagines rocks,
10:15one imagines boiling oil,
10:17whatever there is
10:17that could possibly upset
10:18the Danes going past
10:19underneath
10:20to damage their ships
10:21or kill the men.
10:27To surround the city,
10:30Knut has no choice.
10:33He must take the bridge
10:35at any cost.
10:37But forcing a passage
10:39would mean devastating losses.
10:42So the young Dane
10:43comes up with a stroke
10:44of genius.
10:46If his ships cannot pass
10:48under the bridge,
10:51they will go round it.
10:55So, here is the city,
10:57here is the river,
10:58and here is the bridge.
10:59And they dig
11:00on their side,
11:01the southern side,
11:01they dig a trench down here
11:03around the bridgehead
11:05where the bridge meets the land.
11:06And they dig another trench here
11:07and they dig another trench here.
11:09And as far as an arrow can fly.
11:11And that's where they then
11:12dig the trenches outside.
11:13Because the idea is,
11:14then what can the English do
11:14apart from watch this trench
11:16go around them
11:17and rejoin the Thames?
11:19And these trenches
11:20don't have to be very deep
11:21because they've got
11:21flat-bottomed boats
11:22and they've got
11:23hundreds of men
11:24sitting around.
11:29Day and night,
11:30the Danes dig relentlessly.
11:35From Southwark,
11:37English sentries
11:38can only look on
11:39as the enemy
11:40advances inexorably.
11:46And then,
11:47in the course of,
11:47what, a couple of days,
11:48200 boats go upstream
11:49and the English
11:50can't stop them at all.
11:51All they can do
11:52is watch from the other bank
11:53and be cross.
11:55It's absolutely pure Canute.
11:57There is minimum effort,
11:59maximum damage
12:00to the other guy.
12:03Canute sets up his camp
12:05upon a strip of sand,
12:07safely beyond the reach
12:08of English archers.
12:12And they sit staring at the city,
12:15making lots of noise,
12:16sharpening weapons,
12:18feasting,
12:19but they're sitting there
12:20just reminding
12:21the English inhabitants
12:22who are locked
12:23inside their walled city
12:25that this is the army
12:27just outside.
12:28The idea is terror,
12:30terror for this heartland
12:32of Ăthelred and Edmund's support
12:35rather than, sort of,
12:36shimming up ladders
12:37and waving swords.
12:42Inside the besieged city,
12:44bread nars sells
12:45for its weight in gold,
12:50while the clergy
12:51call for prayer.
12:56But no one
12:57is under any illusions.
12:59In this duel
13:00between Edmund and Canute,
13:01time is working
13:02against them.
13:04If Canute has indeed
13:06managed to cut off supplies
13:07to the south of London,
13:09and if he holds
13:10part of the walls
13:11to the north and west
13:11that still leaves
13:12only very limited opportunities
13:14to enter or leave the city,
13:16inevitably sending messengers
13:18becomes more difficult
13:19and food shortages
13:20are likely to arise
13:21sooner or later.
13:23At a place like London
13:24would probably not have
13:25more than enough
13:26food stores available
13:27to last more than
13:28a few weeks really at most
13:30because London
13:30has a population
13:31by this period
13:32of more than 10,000
13:33plus there are
13:34the defenders of London,
13:35potentially another army,
13:36actually a real army itself
13:37in addition to the local population.
13:39So it certainly would have
13:41threatened considerable hardship.
13:45Edmund senses the trap
13:47closing in around him.
13:50If he stays,
13:51he risks losing the initiative.
13:54So under cover of night,
13:56accompanied by his most loyal men,
13:59he flees the city.
14:03The young king knows
14:04he still has one card left to play,
14:07his reputation as a war leader.
14:13For Canute,
14:14Edmund's military resistance
14:16ends up being
14:17a real thorn in the side
14:18because Edmund is willing
14:19to offer battle.
14:20What he's showing
14:21is that actually
14:22Canute is not undefeatable
14:23and that actually
14:25there's potentially
14:25a military solution
14:27to these problems.
14:31With Edmund,
14:32a new wave of hope
14:34spreads across England.
14:38From all corners of Wessex,
14:40thousands of men
14:41take up arms
14:42and rally under his banner.
14:48After decades of humiliation
14:50and defeat,
14:52England finally begins
14:53to rise again.
15:15In the Danish camp,
15:17bad news keeps piling up.
15:20For weeks,
15:21Canute has been
15:22besieging London in vain.
15:25While boredom spreads
15:27like poison
15:28among his army.
15:32There is a real risk
15:34with sieges
15:34that your army
15:35becomes stationary.
15:37It loses momentum.
15:38It loses focus.
15:39Things like epidemic
15:41can break out
15:42much more easily
15:42when you're stationary
15:43as a military force.
15:45So there's all sorts
15:45of reasons why
15:46it's actually
15:47potentially quite risky
15:48to embark on
15:49a lengthy siege
15:50when you have
15:50alternative means
15:51of achieving
15:52what you wish to get.
15:58Even worse,
16:00part of Wessex
16:01has fallen back
16:01into Edmund's hands.
