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This is a story of conquest, betrayal
and courage.

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The story of a son of a Viking sovereign
forged in the shadow of battle.

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A man destined for nothing, yet fated to
build an empire.

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He was larger than life in his lifetime
and is somebody who had wide -ranging

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achievements that surprised even many of
his contemporaries.

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The story of a man who became ruler of
three kingdoms.

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A Viking who became an emperor.

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It's one of the great medieval success
stories. What he does, we have no word

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for. It's completely new.

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This is the legend of Canute, emperor of
the North Sea.

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No longer mere invaders.

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They are now conquerors.

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After a lightning -fast campaign, Cnut
and Svein have subdued England.

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The nobility has sworn allegiance to
them.

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And King Æthelred has been driven into
exile in Normandy.

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From this moment on, the land is theirs.

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But conquering a kingdom is one thing.

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Becoming its rightful rulers is another.

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Canute and Swain did not come to
fundamentally change everything about

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society. They came to take over its
head, the head of the snake, as it were,

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control that. Once Swain has effected
military conquest of England, he then

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achieve legitimacy and authority.

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And that... cannot be asserted purely at
the end of a sword or a spear. And so

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that starts with convening the so
-called Witan, that is, leading magnates

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England who represent the realm, and
having them elect a monarch.

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Canute and Thane must now secure the
loyalty of all the members of the Witan.

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One of its most influential members
resides in York.

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Archbishop Wulfstan, a pious and austere
man, and one of the

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fiercest opponents of the Vikings.

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We know that Wulfstan was deeply
concerned by the Viking threat.

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He seems generally fearful of the return
of unchecked paganism in early 11th

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century England.

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And you see there a man who is railing
and screaming about, this is the end of

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the world, this is the apocalypse, this
is the end of everything.

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So he sees the Vikings as sent by God to
punish the English for their sins. And

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I think for Wolfstan, the Vikings become
a symbol of the Antichrist.

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Winning such a man over may seem
impossible, but Knut is

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about to present a powerful argument.

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Though many Danes still cling to pagan
traditions, Knut himself

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was raised in the Christian faith.

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All of Canute's actions suggest that he
was indeed Christian and his dynasty was

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riding on the coattails of Christianity.

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It's his grandfather, Harold Bluetooth,
who'd also made the Danes Christian.

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Because one of the crucial teachings
that the church has is that there are

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monarchs put in place by the grace of
God, that God has created the social

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order. So if tapped into correctly,
Christianization and the Christian faith

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become a powerful force.

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The piety displayed by Thane and Knut
appears to reassure Wulfstan, yet no one

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can truly guess their real intentions.

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For Thane, the time has come to summon
the Witan.

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Back in Gainsborough, he sends his
messengers across the kingdom.

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The Assembly will meet in three weeks in
York, not London.

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For it is from the north that he intends
to rule England, abandoning Wessex, the

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traditional heart of English royal
power.

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After he's conquered England, there's a
lieutenant being called in York. Well,

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clearly, it's to crown him king.

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and it's to give Canute some sort of
office or title in that region. And that

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crucial because we can see then how
close Sven is to the north, how much he

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focuses energies on it, and also what a
dreadful mistake he made. Because you

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can't run a kingdom from its least
organized part.

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powerhouse of England is in the south.

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That's where the bureaucracies, that's
where the towns are, that's where the

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markets are.

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Primarily that's where the money -making
machine is. And if you want to be in

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England, and you want to control it,
you've got to do it from the south.

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England is about to open a new chapter
in its history.

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Nothing seems capable of halting the
advance of the two Danes.

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And yet, Fate will decide otherwise.

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Canute rushes back to Gainsborough.

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He has been summoned to the Royal
Palace.

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At dawn, his father's lifeless body is
discovered.

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The Conqueror of the North has died
suddenly at the age of 50, at the height

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of his power.

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His reaction, of course, to his father's
death has to be enormous shock.

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Enormous shock. This is not what they
had planned.

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They're about to become legitimate
rulers.

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They're about to be accepted by the
nobles, ecclesiastical and secular, of

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whole country, and suddenly his father's
dropped down dead.

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There would have been a part of him, at
least, that is pleased that his father,

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who was one of the main obstacles other
than his brother, to his own ambitions,

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was gone, because he can't be king fully
until Swain's gone.

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Standing before the man to whom he owed
everything, Canute finds himself utterly

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alone, for he knows that now everything
rests upon him.

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Swain's conquered England, but has not
managed to establish that kind of

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authority that will allow him to pass
the throne without opposition.

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to a son, because he's only been in
England a matter of months, not even a

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year. So for Canute, that's come too
fast.

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Does he want to claim to be king of
England following his father's death, or

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does he have to go back to Scandinavia?
That sort of uncertainty, I think, would

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have been a tremendous pressure for
Canute at this time.

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Returning to Denmark is impossible.

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His brother, Harald, has almost
certainly claimed the crown.

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Without hesitation, Connaught asserts
his right to the throne of England.

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He knows he can rely on the loyalty of
his army, and above all, on the hostages

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handed over by the English nobility the
previous year as pledges of allegiance.

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The Witan should be nothing more than a
mere formality.

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Yet, behind the scenes of power, a very
different reality is beginning to

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emerge.

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He is elected king by the Danish army,
but the English, unsurprisingly, stop

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say, wait a second, Swain was a known
entity, highly experienced campaigner,

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were submitting to him, not to his son.
That wasn't the deal. It was Swain as

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king.

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He's just a young boy to the English
nobility. He's not even the king of the

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Danes. And they would be conversations
in dark corners about the possibilities

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here. What do we do?

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In York, Wollstone has chosen his side.

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Before a nobility consumed by doubt, he
delivers a sermon heavy with warning.

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The Sermon of the Wolf.

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A radical text calling on the English to
rise up and save their kingdom.

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Thermo Lupi at Angloth is perhaps most
famous of the many apocalyptic sermons

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Wolfstan of York, and in this he is...

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all of the terrible things the English
have done and all of the signs of God's

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wrath upon them, including the fact that
they have exiled their king, that

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they've sent their king into exile,
their rightful king, Ethelred.

