Cnut the Great

What happened

Edmund died on 30 November 1016, and Cnut was crowned king of all England in London in 1017.^[2][1] Cnut and Edmund Ironside met on an island near Deerhurst to negotiate peace.^[2][1] The agreement divided England: Edmund kept the area south of the Thames including London, while Cnut took the north, and the entire kingdom was to go to Cnut after Edmund's death.^[2] After gathering £72,000 in Danegeld from across the country plus £10,500 from London in 1018, Cnut dismissed most of his army and kept 40 ships as a permanent force.^[3]

What the cited sources add

The Historic UK account states that Cnut was the son of Sweyn Forkbeard and a Polish princess.^[1] Historic UK reports that Cnut married Emma of Normandy in 1017 and had two children with her, Harthacnut and Gunhilda.^[1] The same source notes that Cnut kept forty ships and their crew to support English defences while extracting gold from England to pay off his army.^[1] Historic UK states that when King Harald III of Denmark died in 1018, Cnut claimed the Danish throne and made Harthacnut crown prince with Ulf Jarl as regent.^[1]

The Historic UK account describes Cnut referring to himself as "King of all England and Denmark and the Norwegians and some of the Swedes" after returning from Rome.^[1] Historic UK states that after Cnut's victory, Edmund died on 30 November 1016, making Cnut the sole ruler of England.^[1]