16:04If he does not want
16:05to see his alliances
16:06unravel one by one,
16:08Canute has no choice.
16:11He must lift the siege
16:12and face Edmund
16:13once and for all.
16:30Edmund has won his gamble.
16:34He has gathered
16:35the loyal forces
16:36of the south
16:37beneath his banner.
16:39He believes this army
16:41can carry him
16:42back to victory.
16:46Especially now
16:47that his scouts
16:48report that
16:48Canute's army
16:49is getting closer.
16:55So he deploys
16:57his men
16:57along the hillside,
16:58an ideal position
16:59to repel an attack.
17:01and can fight
17:01for your family.
17:07Pencilwood
17:08is a symbolically
17:10crucially important
17:11political place
17:14within the West Saxon kingdom.
17:16This was the place
17:17where Alfred the Great
17:18had gathered his armies
17:20against the Danes
17:21during his victory
17:23in 878.
17:24and perhaps
17:25Edmund Ironside
17:26had hoped
17:27to draw on
17:28a little bit
17:28of that magic
17:29when he gathered
17:32his forces
17:33to fight
17:34against Canute
17:35in 1016.
17:39At the head
17:40of an army
17:40numbered in the thousands,
17:42Canute advances
17:43towards the English lines.
17:48For the first time,
17:49the two kings
17:50face each other
17:51on the battlefield.
17:54Each aware
17:56that the fate
17:57of the kingdom
17:57may be decided here.
18:00For Edmund
18:01and Canute,
18:03England represents
18:04everything.
18:05Neither have
18:06any other prospects.
18:07Canute's only kingdom
18:08and kingship
18:09is going to be
18:10in England
18:10at that moment.
18:11No other prospects
18:13immediately in Denmark
18:14as he's discovered.
18:15For Edmund,
18:16his entire dynastic line
18:18hinges upon this.
18:19He's seen his father
18:21fail to prevent
18:23external conquest.
18:25He's determined
18:25to prevent
18:26that repeating itself.
18:31Edmund rallies
18:32his men.
18:33No grand speeches,
18:35only a call
18:36to defend their homes,
18:38their families
18:38and their land.
18:40Fight for your family,
18:42your land,
18:43your kids.
18:45The majority
18:46of those fighting
18:46are not professional soldiers.
18:48They'll be members
18:49of the lower aristocracy,
18:51probably the majority
18:52and maybe some
18:53wealthy peasants.
18:54These are individuals
18:55who are not highly trained.
18:59The English defensive line
19:01braces itself,
19:02ready to absorb
19:03the shock of the assault.
19:08Though Edmund
19:09has the advantage
19:10of ground,
19:12Canute knows his men
19:13are far more battle-hardened.
19:16So he gives the order
19:18to attack.
19:19With a roar,
19:21the two armies
19:22crash together.
19:28It's a straightforward
19:30land army
19:31style of fighting
19:32without apparently
19:34cavalry support.
19:35It's far more likely
19:36to be two giant blobs
19:38hitting each other
19:38at speed.
19:41The Vikings slam
19:43into the English
19:44shield wall
19:45with full force.
19:47Shield against shield,
19:50axe against sword.
19:54Combat between
19:56Saxons and Vikings
19:58at this time
19:59is very much
20:00about the press
20:01of the shield wall,
20:03the idea
20:04of large infantry
20:06formations
20:06with overlapping shields
20:08with one man
20:10protecting his neighbour.
20:13Canute watches the battle.
20:17Inspired by Edmund's leadership,
20:19the English fight
20:20with a ferocity
20:21he has never seen before.
20:24What was meant
20:25to be an easy victory
20:27turns into a disaster.
20:29The Viking line breaks
20:31and flees,
20:33leaving their dead behind.
20:39Edmund, despite all
20:40predictions,
20:41wins.
20:42This isn't meant
20:43to happen.
20:44The Danish invading
20:45forces are vast.
20:46I think his father died,
20:48he was elevated
20:50by that act,
20:51finally he can start
20:52ordering people around
20:54in a way he couldn't
20:54when his father was alive
20:55and he's maybe
20:56just very good
20:58at PR.
21:03Edmund crosses
21:04the battlefield
21:04as a hero.
21:11For the first time
21:12in a long while,
21:13England dares
21:14to hope again.
21:17So a comparative victory
21:18at Pencilwood in 1016
21:20ensures that he is not
21:22seen as the loser
21:23and military victory
21:25at this time
21:25is about being seen
21:27as successful
21:28and as long as
21:30you're seen as successful
21:31people are willing
21:31to support you
21:32and evidently
21:34Edmund has enough
21:35people supporting him
21:37at this time.
21:43Canute fully grasps
21:45the scale of the disaster.
21:51Many of his men
21:52have fallen
21:53while countless others
21:55tend to their wounds.
21:59He knows that another
22:00defeat could be fatal.
22:05There must be people
22:07around him,
22:07Englishmen around,
22:08Canute,
22:09who are suddenly thinking
22:10oh whoops,
22:11have I gone to the wrong side?
22:13What's happening?