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As guardian of moral order within the
kingdom, he calls on every man to stand

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ready to defend his king.

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In the utmost secrecy.

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the English nobility sends envoys across
the channel to Normandy.

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There, Æthelred has taken refuge under
the protection of his

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brother -in -law, Duke Richard II.

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For the old king, this sudden turn of
events may offer one final chance to

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reclaim his throne.

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And so they open negotiations, and part
of the deal struck with Ethelred is that

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he agrees to rule them more justly than
he had before. That is the condition of

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their return.

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Ethelred appears to acknowledge his past
failures.

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He accepts the negotiated terms of his
return.

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promising to rule more wisely, to show
greater respect to his subjects, and to

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forgive those who had betrayed him
during the previous year.

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So in a sense, they prefer to bring in
Ethelred 2 .0 rather than risking it

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a relatively unknown Canute from a
completely different kingdom.

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Ethelred now plays what may be his last
car.

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He calls upon all those who reject
Danish rule.

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Among them stands a feared Viking war
leader,

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Olaf Haraldsson.

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The story is told when Æthelred comes
back from Normandy to England. He has

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support of Olaf Haraldsson, this Viking
warlord who has his own fleet.

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Olaf Haraldsson?

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has been someone who's been involved in
raiding and attacking on England and

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probably elsewhere in Europe, has made a
name for himself freebooting, like many

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of these Viking adventurers do.

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But crucially, he's also converted to
the Christian faith, and he seems to be

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someone who Æthelred and his court are
trying to use and set up in opposition

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Canute.

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For Æthelred, the time has come to
reclaim his kingdom.

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At the head of a fleet, he sets sail for
England and marches toward London.

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London represents a potential
stronghold. It's a logistical hub, rich

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measure.

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Controlling it, even without fully
conquering it, was likely one of

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primary objectives upon his return to
England.

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Æthelred approaches the capital.

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the only city that has remained loyal to
him.

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He knows, however, that the
confrontation will be fierce.

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London is held by Danish forces loyal to
Cnut.

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There were points of resistance, as if
Cuen had deliberately garrisoned the

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fortifications that had been captured.

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It makes sense.

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A newly conquered kingdom cannot be left
undefended.

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There was no way to control the
territory.

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Danish troops were plausibly stationed
across the land, guarding key towns and

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fortresses.

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The garrison entrenched itself in the
fortress on the southern bank of the

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Thames, blocking access to the city.

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At the heart of this defensive network
stands the London Bridge.

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a fortified obstacle that controls the
river and connects both shores.

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Against such a stronghold, a siege
borders on the impossible.

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So Olaf volunteers for one of the most
perilous missions imaginable,

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to destroy the London Bridge.

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He said to have assembled a small
flotilla, choosing the most skilled and

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courageous men.

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With a few bows, they positioned
themselves beneath the bridge, secured

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reeds and ropes,

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and tore away its supports.

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The collapse forced the surrender of
both Southwark and London.

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Quite true or not, I think, is
debasable, but it is such a good story

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it's very much embedded in the history
of Viking Age London.

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Even if the story of the bridge's
destruction may be legend,

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Ethelred enters the city as a victor.

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Yet he does not linger.

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Giving Canute time to regroup would be a
grave mistake.

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Tomorrow, he will gather his forces and
march north.

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In Gainsborough, Canute does not yet
grasp the approaching danger.

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Why worry?

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Has Ethelred not repeatedly proven
powerless against the Vikings?

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Canute's reaction after his father's
death is puzzling.

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Remarkably, Ethelred moves swiftly,
while Canute appears almost inactive. As

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two months passed without any action.

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Clute! He's only a young man. He's not
his father.

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Can he control his own forces?

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He can control some of them. Can he
control all of the alliances his

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made with Scandinavians? I doubt it. I
think initially he must have seen

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Scandinavians turn against him, and then
the Dane law and the other areas of

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England that he could count on started
to show no support.

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And this must be his age. This must be
his inexperience.

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Two young, overconfident men.

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Knut does not yet see the ground
slipping beneath him.

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On April 25th, Easter Day, a message
reaches him from his scouts.

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Ethelred has entered Lindsay with a
massive army.

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Despite having promised to not repeat
part abuses, the first thing he does is

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charges into the north.

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This leads to a massacre in Lindsay, the
last unit that supported Knut.

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We know Knut had secured the support of
Lincolnshire's inhabitants.

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promising provisions for his defense,
particularly in anticipation of a

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campaign. It is therefore entirely
logical that Ethelred, as Swain once

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raids and plunders areas that show
disloyalty or pose potential opposition.

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In Gainsborough, Knut finally gathers
his forces.

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He urges them to defend their king.

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But despite his warrior's determination,
it is already too late.

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This time, the English army holds the
upper hand.

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Canute at this point is on his back
foot. He's in a very difficult position.

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so when the lights all go out one after
another...

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Canute is a good tactician, and just
like Edelred, when he's left with only

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region left, he left quickly, because at
that point he's trying to save whatever

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he's got for the next assault.

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Canute has no choice.

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Leave England or die.

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He gathers his last loyal men.

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and takes to the sea at the head of his
fleet.

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Behind him lies a land ravaged by the
vengeful fury of the Anglo -Saxons.

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It's an enormous, chaotic, swinging
backwards and forwards situation.

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Ethelred's been driven from the country.

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Sven's come to power. Sven's died.
There's panic running around of all the

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various forces.

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00:20:17,120 --> 00:20:21,280
Some stay with Canute, most don't.
Canute flees. The English...

225
00:20:21,480 --> 00:20:26,299
Open negotiations with Aethelred and
Aethelred comes back. It's an immensely

226
00:20:26,300 --> 00:20:27,350
chaotic time.

227
00:20:33,620 --> 00:20:38,480
On his ship, Canute watches the English
coast recede.

228
00:20:41,440 --> 00:20:46,740
Defeated by a man he considers weak, he
must flee.

229
00:20:57,080 --> 00:20:58,920
He must have been furious.

