Biography
Harold Harefoot was born circa 1017 in Denmark to Cnut (c990-1035) and Ælfgifu of Northampton (c990-1036) and died 10 March 1040 Oxford, Oxfordshire, England of unspecified causes.
Harold I (died 17 March 1040), also known as Harold Harefoot, was King of the English from 1035 to 1040. Harold's nickname "Harefoot" is first recorded as "Harefoh" or "Harefah" in the twelfth century in the history of Ely Abbey, and according to some late medieval chroniclers it meant that he was "fleet of foot".[lower-alpha 1][1]
The son of Cnut the Great and Ælfgifu of Northampton, Harold was elected regent of England following the death of his father in 1035. He initially ruled England in place of his brother Harthacnut, who was stuck in Denmark due to a rebellion in Norway which had ousted their brother Svein. Although Harold had wished to be crowned king since 1035, Æthelnoth, Archbishop of Canterbury, refused to do so. It was not until 1037 that Harold, supported by earl Leofric and many others, was officially proclaimed king. The same year, Harold's two step-brothers Edward and Alfred returned to England with a considerable military force. Alfred was captured by Earl Godwin, who had him seized and delivered to an escort of men loyal to Harefoot. While en route to Ely, he was blinded and soon after died of his wounds.
Harold died in 1040, having ruled just five years; his half-brother Harthacnut soon returned and took hold of the kingdom peacefully. Harold was originally buried in Westminster, but Harthacnut had his body dragged up and thrown into a fen adjacent to the river Thames, from where it was reportedly recovered by a fisherman and eventually reburied in a Danish cemetery in London.
Paternity
Cnut, king of England, Denmark, and Norway, and his sons Harald Harefoot and Harthacnut
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle reports that Harold said that he was a son of Cnut the Great and Ælfgifu of Northampton, "although it was not true". Florence of Worcester (12th century) elaborates on the subject. Claiming that Ælfgifu wanted to have a son by the king but was unable to, she secretly adopted the newborn children of strangers and pretended to have given birth to them. Harold was reportedly the son of a cobbler, while his brother Svein Knutsson was the illegitimate son of a priest. She deceived Cnut into recognizing both children as his own.
21st-century author Harriet O'Brien doubts Cnut, the shrewd politician who "masterminded the bloodless takeover of Norway", could have been deceived in such a way. She suspects the tale started out as a popular myth, or intentional defamation presumably tailored by Emma of Normandy, the other wife of Cnut and rival to Ælfgifu.[2]
Harthacnut's reign
Upon the death of Cnut on 12 November 1035, Harold's younger half-brother Harthacnut, the son of Cnut and his queen Emma of Normandy, was the legitimate heir to the thrones of both the Danes and the English. Harthacnut, however, was unable to travel to his coronation in England because his Danish kingdom was under threat of invasion by King Magnus I of Norway and King Anund Jacob of Sweden. England's magnates[lower-alpha 2] favored the idea of installing Harold Harefoot temporarily as regent or joint monarch, due to the difficulty of Harthacnut's absence, and despite the opposition of Godwin, the Earl of Wessex, and the Queen, he eventually wore the crown. There is some dispute in primary sources (the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle) about Harold's initial role. Versions E and F mention him as regent, the others as co-ruler.[3][4]
Ian Howard points out that Cnut had been survived by three sons: Svein, Harold, and Harthacnut. The Encomium Emmae Reginae also describes Edward the Confessor and Alfred Aetheling as the sons of Canute, though the modern term would be step-sons. Harold could claim the regency or kingship because he was the only one of the five present in England in 1035. Harthacnut was reigning in Denmark, and Svein had joined him there following his deposition from the Norwegian throne, while Edward and Alfred were in Normandy. Harold could reign in the name of his absent brothers, with Emma rivaling him as a candidate for the regency.[4]
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Silver penny of Harold I
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle ignores the existence of Svein, or his claim to the throne, which Howard considers as evidence of the relative entries being unreliable, of failing to give a complete picture. The Heimskringla of Snorri Sturluson claims that Svein and Harthacnut had agreed to share the kingdom between them. This agreement would include Denmark and (probably) England. Snorri quotes older sources on the subject and could be preserving valuable details.[4]
Reign
Assumption of the throne
The runestone Sm 42, in Småland, Sweden, mentions "Haralds kunungs", probably meaning King Harold Harefoot.[5]
Harold reportedly sought coronation as early as 1035. According to the Encomium Emmae Reginae, however, Æthelnoth, Archbishop of Canterbury, refused to crown Harold Harefoot. Coronation by the Archbishop would be a legal requirement to become a king. Æthelnoth reportedly placed the sceptre and crown on the altar of a temple, possibly that of the Canterbury Cathedral. Offering to consecrate Harold without using any of the royal regalia would have been an empty honour. He refused to remove the items from the altar and forbade any other bishop from doing so.[6][7] The tale goes on that Harold failed to sway Æthelnoth, as both bribes and threats proved ineffectual. The despairing Harold reportedly rejected Christianity in protest. He refused to attend church services while uncrowned, preoccupying himself with hunting and trivial matters.[7]
Return of Ælfred and Edward
Coin of Harold Harefoot
In 1036, Ælfred Ætheling, son of Emma by the long-dead Æthelred, returned to the kingdom from exile in the Duchy of Normandy with his brother Edward the Confessor, with some show of arms. Their motivation is uncertain. William of Poitiers claimed that they had come to claim the English throne for themselves. Frank Barlow suspected that Emma had invited them, possibly to use them against Harold. If so, it could mean that Emma had abandoned the cause of Harthacnut, probably to strengthen her own position, but that could have inspired Godwin to also abandon the lost cause.