22:13This is a situation
22:15in which people
22:15are sort of making
22:16their mind up
22:16almost by the day
22:18and Canute stands
22:19a very serious risk
22:20of his forces
22:21draining away from him.
22:25But Canute
22:26refuses to admit defeat.
22:29Instead,
22:30he changes strategy.
22:33From now on,
22:35he will wage
22:36a war of attrition,
22:37a slow and calculated
22:39war of pressure
22:40and raids.
22:43He's a true strategist.
22:45He takes no unnecessary risks.
22:47He is in many ways
22:48representative of what
22:49a Viking truly was,
22:51not the operatic caricature,
22:53but a man who knows
22:54he's outnumbered,
22:55far from home,
22:56and must be extremely
22:57cautious before attacking.
22:59Otherwise,
23:00he risks losing
23:00both his life
23:01and everything
23:02he's come to achieve.
23:12Edmund has gathered
23:13the finest of the
23:14southern English
23:15nobility around him.
23:18His recent victory
23:20has restored confidence
23:21and brought the wavering
23:22lords back into line.
23:31Chief among them
23:32is Erdrich Stryona,
23:34who, after betraying
23:35Edmund for Canute,
23:36has once again
23:37switched sides.
23:42Why Edmund would have
23:43trusted him
23:44is a very good question.
23:46I suspect, frankly,
23:47that he didn't.
23:48But Edmund needed support.
23:50This is one of those moments
23:51where people are lining up
23:52behind different backers.
23:54Erdrich is one of the most
23:55powerful men in the kingdom.
23:57Edmund cannot say no to him.
23:59He doesn't like him,
23:59almost certainly,
24:01because he's been part
24:01of different factions
24:02in the past.
24:03But Edmund needs
24:04every man he can get
24:06if he's going to defeat
24:07Canute,
24:08who also has Thorkell
24:09on his side.
24:10But I suspect,
24:11in the long term,
24:12Edmund's plan is to
24:13defeat Canute with Erdrich
24:15and then get rid of Erdrich.
24:24But the Danes
24:26remain elusive.
24:31Their ships move
24:32along the coasts
24:33of Essex and Kent,
24:35striking wherever they can,
24:39burning villages,
24:44slaughtering the inhabitants,
24:45and seizing everything
24:47of value.
24:50Canute is probably
24:51nervous at this point.
24:53I mean,
24:53he is dancing around him,
24:55he is raiding.
24:56That will certainly
24:57help pay
24:58and feed his troops.
25:00So you might suspect
25:01that Canute is
25:01biding his time
25:03and wondering
25:04what's going to happen next.
25:07A deadly game
25:08of cat and mouse,
25:10in which Canute
25:11always seems
25:12one step ahead.
25:15This sort of
25:16string of battles
25:17is where
25:18they focus
25:19their attention.
25:20This is the
25:20exciting car chase
25:22of the film,
25:23as it were,
25:23where they're moving around.
25:25And it is.
25:25It is nail-biting stuff.
25:30A game
25:31where every move
25:32counts.
25:36A few days
25:37before the Battle
25:38of Shurston,
25:41Canute quietly
25:42succeeds in winning
25:43over part
25:44of the lesser
25:45English nobility,
25:46who had until then
25:47remained loyal
25:48to Edmund.
25:52So at Shurston,
25:54some deal
25:55has been made,
25:55some almighty
25:56great payment
25:57or promise
25:58has been made.
25:58it's psychologically
26:00devastating
26:01because it's been
26:02turned against
26:03by these
26:04high-ranking
26:05Englishmen.
26:05And what's
26:06more shocking
26:06than that
26:07is almost
26:08all of them
26:08that we can trace
26:09of these collaborators,
26:10these traitors,
26:11is related
26:12to the English
26:13royal family.
26:14This is where
26:15the power drains
26:15away from him.
26:16This is where
26:17he gets that
26:18sinking sensation
26:19and the sand
26:20just runs
26:21through his fingers.
26:27But at last,
26:29fortune turns
26:30in favor
26:30of the English
26:31king.
26:32His scouts
26:33locate Canute's
26:34forces inland,
26:37just a few miles
26:39from the coast
26:39near Ashington.
26:44For Edmund,
26:46this is the moment
26:47to strike.
26:47As long as
26:48the Viking army
26:49is cut off
26:50from its ships,
26:51it remains
26:51vulnerable.
26:53But above all,
26:54a few weeks earlier
26:55during a battle
26:56at Shurston,
26:57Edmund had seen
26:58a number of his
26:59soldiers turn
27:00against him.
27:02Medieval battles
27:03are high-risk affairs.
27:05It's not,
27:06you know,
27:07for no reason
27:07that many commanders
27:08actually avoid
27:09open battle.
27:10But if you've got
27:11your back to the wall,
27:12as Edmund does,
27:13they're often also
27:14high-risk,
27:15high-gain.
27:15If he wins
27:16outright a major
27:17victory against Canute,
27:18that's his best bet
27:20for expelling Canute.
27:21completely
27:22from the kingdom.
27:31Canute listens
27:32to his commanders.