230
00:20:59,400 --> 00:21:03,939
There must have been quite a lot of
people who said they would support him

231
00:21:03,940 --> 00:21:08,059
then turned against him. And so he did
exactly what he said he was going to do

232
00:21:08,060 --> 00:21:09,110
in that scenario.

233
00:21:17,710 --> 00:21:19,570
His fleet lands at Sandwich.

234
00:21:22,850 --> 00:21:28,389
The hostages, given by the English
nobility during his father's conquests,

235
00:21:28,390 --> 00:21:29,440
cast ashore.

236
00:21:34,990 --> 00:21:37,070
What should be done with these men?

237
00:21:38,910 --> 00:21:43,010
For Canute, mere execution would be far
too gentle a revenge.

238
00:21:46,090 --> 00:21:47,810
He wants to make an example.

239
00:21:47,811 --> 00:21:52,789
What if there's a time machine? Would
you like to have dinner with Canute?

240
00:21:52,790 --> 00:21:58,769
Absolutely not. I think he's a ruthless,
scary individual, and I think all of us

241
00:21:58,770 --> 00:22:02,369
in the modern world would run screaming
from him. I think if you survive in this

242
00:22:02,370 --> 00:22:06,489
environment, if you thrive in this
environment, you're a pretty scary,

243
00:22:06,490 --> 00:22:07,570
creature in yourself.

244
00:22:07,710 --> 00:22:09,490
And Canute is good at it.

245
00:22:11,870 --> 00:22:13,610
Without the slightest remorse.

246
00:22:14,800 --> 00:22:18,100
He orders them to be mercilessly
mutilated.

247
00:22:21,080 --> 00:22:26,259
Knut employed a range of corporal
punishments, standard under the law of

248
00:22:26,260 --> 00:22:30,660
time, cutting off hands, parts of the
face, ears or nose.

249
00:22:31,240 --> 00:22:35,819
These practices appear in contemporary
legal codes, including those issued by

250
00:22:35,820 --> 00:22:40,879
Wolfstein. And so I think for him this
is a parting shot. This is saying, I may

251
00:22:40,880 --> 00:22:42,440
be leaving now, but I'll be back.

252
00:22:42,760 --> 00:22:45,840
And don't underestimate me. Do not cross
me.

253
00:22:46,420 --> 00:22:48,720
This is what happens to people who cross
me.

254
00:22:49,040 --> 00:22:53,479
They don't get killed. They get injured
in ways that will maim them for life and

255
00:22:53,480 --> 00:22:57,820
make them and everyone else who meets
them remember what I'm capable of.

256
00:23:07,820 --> 00:23:11,680
Harald watches with concern as his
brother ships near the coast.

257
00:23:14,940 --> 00:23:17,560
crowned king of Denmark upon their
father's death.

258
00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:20,600
He cannot know Knut's true intentions.

259
00:23:22,340 --> 00:23:27,479
At the back of Harold's mind, and at the
back of Knut's mind, is this sort of

260
00:23:27,480 --> 00:23:32,319
notion that this Danish kingdom isn't
big enough for the two of us here. This

261
00:23:32,320 --> 00:23:37,880
a situation where the two brothers are
at some point going to have to face off,

262
00:23:38,020 --> 00:23:44,679
potentially, against one another. One
might imagine that Harold would... feel

263
00:23:44,680 --> 00:23:50,339
little bit nervous about the presence of
his war -experienced brother back at

264
00:23:50,340 --> 00:23:51,390
the kingdom.

265
00:23:54,840 --> 00:24:00,579
Though always close, Canute and Harold's
brotherly bond cannot mask the tension

266
00:24:00,580 --> 00:24:01,630
that day.

267
00:24:08,970 --> 00:24:12,890
Knut initially seems intent on
reclaiming part of the Danish kingdom.

268
00:24:13,690 --> 00:24:19,409
From Harald's perspective, Knut is a
threat, because Knut's interests lie in

269
00:24:19,410 --> 00:24:20,460
becoming king.

270
00:24:20,730 --> 00:24:26,169
Harald's interests lie in keeping the
kingship, and so Knut back in Denmark is

271
00:24:26,170 --> 00:24:30,010
one prince too many for a kingdom that
has just lost sway.

272
00:24:32,090 --> 00:24:37,690
In the throne hall, now under his
control, Harald invites Knut to speak.

273
00:24:39,720 --> 00:24:44,560
Yet his younger brother's claims could
ignite a dangerous war of succession.

274
00:24:47,120 --> 00:24:50,420
If Harold refuses, Knut must choose.

275
00:24:51,900 --> 00:24:54,400
Submit or fight.

276
00:24:56,240 --> 00:25:00,820
If Knut was the astute politician I
believe, it made sense for him to adapt.

277
00:25:00,821 --> 00:25:04,659
Very well, if you're unwilling to grant
me anything, I will demonstrate loyalty

278
00:25:04,660 --> 00:25:05,860
and friendship instead.

279
00:25:06,000 --> 00:25:10,259
This may have been the surest way to
achieve his aims, avoiding direct

280
00:25:10,260 --> 00:25:12,120
confrontation and certain defeat.

281
00:25:14,860 --> 00:25:18,540
Barely 20 years old, Knut has already
lost everything.

282
00:25:18,980 --> 00:25:24,680
His throne, his kingdom, and perhaps
even his future.

283
00:25:27,330 --> 00:25:31,130
Unwilling to live in his brother's
shadow, he sees one path.

284
00:25:32,790 --> 00:25:36,290
Reclaim by force what he believes is
rightfully his.

285
00:25:37,370 --> 00:25:44,010
This is not a man who is accepting his
role in Denmark as the second son.

286
00:25:44,190 --> 00:25:49,910
This is instead a man who is waiting for
his opportunity to reinvade England.

287
00:25:50,010 --> 00:25:54,110
He's waiting and he's watching for some
key mistake.

288
00:25:54,880 --> 00:25:57,920
in the English regime to be made that
gives him a new way in.

289
00:26:08,300 --> 00:26:15,199
After 30 years of a chaotic reign,
Æthelred

290
00:26:15,200 --> 00:26:17,200
finally recovers his throne.

291
00:26:20,970 --> 00:26:25,190
Yet he now faces a nobility steeped in
mistrust and betrayal.