Death
Harold died at Oxford on 17 March 1040,[8] just as Harthacnut was preparing an invasion force of Danes, and was buried at Westminster Abbey.[6] His body was subsequently exhumed, beheaded, and thrown into a fen bordering the Thames when Harthacnut assumed the throne in June 1040.[lower-alpha 3] The body was subsequently recovered by fishermen, and resident Danes reportedly had it reburied at their local cemetery in London.[9] The body was eventually buried in a church in the City of Westminster, which was fittingly named St. Clement Danes.[10] A contradictory account in the Knýtlinga saga (13th century) reports Harold buried in the city of Morstr, alongside his half-brother Harthacnut and their father Cnut. While mentioned as a great city in the text, nothing else is known of Morstr.[11] The Heimskringla by Snorri Sturluson reports Harold Harefoot to have been buried at Winchester, again alongside Cnut and Harthacnut.
Offspring
Harold may have had a wife, Ælfgifu, and a son, Ælfwine,[1] who became a monk on the continent when he was older – his monastic name was Alboin. Ælfwine/Alboin is recorded in 1060 and 1062 in charters from the Abbey Church of Saint Foy in Conques, which mention him as son of "Heroldus rex fuit Anglorum" (Latin: Harold, who was king of the English People). Harold Harefoot is the most likely father as the only other king Harold was Harold Godwinson, who would not rise to the throne until 1066. Either way, an underage boy would be unable to claim the throne in 1040. His possible hereditary claims would not be enough to gain the support of the leading nobles against the adult Harthacnut.[6][9]
Ælfgifu of Northampton disappears with no trace after 1040. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Harold Harefoot ruled for four years and sixteen weeks, by which calculation he would have begun ruling two weeks after the death of Cnut.[12]
Siblings
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Swein Knutsson (c1016-1035) | 1016 Denmark | 1035 Denmark | |
| Harold Harefoot (c1017-1040) | 1017 Denmark | 10 March 1040 Oxford, Oxfordshire, England | |
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Harthacnut (c1018-1042) | 1018 England | 8 June 1042 Lambeth, South London, England | |
| Gunhilda of Denmark (c1020-1038) | 1020 | 18 July 1038 Italy | Heinrich III of the Holy Roman Empire (1017-1056) |
Residences
References
- ^ a b Lawson 2004.
- ^ O'Brien 2006, p. 167.
- ^ Douglas 1977, pp. 163–164.
- ^ a b c Howard 2005, pp. 40-44.
- ^ Prìcak 1981, p. 343.
- ^ a b c Bolton 2006.
- ^ a b O'Brien 2006, pp. 167-168.
- ^ Swanton 1998, p. 160.
- ^ a b Mason & Shoemaker 2004, pp. 39-40.
- ^ Anon. 1869, p. 121, Saint Clement Danes.
- ^ Fjalldal 2005, pp. 23, 50–53.
- ^ Giles 1914, p. 114; for the calculation, see Swanton 1998, note 18.
See Also
- wikipedia:en:Harold Harefoot
- Anon. (1869). The Saturday Review of Politics, Literature, Science and Art. XXVII. London: J. W. Parker and Son. https://books.google.com/books?id=Gow_AQAAIAAJ&pg=PA121.
- Bolton, Tim (5 May 2006), Reign of King Harold Harefoot, http://www.literarydictionary.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1667, retrieved 16 March 2020
- DeVries, Kelly (1999). The Norwegian Invasion of England in 1066. Boydell & Brewer. ISBN 978-1-84383-027-6. https://books.google.com/books?id=mht5WsJlavEC&pg=PA40.
- Douglas, David Charles (1977). William the Conqueror: The Norman Impact Upon England. University of California Press. GGKEY:EKR0YTSJ0SK. https://books.google.com/books?id=zSJnMdalm1cC.
- Evans, Michael (2007). The Death of Kings: Royal Deaths in Medieval England. A&C Black. ISBN 978-1-85285-585-7. https://books.google.com/books?id=sgKlKpwa2_kC&pg=PA22.
Footnotes (including sources)
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Cnut the Great |
King of the English 1035–1040 |
Succeeded by Harthacnut |
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