27:34Among them
27:35is the fearsome
27:36Thorkell the Tall,
27:39the veteran warrior
27:40who has pledged
27:41himself to Canute's
27:42cause against Edmund.
27:47But can Canute
27:49really trust him?
27:53For behind this
27:54display of loyalty,
27:55no one has forgotten
27:56his former alliance
27:57with Ăthelred.
28:01and being seen to be a part
28:03of the conquest in England,
28:04engaging in battle
28:05against Edmund
28:05is very important
28:06to him
28:07because it means
28:08that he is showing
28:09his loyalty
28:10to his new master
28:11and he is also
28:13and he is also then
28:13lining himself up
28:14for a share
28:15of the spoils
28:15of victory.
28:16I don't think
28:17he's doing it meekly.
28:18He's showing his worth
28:19and he's saying
28:20you need me,
28:21look at me,
28:22look how glorious,
28:23what a great war leader
28:24I am.
28:25He's out there
28:26and he's proud
28:27of his role
28:28as one would expect
28:29of somebody
28:30who's possibly
28:31pushing 50
28:31and has been a warlord
28:32all his life
28:33and Knut is a boy
28:34by comparison.
28:38Knut senses
28:39that what is about
28:40to unfold
28:41is no ordinary battle.
28:43He knows his future
28:44will be decided here
28:46in mud and blood.
28:52His thoughts drift back
28:53over the past two years.
28:56His first steps
28:57on this land
28:58in the shadow
28:59of his father.
29:01Two broken oaths.
29:04Two humiliations
29:05he has never forgotten.
29:10But those trials
29:12have forged him.
29:13He's no longer
29:14merely the son
29:15of the great Svein.
29:17He is Knut the conqueror
29:19and for the first time
29:21he knows it.
29:23England will be his.
29:27Here we are
29:28at the final battle.
29:29We know that both
29:30leaders are present.
29:31There's no doubt
29:32about that
29:32and both appear
29:34to be organizing
29:34their battle formations.
29:35The only certainty
29:37our sources provide
29:38is the violence
29:38of the fighting.
29:39It is a battle
29:40that lasts a considerable time
29:42with both sides
29:42fighting with great
29:43determination and courage.
29:45Go the king!
29:46Go the king!
29:47Go the king!
29:51In a surge of bravery
29:52Edmund charges
29:54into the heart
29:54of the melee
29:55cutting through enemy ranks
29:57acts like fire
29:57through dry grass.
30:08Across the front line
30:10Knut rallies his men
30:12urging them to fight
30:14to the very last drop
30:15of blood.
30:15If the Vikings have
30:17an edge
30:18at this point
30:19it could be
30:20because
30:21these are
30:22crews of warriors
30:23row together
30:24and sail together
30:25and act
30:26as a body
30:28with a kind
30:29of a spree de corps.
30:31In the heart
30:32of the melee
30:33Edmund turns
30:35towards his flank.
30:37On the ridge above
30:39Eadric stands
30:40motionless
30:41staring back at him.
30:45In that instant
30:47Edmund understands.
30:48In a final act
30:50of betrayal
30:50Eadric withdraws
30:52and abandons
30:53the king
30:53to his fate.
30:57Edmund is stunned.
30:59He realizes
30:59that victory
31:00is slipping
31:01from his grasp.
31:04Some suggest
31:05that Eadric
31:06was already
31:06on Knut's side
31:07but pretended
31:08to support
31:09Edmund
31:09and that
31:10when the battle
31:11begins to turn
31:11in favor
31:12of the Anglo-Saxons
31:13he abandons
31:14the field.
31:16Other sources
31:17including
31:18Iacomium,
31:19Emma,
31:19Regine
31:20suggest a withdrawal
31:21even before
31:22the battle begins.
31:23Based on a
31:24straightforward argument
31:25the Danes
31:25are too strong.
31:26If we fight
31:27we'll lose
31:27and die for nothing.
31:28Better to withdraw
31:29and negotiate.
31:36Rather than
31:37risk his life
31:38Edmund
31:39chooses to flee
31:40the battlefield
31:43leaving his
31:44great army
31:44behind
31:45defeated.
31:54The flower
31:55of the English
31:56nobility
31:57was killed.
31:58You get the feeling
31:59this is the battle
32:00to end them all
32:01and this is where
32:03Edmund's forces
32:03are in retreat
32:04and they describe
32:05it as a massacre.
32:07It's where the Danes
32:07are what we would say
32:08mopping up the English
32:09as they flee.
32:11So there's not only
32:12this clash of the sand
32:13and there's probably
32:14also a chasing
32:15of the English forces
32:16and killing them
32:17on the hoof
32:17as they're leaving.
32:23Canute has won the battle
32:25but at what cost?
32:32Facing an enemy
32:33who stubbornly
32:34refuses to bend
32:35the knee
32:36perhaps it is time
32:37to change strategy.
32:52Canute gazes out
32:53over the waters
32:54of the Severn
32:55a natural frontier
32:57between the lands
32:58under his control
32:59and those that still
33:00remain loyal
33:01to Edmund.
33:06It is here
33:07that Iadric's Triona
33:08more elusive than ever
33:10has arranged a meeting.