292
00:26:26,690 --> 00:26:32,830
A nest of scorpions, at whose heart he
believes he has found a loyal ally.

293
00:26:35,610 --> 00:26:37,010
Eadric Streona.

294
00:26:41,570 --> 00:26:46,769
Eadric Streona is the bad man of the
first half of the 11th century in

295
00:26:46,770 --> 00:26:47,820
politics.

296
00:26:49,649 --> 00:26:54,209
His nickname, Strainer, it means the
grasper, the acquisitor. In addition to

297
00:26:54,210 --> 00:26:57,709
which, he doesn't seem to have very much
of what we would say moral fibre, or

298
00:26:57,710 --> 00:27:02,009
he's a brilliant survivor, which one we
want to say. And he flip -flops between

299
00:27:02,010 --> 00:27:04,830
supporting whoever looks like they might
win.

300
00:27:05,070 --> 00:27:07,010
And we don't quite know why.

301
00:27:07,600 --> 00:27:11,359
But for whatever reasons, Æthelred gives
Eadric more and more power and

302
00:27:11,360 --> 00:27:16,159
authority, and it's clear that many of
those at court resent this, that the new

303
00:27:16,160 --> 00:27:20,520
guard coming in, that Æthelred places
absolute trust in.

304
00:27:22,860 --> 00:27:29,340
Eadric never leaves the king's side,
feeding his paranoia day after day.

305
00:27:31,480 --> 00:27:34,220
At 47, weakened by illness,

306
00:27:35,209 --> 00:27:40,730
Æthelred faces yet another threat, the
struggle for his own succession.

307
00:27:42,070 --> 00:27:47,069
So all the sons of the king are
considered to be otherlings, so you

308
00:27:47,070 --> 00:27:51,909
have a number of contenders to the
throne. It's a bit of a political brawl,

309
00:27:51,910 --> 00:27:58,650
it also means that the son who's the
best leader and who has a strong...

310
00:27:59,420 --> 00:28:03,919
faction behind him among the noblemen
will come to the top, rather than

311
00:28:03,920 --> 00:28:06,900
necessarily the firstborn, who may not
be the best.

312
00:28:11,380 --> 00:28:13,780
Two lines now vie for power.

313
00:28:14,980 --> 00:28:18,620
First, from his union with Elgifu of
York.

314
00:28:20,240 --> 00:28:21,290
Six sons.

315
00:28:26,320 --> 00:28:27,370
At that point,

316
00:28:28,760 --> 00:28:33,140
the eldest son, Edmund Ironside, appears
to have the upper hand.

317
00:28:34,060 --> 00:28:38,739
He's a young man in his early 20s,
perhaps a little younger or older,

318
00:28:38,740 --> 00:28:41,580
highly respected and clearly eager to go
to war.

319
00:28:43,800 --> 00:28:45,940
Opposing him, the second line.

320
00:28:49,440 --> 00:28:51,820
Edward and Alfred.

321
00:28:53,740 --> 00:28:58,820
Born of Æthelred's second wife, a
noblewoman from across the Channel,

322
00:28:59,700 --> 00:29:01,880
Emma of Normandy.

323
00:29:05,320 --> 00:29:10,460
Emma of Normandy is the daughter of the
Duke of Normandy, Richard I.

324
00:29:11,210 --> 00:29:17,209
who is a descendant of Rolo, so the
Viking who established Normandy as a

325
00:29:17,210 --> 00:29:18,490
in the 9th century.

326
00:29:18,730 --> 00:29:22,809
And she seems to be a very aggressive
political figure that she's influenced

327
00:29:22,810 --> 00:29:26,600
there, as we know, by Norman politics,
where women took a much greater role.

328
00:29:26,610 --> 00:29:29,020
They really didn't do this in English
politics.

329
00:29:29,230 --> 00:29:35,090
She is extraordinarily powerful and not
shy about exerting that power.

330
00:29:35,770 --> 00:29:41,189
So Emma dedicated her life, really, to
making sure that one of her sons was on

331
00:29:41,190 --> 00:29:42,240
the throne.

332
00:29:44,910 --> 00:29:49,969
Emma has no intention of letting the
throne slip from her grasp in favor of a

333
00:29:49,970 --> 00:29:51,510
son from a previous marriage.

334
00:29:53,970 --> 00:29:59,209
At court, the treacherous Eadric may
prove a valuable ally against Edmund's

335
00:29:59,210 --> 00:30:00,260
ambition.

336
00:30:01,580 --> 00:30:06,459
by Æthelred's later years. Emma, his
queen, quite possibly Æthelred himself,

337
00:30:06,460 --> 00:30:10,010
certainly others at court aligned with
Eadric, or creating a faction.

338
00:30:10,140 --> 00:30:14,599
And that faction may well be working to
try to line up eventually the succession

339
00:30:14,600 --> 00:30:21,219
of Edward and Alfred, Æthelred's sons
with his second wife Emma, over his sons

340
00:30:21,220 --> 00:30:22,600
with his first wife.

341
00:30:22,820 --> 00:30:28,080
And so what we start seeing is a
fracturing of the dynasty between rival

342
00:30:33,610 --> 00:30:35,610
The king summons a great assembly.

343
00:30:39,550 --> 00:30:41,790
Nobles from across the realm gather.

344
00:30:44,310 --> 00:30:50,909
Among them stand Seaforth and Morcar,
two leading figures of the

345
00:30:50,910 --> 00:30:55,930
Danelaw, both known for supporting
Edmund's claim to the throne.

346
00:30:58,570 --> 00:31:00,850
As the feast reaches its height,

347
00:31:02,720 --> 00:31:05,300
Iadric Streona approaches the king.

348
00:31:06,400 --> 00:31:10,900
With a simple gesture, Æthelred gives
the order to strike.

349
00:31:12,320 --> 00:31:18,700
He has Seaforth and Morcar invited by
Iadric Streona to a meeting,

350
00:31:18,780 --> 00:31:21,960
and then they are murdered. They are
just murdered.