33:16On the bank
33:17Edmund is already waiting.
33:24The negotiations
33:25take place
33:26at Iadric's initiative.
33:29He appears
33:29to have pushed
33:30both sides
33:30toward discussion
33:32Edmund wanted
33:33to continue fighting.
33:35Canute could have
33:36done so as well
33:36but did not necessarily
33:38stand to gain from it.
33:40There seems to be
33:41more of a sense
33:41that they fought
33:42one another
33:42to a standstill.
33:44Neither
33:44can overpower
33:46the other
33:46and they've realized
33:47it at this point.
33:50The meeting takes place
33:51on a small islet
33:52lost in the middle
33:53of the river.
33:57On both sides
33:58armies stand ready
34:00poised
34:00to surge forward
34:01to surge forward
34:01at the slightest signal.
34:07Obviously an island
34:08is the best place
34:09to have any form
34:09of negotiation like this
34:11because both kings
34:12are coming with an army.
34:13Even if they strip
34:14that army down
34:15they're going to come
34:15with enough forces
34:16to really have a very
34:17ugly incident
34:18as it were.
34:20For the first time
34:22Canute and Edmund
34:23face one another
34:24within sword's reach.
34:29time itself
34:30seems suspended
34:31between them.
34:36Canute knows
34:37that everything
34:38could still tip
34:39either way.
34:41As a gesture
34:42of good faith
34:43he salutes
34:44his adversary.
34:48One of the things
34:49about Scaldic Verse
34:50is respect
34:51for the enemy.
34:52If you respect
34:53your enemy
34:53and even if you
34:54slightly fear
34:55your enemy
34:55well then
34:56the fact
34:57you've defeated
34:57him glorifies
34:59you as well
34:59as him.
35:00So one imagines
35:01that he's also
35:01part of Canute's
35:02make-up
35:03as it were.
35:04When he meets
35:04Edmund
35:05he meets him
35:06as a fellow
35:07warrior
35:07who he's got
35:08an enormous
35:09amount of respect
35:09for.
35:14Negotiations
35:15begin.
35:16Each man
35:17seeks compromise
35:18without losing
35:19face.
35:25Gradually
35:26mistrust
35:26fades
35:27and a strange
35:28complicity
35:29settles
35:30between the
35:30two rivals.
35:35Both saw
35:36I think
35:37almost a
35:37reflection
35:38of themselves.
35:38Someone
35:39young
35:39ambitious
35:41militarily
35:42capable
35:43and
35:44that may
35:44well have
35:45fed into
35:45in the end
35:46a willingness
35:47to strike
35:47an agreement.
35:48The two men
35:49divide the
35:50kingdom.
35:51Edmund
35:51is offered
35:51the north.
35:53Knut
35:53takes the
35:53south
35:53a logical
35:54division
35:55in light
35:55of his
35:55ancestry.
35:56The two
35:57men thus
35:57become
35:58co-kings
35:58of England
35:59effectively
36:00bringing
36:00the war
36:00to an end.
36:01Most of
36:02our sources
36:02agree
36:02that both
36:03armies
36:03are extremely
36:04satisfied
36:04with the
36:05outcome
36:05having been
36:06severely tested
36:07by a year
36:07and a half
36:08of campaigning.
36:13for Knut
36:14this victory
36:15is not the one
36:16he had hoped
36:16for.
36:17He sought to
36:18conquer an entire
36:19kingdom.
36:20Instead,
36:21he must settle
36:22for half of it.
36:26But fate has one
36:28final cruel twist
36:29in store.
36:47A few weeks
36:49after signing
36:49a peace treaty
36:50with Knut,
36:51Edmund,
36:52young king
36:53and tireless
36:54warrior,
36:55dies suddenly
36:56at the age
36:57of 26.
36:59Whether from
37:00a sudden
37:00illness
37:00or the result
37:01of a plot
37:02remains uncertain.
37:06There is,
37:07however,
37:07a villain
37:07who perfectly
37:08fits the
37:09archetype,
37:10the ultimate
37:10traitor,
37:11the Adric.
37:16He's said to
37:17have bribed
37:17or persuaded
37:18men to kill
37:19King Edmund
37:19while he was
37:20in the privy,
37:22allegedly striking
37:23from below,
37:25either with a
37:25hook or a
37:26dagger.
37:29These are
37:31conceivable,
37:31if horrible,
37:32horrible ways
37:33to die
37:34and also horrible
37:34ways to have
37:35to kill somebody.
37:35If you're an
37:36assassin,
37:37climbing up a
37:37toilet is
37:38probably not
37:38the best way
37:39to go.
37:43Edmund's body
37:44is laid to rest
37:45at Glastonbury
37:46Abbey,
37:47beside his
37:47grandfather,
37:48King Edgar.
37:55For Canute,
37:57Edmund's
37:57disappearance
37:58is a blessing.
38:01It's almost
38:02too good
38:02to be true.
38:13Edmund's death
38:14is one of those
38:14suspicious deaths
38:15for which a
38:16conspiratorial
38:17interpretation
38:17offers a
38:18convenient
38:19explanation.
38:20Who benefits
38:21from it?
38:22Knut does.
38:24By the end
38:25of 1016,
38:26he becomes
38:27soul king.
38:28Many medieval
38:29historians were
38:30inclined to apply
38:31this line of
38:32reasoning.
38:34In other words,
38:36Knut may have
38:36arranged Edmund's
38:37death.
38:42It's perhaps
38:43just most likely
38:44that Edmund
38:45Ironside had
38:46wounds.
38:46I mean,
38:47people often
38:48overlook that,
38:48but after the
38:49division of the
38:50kingdom, a few
38:51months later,
38:52Edmund is dead.
38:53This is exactly
38:53what you'd expect
38:54from some nasty
38:55gangrenous cut.
39:05In St. Paul's
39:07church, the
39:08Archbishop of
39:08Canterbury crowns
39:10Knut king of
39:11England.
39:16From this
39:17moment on,
39:18nothing escapes
39:19him.
39:20The Dane is
39:22ready to assert
39:22his authority
39:23and rule without
39:25rival.
39:28But conquering
39:29a kingdom
39:30is one thing.
39:31Holding it
39:32is another.
39:50Aethelred and
39:51Edmund are
39:52dead.
39:55yet for
39:56Knut, one
39:57final threat
39:58remains.
39:59He must
40:00silence those
40:01who one day
40:02might challenge
40:03the legitimacy
40:04of his reign,
40:06beginning with
40:06Edmund's two
40:07young sons.
40:13They are heirs
40:14presumptive,
40:15sons of a king,
40:16entirely legitimate
40:17claimants to power,
40:18provided they come
40:19with age.
40:23Any of those
40:24English athelings
40:26are a potential
40:28rallying point
40:29for some of the
40:31noblemen,
40:32and there's always
40:33the possibility
40:33that, you know,
40:34as those young men
40:35get older,
40:36that they could
40:37become a flashpoint
40:38for rebellion
40:40against Knut.
40:43Faced with the
40:44children,
40:45Knut hesitates.
40:48Eliminating them
40:48would be tempting,
40:50but politically
40:50dangerous.
40:53It seems to be
40:54too controversial
40:54to kill an
40:55aetheling,
40:56to kill somebody
40:57who might inherit
40:57the throne one day.
40:59Scandinavia,
40:59I certainly would have
41:00had done in ten minutes.
41:01But he sends them
41:02out to Sweden,
41:03whether they're meant
41:03to be murdered there
41:04or just forgotten,
41:06they continue to survive.
41:11But the most
41:12serious threat
41:13does not come
41:14from England.
41:15It comes from
41:16the continent.
41:21Edward and Alfred,
41:23the sons of
41:23Aethelred and Emma,
41:25have found refuge
41:26with their uncle
41:26Richard II,
41:28the powerful
41:28Duke of Normandy.
41:32And Knut has
41:33no way of reaching
41:34them.
41:39Worse still,
41:40Edward,
41:41only 14 years old,
41:42could one day
41:43lay claim
41:44to the throne
41:44of England.
41:47The Normans
41:48are very power-hungry,
41:49extremely ambitious,
41:51very power-hungry.
41:52And they have now
41:53got,
41:53sitting in their
41:54court,
41:55in exile,
41:56these heirs,
41:58which give them
41:59a method
41:59of ruling England.
42:02Knut is worried
42:03that the Norman
42:04conquest is going
42:04to happen
42:05in 1016,
42:06not 1066.
42:08He's worried
42:09that they're
42:09going to try
42:09and sweep in
42:10and take control
42:11of some part
42:12of England
42:13for the wealth
42:13and they're
42:14going to use
42:14one of these
42:15little boys
42:15as an excuse
42:16for doing it.
42:19The Norman
42:20threat cannot
42:21be ignored.
42:24So Knut
42:25devises a plan.
42:28One whose
42:29cornerstone
42:30is none other
42:31than the widow
42:31of his former
42:32enemy,
42:34Emma of Normandy.
42:40There's a lot
42:41of good reasons
42:42for him to marry
42:43Emma of Normandy.
42:45She's the English
42:46queen,
42:47but she also
42:48represents an alliance
42:50with Normandy.
42:51and that also
42:53means that
42:54the Duke
42:54of Normandy,
42:55Richard II,
42:56is much less
42:57likely to
42:59support his
43:01nephews
43:01as a flashpoint
43:03for rebellion
43:03against Knut.
43:08Once you've
43:09married Emma,
43:09she's now
43:10not just part
43:11of Ăthelred's
43:12establishment,
43:13she's part of
43:13Knut's establishment
43:14and they will
43:15not move against
43:17a powerful member
43:18of their own
43:18dynasty.
43:21The plan
43:22seems perfect
43:23with one
43:24complication,
43:27persuading
43:27Emma to
43:28marry the man
43:29responsible
43:29for her
43:30downfall.
43:32The Anglo-Saxon
43:33Chronicle says
43:34that Knut
43:34fetched
43:35Emma
43:36to be
43:37wed.