351
00:31:23,620 --> 00:31:29,459
The king seizes their lands, and he has
Seaforth's widow placed in Malmesbury

352
00:31:29,460 --> 00:31:35,309
Abbey. What happens there is that
Ethelred has created a scenario whereby

353
00:31:35,310 --> 00:31:40,590
son, his trusted friends and allies, are
now being attacked by his own father.

354
00:31:44,170 --> 00:31:46,850
For Edmund, it is a crushing blow.

355
00:31:49,310 --> 00:31:51,730
His closest allies are dead.

356
00:31:52,630 --> 00:31:56,810
Worse, Ethelred now openly favours
Edward, Emma's son.

357
00:31:59,850 --> 00:32:03,430
On August the 15th, 1015, Edmund acts.

358
00:32:06,030 --> 00:32:09,130
He travels to the monastery of
Malmesbury,

359
00:32:09,910 --> 00:32:16,570
abducts Yargif, widow of Sifir, and
marries her on the spot,

360
00:32:16,790 --> 00:32:19,410
claiming her late husband's inheritance.

361
00:32:22,910 --> 00:32:29,429
It's a crucial and enormous act if he's
aligning himself again. And

362
00:32:29,430 --> 00:32:35,429
what we have here is shock and horror,
because suddenly the king and the

363
00:32:35,430 --> 00:32:39,070
heir are at loggerheads, and they're at
war with each other.

364
00:32:41,850 --> 00:32:46,970
By attacking the northern nobility,
Æthelred fractures his kingdom once

365
00:32:47,290 --> 00:32:50,590
pushing England to the brink of civil
war.

366
00:33:04,110 --> 00:33:06,210
The news spread like wildfire.

367
00:33:07,530 --> 00:33:11,310
A few days earlier, Canute had issued
the call to arms.

368
00:33:12,690 --> 00:33:19,629
Now, from one end of the country to the
other, thousands march towards

369
00:33:19,630 --> 00:33:20,680
the capital.

370
00:33:24,090 --> 00:33:26,290
Canute has waited months for this
moment.

371
00:33:27,570 --> 00:33:32,589
The fractures tearing England apart
offer him the perfect opportunity for

372
00:33:32,590 --> 00:33:33,640
revenge.

373
00:33:34,570 --> 00:33:39,409
The tree has a trunk, and you see one
trunk above the ground, as it were. But

374
00:33:39,410 --> 00:33:43,069
you were to grab that and pull it out of
the ground, you see all these roots,

375
00:33:43,070 --> 00:33:46,549
and each root leaps to another unit and
to another unit, and they spread out in

376
00:33:46,550 --> 00:33:50,529
a myriad of ways. So Canute doesn't have
direct contact with people even a few

377
00:33:50,530 --> 00:33:51,549
stages down.

378
00:33:51,550 --> 00:33:58,169
When a king calls, as opposed to a local
nobleman, you get an enormous amount of

379
00:33:58,170 --> 00:33:59,220
uptake of this.

380
00:34:00,910 --> 00:34:07,739
To launch his reconquest, Knut relies on
a man from Norway, Erik

381
00:34:07,740 --> 00:34:14,658
of Lade, an old ally of his father,
destined to be the

382
00:34:14,659 --> 00:34:16,500
cornerstone of his great army.

383
00:34:19,639 --> 00:34:25,039
Erik's family has been slowly
consolidating power over northern

384
00:34:25,040 --> 00:34:28,819
pretty much then all of Norway down to
the south. They are probably the most

385
00:34:28,820 --> 00:34:31,800
powerful dynasty ruling any part of
Scandinavia.

386
00:34:33,080 --> 00:34:37,218
Eric, moreover, has married one of
Knuth's half -fifters. He was therefore

387
00:34:37,219 --> 00:34:40,759
family ally, a recognized war leader, a
man of great power and considerable

388
00:34:40,760 --> 00:34:45,259
charisma, widely respected, and very
likely someone who played the role of a

389
00:34:45,260 --> 00:34:46,310
mentor to Knuth.

390
00:34:51,639 --> 00:34:56,040
As the army gathers, an alarm sounds.

391
00:34:58,260 --> 00:35:00,420
A fleet approaches off the coast.

392
00:35:02,480 --> 00:35:04,460
filled with men and weapons.

393
00:35:08,240 --> 00:35:13,740
At its head is Thorkell the Tall,
fearsome Viking leader,

394
00:35:14,480 --> 00:35:17,240
Æthelred's ally for more than three
years.

395
00:35:19,220 --> 00:35:25,939
Of all his followers, Thorkell was
likely the most loyal. Yet, in 1015, he

396
00:35:25,940 --> 00:35:29,160
to vanish from England, returning
discreetly to Denmark.

397
00:35:29,670 --> 00:35:31,170
with only a few ships.

398
00:35:33,070 --> 00:35:34,810
And he stays a little bit offshore.

399
00:35:35,470 --> 00:35:39,349
This is a man who's not quite sure if
the Danish royal family are going to try

400
00:35:39,350 --> 00:35:43,020
and kill him or not, but also he doesn't
want to give them the opportunity.

401
00:35:44,530 --> 00:35:49,250
Knut is intrigued and agrees to hear out
this formidable adversary.

402
00:35:53,190 --> 00:35:57,989
Fokker knows England extremely well. Its
balance of power, its terrain, such

403
00:35:57,990 --> 00:35:59,670
knowledge could be of great value.

404
00:36:01,290 --> 00:36:02,910
Knut studies the man.

405
00:36:03,190 --> 00:36:04,710
30 years his senior.

406
00:36:06,070 --> 00:36:08,430
Once among his father's greatest
enemies.

407
00:36:10,710 --> 00:36:13,330
A single gesture could have ended him.

408
00:36:14,450 --> 00:36:17,930
But instead, Knut offers his hand.

409
00:36:21,209 --> 00:36:25,370
Knut accepts the allegiance very
quickly, without reserve.

410
00:36:26,330 --> 00:36:30,409
Securing the support of such an
experienced, influential and

411
00:36:30,410 --> 00:36:31,490
leader is sufficient.

412
00:36:32,490 --> 00:36:36,150
Erik then stands as Knut's positive
guiding force.

413
00:36:36,910 --> 00:36:39,810
Thorkell, his darker, more ambivalent
counterpart.

414
00:36:40,690 --> 00:36:46,989
Together, they form the two paternal
figures around whom Knut builds himself

415
00:36:46,990 --> 00:36:48,040
his army.

416
00:36:49,240 --> 00:36:54,099
They're the very best allies he could
find, both among the Norwegians and the

417
00:36:54,100 --> 00:37:00,080
Danes. His ability to surround himself
with talent is extraordinary.

418
00:37:05,120 --> 00:37:11,460
At first light, Knut gives the order to
set sail.

419
00:37:18,860 --> 00:37:24,500
At the head of a fleet of 200 ships, he
heads towards England.

420
00:37:27,480 --> 00:37:34,479
The entomium of Queen Emma records the
fleet as being dazzling to behold. It

421
00:37:34,480 --> 00:37:41,159
uses these sort of grandiose Latin
terms, emphasising sight of this

422
00:37:41,160 --> 00:37:44,400
terrible war fleet that is brought.

423
00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:51,739
to England in 1015 so for an observer
standing on the English coast

424
00:37:51,740 --> 00:37:57,639
there must have been a view of this kind
of forest of masts and sails and it

425
00:37:57,640 --> 00:38:01,259
must be a terrible sight to behold but

426
00:38:01,260 --> 00:38:07,899
as the fleet nears the English coast

427
00:38:07,900 --> 00:38:09,760
Canute turns south

428
00:38:11,640 --> 00:38:15,820
Unlike his father two years earlier, he
does not aim for the north.

429
00:38:16,500 --> 00:38:19,460
His target is the heart of power,
Wethix.

430
00:38:20,970 --> 00:38:24,989
He's now had a taste of England. He's
been around it a bit. He's spent a bit

431
00:38:24,990 --> 00:38:28,189
time there, and he can see that what he
needs more than anything else is he

432
00:38:28,190 --> 00:38:31,729
doesn't need to go to the part that
looks like Scandinavia because it's most

433
00:38:31,730 --> 00:38:35,389
convenient for him. He needs to go to
the part that's least convenient for him

434
00:38:35,390 --> 00:38:40,209
to understand and interact with because
that's where you rule England from, and

435
00:38:40,210 --> 00:38:41,470
that's the wealthy south.

436
00:38:43,590 --> 00:38:47,530
The ships skirt the coast of Kent,
pushing into Dorset.

437
00:38:53,450 --> 00:38:56,690
On board, carried by the dark waters of
the river,

438
00:38:57,530 --> 00:39:03,609
Canute recalls the day a year earlier
when he first set foot on English soil

439
00:39:03,610 --> 00:39:04,890
beside his father.

440
00:39:08,590 --> 00:39:15,189
Today, he fights for his own name, for
the oath whispered over Zane's lifeless

441
00:39:15,190 --> 00:39:16,240
body.

442
00:39:18,750 --> 00:39:25,089
By the time Canute comes back to
England, he's... still young, but

443
00:39:25,090 --> 00:39:26,410
considerable experience.

444
00:39:26,630 --> 00:39:30,469
He's had those early moments in England,
working first with his father

445
00:39:30,470 --> 00:39:34,569
successfully, those difficult moments
where it all went wrong. He's had a few

446
00:39:34,570 --> 00:39:38,949
years' experience. He's had experience
now back at his brother's court in

447
00:39:38,950 --> 00:39:41,949
Denmark and some of the difficulties
he's encountered there. So he's

448
00:39:41,950 --> 00:39:46,829
coming back a wilyer, more experienced
political operator and not someone who

449
00:39:46,830 --> 00:39:49,420
anybody in England, I think, would
underestimate.

450
00:39:56,810 --> 00:40:00,230
Wessex is among the kingdom's best
defended territories.

451
00:40:05,050 --> 00:40:06,890
But Knut is confident.

452
00:40:07,410 --> 00:40:09,990
His ships give him a decisive edge.

453
00:40:11,630 --> 00:40:17,610
These long ships, often miscalled
Dracars, are the key to Viking striking

454
00:40:21,420 --> 00:40:27,779
Britain may see itself today as a navy
first in its military, but it wasn't

455
00:40:27,780 --> 00:40:33,180
then. And it had nothing in comparison
to these longboats that the Vikings

456
00:40:33,320 --> 00:40:37,839
What made Scandinavian ships so
effective in this period was the fact

457
00:40:37,840 --> 00:40:41,920
managed to be very seaworthy, could
travel significant distances, could

458
00:40:42,360 --> 00:40:45,920
large numbers of men, but still have a
relatively shallow draft.

459
00:40:46,320 --> 00:40:50,220
And so what that allows them to do is to
travel quite far up navigable rivers,

460
00:40:50,300 --> 00:40:54,420
to beach quite easily, and to land and
then attack local people.

461
00:41:01,120 --> 00:41:03,760
Canute's army devastates all in its
path.

462
00:41:08,300 --> 00:41:09,350
Dorset.

463
00:41:10,100 --> 00:41:11,150
Wiltshire.

464
00:41:11,790 --> 00:41:12,840
Somerset.

465
00:41:14,850 --> 00:41:18,510
The young Dane advances relentlessly.

466
00:41:28,660 --> 00:41:34,280
Between Knut's hesitation in 1013 to
1014 and his return in 1015 to 1016,

467
00:41:34,380 --> 00:41:39,359
there's a dramatic shift. He knows
exactly what must be done, and he

468
00:41:39,360 --> 00:41:41,740
coldly, efficiently, and with
calculation.

469
00:41:42,560 --> 00:41:46,540
A highly effective approach, no doubt
advised by the two men at his side,

470
00:41:46,660 --> 00:41:48,950
probably the finest war leaders of the
North.

471
00:41:52,340 --> 00:41:54,440
Knut learned from his past mistakes.

472
00:41:56,650 --> 00:41:58,810
He gives the enemy no respite.

473
00:42:00,750 --> 00:42:06,729
At the head of their troops, Eric and
Thorkell descend on English lands like a

474
00:42:06,730 --> 00:42:08,090
swarm of locusts.