43:38Of course,
43:38if we read
43:39the word
43:39fetched,
43:40it kind of
43:40indicates
43:41that Knut
43:42has some
43:43kind of
43:43power
43:44in this
43:45situation.
43:46And quite
43:46possibly,
43:47she does
43:47have no
43:48choice.
43:49But Emma
43:49tells her
43:50own story.
43:51She tells
43:52that Knut
43:53sends men
43:54to woo
43:54her,
43:55to persuade
43:56her to
43:56become
43:57his queen.
43:58So she
43:59tells it
43:59as kind
44:00of a
44:00love story.
44:01He has
44:02everything
44:03and now
44:03he needs
44:04the perfect
44:04imperial
44:05spouse.
44:09For Emma,
44:10the temptation
44:10is immense.
44:12To accept
44:13would be
44:14to regain
44:14her status
44:15as queen.
44:16but it
44:17would also
44:18mean
44:18abandoning
44:19her two
44:19sons in
44:20exile.
44:28She quickly
44:29decides as part
44:30of that
44:31marriage
44:31negotiation
44:32that what's
44:33most important
44:33to her
44:34is not
44:35supporting
44:36Edward and
44:37Alfred,
44:37but having
44:38a son with
44:39Knut and
44:40seeing that
44:40son on
44:41the throne.
44:43It is
44:44a poison
44:45chalice for
44:45her in a
44:46sense because
44:46up to this
44:47point she's
44:48worked so
44:48tirelessly to
44:49try to secure
44:50the succession
44:50of her two
44:51sons with
44:51Ăthelred and
44:52she has to
44:52decide what
44:53she loses
44:54and how best
44:54to maintain
44:55her power and
44:55influence and
44:56she ultimately
44:57opts for her
44:57own prospects
44:58over those
45:00of her sons
45:01and her sons
45:02never forgive
45:03her.
45:06Before marrying
45:07Emma, Knut
45:08must settle
45:08one final
45:09matter.
45:10To inform
45:11his first
45:12wife,
45:12El Gifu
45:13of Northampton,
45:14married according
45:15to Scandinavian
45:16custom,
45:17that she will
45:17never be
45:18Queen of
45:18England.
45:22He must
45:23have just
45:23sat down
45:24with her
45:24and said,
45:25look,
45:25I'm terribly
45:25sorry,
45:26darling,
45:26you know,
45:27I'll give
45:27you X
45:28amount a
45:28year,
45:29keep the
45:29children,
45:30but you
45:31and me
45:31are done
45:31because I
45:31got to get
45:32married again.
45:32And he
45:33hasn't
45:33broken
45:33any
45:34religious
45:35or social
45:35or moral
45:36code by
45:37setting aside
45:38El Gifu.
45:38All that
45:39happened is
45:39life changed.
45:40The world
45:40changed.
45:41She became
45:42irrelevant and
45:43that marriage
45:43and that union
45:44became irrelevant
45:45and so he
45:45can set her
45:46off and
45:47say,
45:47Emma,
45:48come here.
45:48Now we're
45:49going to be
45:49married.
45:51Knut and
45:52Emma pass
45:53through the
45:53doors of
45:54St Paul's.
45:58Ironically,
45:59it is here
46:00that Ethelred
46:01lies buried,
46:02an impotent
46:03witness to
46:03his widow's
46:04remarriage to
46:05his greatest
46:05enemy.
46:10This is,
46:11above all,
46:11a political
46:12union.
46:14Emma regains
46:15her influence
46:16while Knut
46:16secures a
46:17partner who
46:18knows the
46:19English court
46:19intimately.
46:28Emma has been
46:28married to an
46:29English king for
46:29a long time.
46:30She knows how
46:30it works.
46:31She knows what
46:31to do.
46:32She knows which
46:32way to hold a
46:33knife and fork,
46:34as it were.
46:34And she
46:36understands what
46:36it was like to
46:38come in as an
46:39outsider into the
46:41English political
46:41system.
46:42So she has that
46:43experience to pass
46:45on to Knut.
46:46And they seem to
46:46work very closely
46:48together.
46:48And so they end
46:49up becoming this
46:50real power couple,
46:51if you will, of
46:52the 1020s, 1030s,
46:54who dominate
46:55English and
46:56northern European
46:56politics.
47:07A few months
47:08later, Emma
47:09gives birth to
47:10a son,
47:13Harta Knut.
47:16The child
47:17becomes the
47:17first cornerstone
47:19of a dynasty
47:19Knut hopes to
47:20place at the
47:21head of the
47:21kingdom for
47:22centuries to
47:23come.
47:42Knut spends most
47:43of his time in
47:44Winchester, the
47:45capital of Wessex.
47:49The city houses
47:50the royal treasury,
47:52the archives,
47:55the mint,
47:58as well as the
47:59most powerful
48:00monasteries and
48:01religious institutions
48:02of the realm,
48:04churchmen whom
48:05the young king
48:06must win to his
48:07cause.
48:11For a Christian
48:12England, no power
48:14can endure without
48:15the support of the
48:16clergy.