475
00:42:10,130 --> 00:42:13,330
Knut rarely goes into battle himself.

476
00:42:15,530 --> 00:42:19,690
Like Octavian during Rome's civil war,
he remains behind.

477
00:42:21,110 --> 00:42:25,910
reflecting, pulling strings, giving
orders, relying on powerful men to act.

478
00:42:26,790 --> 00:42:31,369
But his followers clearly trust him and
are willing to go into battle in his

479
00:42:31,370 --> 00:42:32,420
stead.

480
00:42:37,770 --> 00:42:43,949
The Scandinavian forces set up camp in
Mercia, one of the kingdom's richest

481
00:42:43,950 --> 00:42:48,370
regions and undoubtedly one of the most
difficult to subdue.

482
00:42:52,710 --> 00:42:56,570
At least, until a man appears on the
outskirts of the camp.

483
00:43:06,170 --> 00:43:09,510
Canute is intrigued and watches the
stranger approach.

484
00:43:13,150 --> 00:43:19,710
It is none other than Jadrig Stryona,
Æthelred's closest advisor.

485
00:43:22,670 --> 00:43:28,349
Instead of defending his king, he
presents himself before his most

486
00:43:28,350 --> 00:43:29,400
enemy.

487
00:43:41,070 --> 00:43:46,350
key moments in many ways in the
strategies of 1015.

488
00:43:46,770 --> 00:43:52,830
Why Eadric decides to betray Æthelred is
really the million pound question.

489
00:43:53,210 --> 00:43:58,130
He'd risen on Æthelred's coattails, but
if we look at Eadric's later career,

490
00:43:58,410 --> 00:44:02,349
what it seems to teach us is that he's
somebody who was interested in one thing

491
00:44:02,350 --> 00:44:07,149
and one person only, and that was Eadric
Streona. So what he does is he decides

492
00:44:07,150 --> 00:44:12,649
to jump before he's pushed and figures
that his best bet for maintaining his

493
00:44:12,650 --> 00:44:16,969
position of power and influence is to
then be the kingmaker, to be the one who

494
00:44:16,970 --> 00:44:21,329
secures Canute's claim to the throne and
then hopefully reaps dividends from

495
00:44:21,330 --> 00:44:22,380
that.

496
00:44:23,850 --> 00:44:29,229
Like his father two years earlier,
Canute strikes at the very heart of the

497
00:44:29,230 --> 00:44:30,280
kingdom.

498
00:44:30,670 --> 00:44:34,450
Once again, Æthelred does nothing to
stop the invasion.

499
00:44:38,000 --> 00:44:43,139
Left to fend for themselves, the nobles
have no choice but to submit to the

500
00:44:43,140 --> 00:44:45,320
Dane, one after another.

501
00:44:46,520 --> 00:44:51,899
By securing the allegiance of this
aristocracy through its very presence,

502
00:44:51,900 --> 00:44:54,320
symbolically exposes the king's absence.

503
00:44:54,560 --> 00:44:59,779
The ruler is not there to defend his
ancestral lands. He's a failed king, and

504
00:44:59,780 --> 00:45:03,760
therefore an illegitimate one.
Politically, it's a masterstroke, and

505
00:45:03,860 --> 00:45:04,910
it works.

506
00:45:10,600 --> 00:45:13,180
The campaign seems almost effortless.

507
00:45:14,040 --> 00:45:19,799
Yet Knut does not realize that this time
a far more formidable opponent awaits

508
00:45:19,800 --> 00:45:20,850
him.

509
00:45:34,740 --> 00:45:37,100
Feint intervenes once again.

510
00:45:39,020 --> 00:45:41,440
King Æthelred falls gravely ill.

511
00:45:42,740 --> 00:45:48,619
Setting aside old quarrels, he entrusts
command of the war to his son, Edmund

512
00:45:48,620 --> 00:45:49,670
Ironside.

513
00:45:51,360 --> 00:45:56,419
The big change that happens with Edmund
Ironside taking over is that we have a

514
00:45:56,420 --> 00:45:59,400
competent and present English leader.

515
00:46:00,100 --> 00:46:05,280
But he is the Englishman who will fight
back against Canute. Between those two,

516
00:46:05,320 --> 00:46:07,160
there's an equality in their fights.

517
00:46:07,820 --> 00:46:11,899
If you read this as a narrative, you're
not quite sure which way it's going to

518
00:46:11,900 --> 00:46:15,200
go until the final battle happens, as it
were.

519
00:46:18,240 --> 00:46:22,440
To confront Canute, Edmund must rally
the full strength of the kingdom.

520
00:46:26,160 --> 00:46:28,700
For now, his army is dangerously thin.

521
00:46:31,630 --> 00:46:36,469
Accompanied by his personal guard, he
rides tirelessly across the region,

522
00:46:36,470 --> 00:46:41,930
loyal to the crown, calling upon the
fiat, the levy of free men.

523
00:46:44,970 --> 00:46:50,049
Fiat is the term for the army, and it
would have been composed, typically, of

524
00:46:50,050 --> 00:46:51,890
small inner entourage.

525
00:46:51,891 --> 00:46:55,599
potentially professional soldiers or
near professional soldiers, senior

526
00:46:55,600 --> 00:47:01,599
aristocrats, who saw war as one of their
main pastimes, but then supplemented

527
00:47:01,600 --> 00:47:07,379
with a local militia, so with
individuals called up from local

528
00:47:07,380 --> 00:47:08,430
in the army.

529
00:47:09,040 --> 00:47:13,299
These men were expected to arrive with
their own resources and weapons, which

530
00:47:13,300 --> 00:47:14,319
was far from simple.

531
00:47:14,320 --> 00:47:18,519
Such levies often produced armies that
were uneven, poorly equipped, unevenly

532
00:47:18,520 --> 00:47:23,040
trained. To resist Knut, Edmund
repeatedly mobilizes the kingdom's free

533
00:47:23,200 --> 00:47:25,120
raising new forces whenever possible.

534
00:47:27,620 --> 00:47:31,500
To his troops, Edmund strives to embody
leadership.

535
00:47:32,900 --> 00:47:37,380
But the conflicts that once opposed him
to his father have left deep scars.