48:19And from among
48:21them, Knut chooses
48:22his eminence
48:23Wulstan, the
48:24austere and
48:25formidable archbishop
48:27of York.
48:32For Knut,
48:33Wulstan is the
48:34key player alongside
48:36Emma in
48:37solidifying his
48:38control of the
48:39regime and
48:40remodelling himself
48:41in the
48:42traditions, local
48:43traditions of
48:44monarchy.
48:44It seems quite
48:45clear that Knut
48:46follows Wulstan's
48:47advice almost to
48:48the letter in
48:48order to become a
48:49king of the
48:50English, indeed a
48:51better king than
48:51the English
48:52themselves.
48:53He integrates
48:54himself immediately
48:54into the kingdom.
48:55He writes in Old
48:56English, he
48:57communicates in Old
48:57English.
48:58He adopts all the
48:59titles in regalia and
49:00appears to have been
49:01more popular than many
49:02of the previous
49:02English kings,
49:03particularly because of
49:04his policies, notably
49:05his extraordinary
49:06generosity towards the
49:07church and the
49:08monasteries.
49:13With Wulstan at his
49:14side, Knut begins to
49:16learn the subtleties of
49:17the English court
49:20and gradually exchanges
49:22his Viking garb for
49:24that of an English
49:24king.
49:27Yet behind
49:28appearances, the
49:29young Dane has not
49:30forgotten where he
49:31comes from or to
49:35whom he owes his
49:36victory.
49:41These allies he must
49:42now reward.
49:46East Anglia, in the
49:48east, is granted to
49:49Thorkell the Tor.
49:54Northumbria, in the
49:55north, is entrusted to
49:57Erik of Lala.
50:00Mercia, in the west,
50:02remains in the hands of
50:03the notorious Eadrix
50:04Treona.
50:09For himself, Knut keeps
50:11Wessex, the historic
50:13heart of power.
50:15He cannot rule simply
50:17through terror.
50:18So he needs to bring
50:18some of the English
50:19onside.
50:20At the same time, he
50:21needs to reward some of
50:23his Scandinavian men
50:23with him.
50:24And these two
50:25imperatives are somewhat
50:26at odds, because if he
50:26does too much of one,
50:28it threatens the other.
50:29Then Knut is waiting
50:30for people to step out
50:31of line, and as they
50:32step out of line, he
50:33gets rid of them, and
50:34then he sprinkles in
50:37Scandinavians who are
50:37loyal to him.
50:38That's how you do it.
50:39You do it carefully,
50:40slowly trying to keep
50:42as much of the
50:43existing machine as
50:44possible, but putting
50:46your Scandinavians into
50:49just the right place
50:50so that they have
50:52control.
50:58Eadrix Treona has
51:00every reason to
51:01believe himself
51:02untouchable.
51:06He survived the
51:07deaths of Ăthelred and
51:08Edmund alike, shifting
51:10loyalties time and
51:12again to stand with the
51:13stronger side.
51:15And now he wants more
51:17from the young Dane he
51:18helped place upon the
51:19throne.
51:22Without him, perhaps
51:24Edmund would still be
51:25sitting there.
51:31Eadrix is said to have
51:32killed Edmund Ironside,
51:34then demanded his
51:35reward.
51:36Knut is supposed to have
51:37replied, ah, you've taken
51:38the head of my sworn
51:39brother?
51:39Very well, I shall give
51:40you what I owe you, the
51:41loss of your own.
51:42And Eadrix strikes him
51:43with an axe, settling the
51:45matter.
51:48Here we are dealing with
51:49a Knut who may appear
51:50extremely calculating
51:51politically, but also with
51:53a ruler who understands
51:54the cost of betrayal.
51:55Betrayal may happen, but
51:57when it happens
51:58repeatedly, it proves that
51:59a man cannot be trusted.
52:01Knut's reasoning is, in
52:02a way, defensible.
52:03If someone was unable to
52:05remain loyal to his
52:05rightful king, why should
52:07he now be considered
52:08reliable?
52:11The Adrix head is
52:13mounted on a spike and
52:17displayed for all to see
52:19on Tower Hill outside
52:20London.
52:23A dishonourable fate
52:24reserved for traitors.
52:27Later, Anglo-Norman
52:28chroniclers tell a story
52:31that this was done very
52:32justly by the Tower of
52:34London, essentially, what
52:35becomes a later royal
52:38execution site.
52:39This is an indication that
52:41Knut is willing to act in a
52:44ruthless fashion when the
52:46circumstances suit.
52:50in barely two years, Knut has
52:54pacified England.
52:57He has ended the Viking
52:59raids, rewarded his allies,
53:06and eliminated his enemies.
53:12But in a world where nothing is
53:14ever secure, where power rests
53:17upon fragile balances, the winds
53:21are about to change.
53:24And already, across the North Sea, a new
53:29challenger is already rising.
53:32Still little known, but destined to
53:35become one of the greatest threats
53:37to his reign.
53:49way of the world.
53:52He is here.
53:56In the past, I will be
53:57The river was gone by
53:57He is an arrow, and a
53:57You're going to get
53:57Have a love.
53:57Of a life.
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