536
00:47:39,740 --> 00:47:45,020
Many distrust the young prince, judging
him to be overly ambitious.

537
00:47:47,140 --> 00:47:51,939
There was a real question for those
loyal to Æthelred as to whether or not

538
00:47:51,940 --> 00:47:57,819
Edmund was friend or foe. This is one of
the things that hamstrings Edmund's

539
00:47:57,820 --> 00:48:01,979
initial attempts to resist, is that he's
not able to secure that support and

540
00:48:01,980 --> 00:48:06,559
that the main English army under
Æthelred's authority is not willing to

541
00:48:06,560 --> 00:48:08,260
Edmund. This is quite serious.

542
00:48:08,500 --> 00:48:11,200
This is a refusal to do the king's
bidding.

543
00:48:11,440 --> 00:48:15,379
Edmund is there on behalf of his father,
and these armies are refusing to come

544
00:48:15,380 --> 00:48:18,720
to the meeting places and join up. This
is very, very bad news.

545
00:48:24,940 --> 00:48:28,340
In London, Ethelred receives a message.

546
00:48:32,480 --> 00:48:34,300
His son pleads for aid.

547
00:48:35,340 --> 00:48:40,739
Despite the illness consuming him, the
king orders his guard to assemble and

548
00:48:40,740 --> 00:48:41,790
rides west.

549
00:48:46,300 --> 00:48:51,740
A few days later, Edmund welcomes his
father.

550
00:48:54,820 --> 00:48:56,660
He studies him closely.

551
00:48:57,240 --> 00:49:02,020
All of England's hopes now rest on this
old, weary, ageing king.

552
00:49:03,760 --> 00:49:09,860
As a final little sort of bump in this,
Ethelred is warned, maybe it's real,

553
00:49:09,940 --> 00:49:14,399
maybe it's just paranoia, that some part
of the army or somebody there is going

554
00:49:14,400 --> 00:49:15,450
to kill him.

555
00:49:16,320 --> 00:49:22,699
The king apparently panics and runs into
the safety of London, and the army just

556
00:49:22,700 --> 00:49:29,680
disbands. You can see the problems here
and the fragility of the English forces,

557
00:49:29,980 --> 00:49:32,860
and this is the major problem that
Edmund has.

558
00:49:36,840 --> 00:49:39,900
But once again, Ethelred withdraws.

559
00:49:41,820 --> 00:49:44,620
Edmund is isolated and has no choice.

560
00:49:46,540 --> 00:49:49,820
He rides north, prepared to risk
everything.

561
00:49:53,020 --> 00:49:59,320
At Bamburgh, he meets Uhtred, Earl of
Northumbria.

562
00:50:01,740 --> 00:50:07,119
The man supported Spain and Cnut the
previous year, yet remains tied to

563
00:50:07,120 --> 00:50:08,560
through marriage alliances.

564
00:50:09,980 --> 00:50:13,320
He's experienced as a warrior. He's got
troops.

565
00:50:13,600 --> 00:50:18,879
He's got... power. And so Edmund reaches
out to Uhtred, and Uhtred actually

566
00:50:18,880 --> 00:50:24,039
joins forces with the English forces
against the Danes. This might seem

567
00:50:24,040 --> 00:50:28,519
anachronistic, because earlier Uhtred
seemed to have some association with the

568
00:50:28,520 --> 00:50:33,559
Danes, but Uhtred is going to be friends
with whoever gets Uhtred the most

569
00:50:33,560 --> 00:50:38,139
power. This is then combined with the
fact that he was closely allied with

570
00:50:38,140 --> 00:50:41,879
people like Morcar and Seaforth, so
who've just been purged from the court,

571
00:50:41,880 --> 00:50:43,900
therefore do not look kindly upon...

572
00:50:44,270 --> 00:50:48,830
Aethelred and his regime, and so for
Edmund, Uhtred is a logical ally.

573
00:50:52,430 --> 00:50:58,709
With Uhtred now at his side, Edmund
finally commands forces capable of

574
00:50:58,710 --> 00:50:59,810
challenging Canute.

575
00:51:04,570 --> 00:51:11,290
Yet instead of facing his rival, he
turns south towards Merthyr.

576
00:51:16,360 --> 00:51:20,660
Unleashing his strength against those
nobles accused of treachery.

577
00:51:24,260 --> 00:51:30,700
Once again,

578
00:51:30,840 --> 00:51:36,100
the English fight among themselves while
the Danes devastate the kingdom.

579
00:51:38,240 --> 00:51:42,980
Everybody thought that they would attack
the Danish army, but...

580
00:51:43,280 --> 00:51:47,640
It's much better, from their
perspective, to pursue their own

581
00:51:48,080 --> 00:51:54,599
And at this point, I think that their
interests are Iadric Streona. So Knut is

582
00:51:54,600 --> 00:51:58,660
problem, yeah, sure, but Iadric's
support for Knut is the big problem.

583
00:51:58,860 --> 00:52:04,079
And I don't think at this point they
necessarily have national interests at

584
00:52:04,080 --> 00:52:08,480
heart. But, you know, in these
circumstances, who could blame them?

585
00:52:16,080 --> 00:52:22,000
Facing the growing alliance between
Edmund and Uhtred, Canute turns to

586
00:52:23,220 --> 00:52:26,460
A direct confrontation would be too
great a risk.

587
00:52:27,800 --> 00:52:31,320
Together with his commanders, he devises
a daring plan.

588
00:52:32,400 --> 00:52:37,579
At dawn, they will outmaneuver the enemy
and strike deep into the heart of

589
00:52:37,580 --> 00:52:38,660
Uhtred's own lands.

590
00:52:41,220 --> 00:52:45,749
Of course, the Uhtred episode, glorious
though it is for the English, is

591
00:52:45,750 --> 00:52:49,909
unfortunately short -lived. What Knut
does, again, always the brilliant

592
00:52:49,910 --> 00:52:54,269
tactician, he himself and Erik, they go
to Utrecht's house and they threaten him

593
00:52:54,270 --> 00:52:57,640
at home when he's taken most of his
forces away with him to the south.

594
00:53:03,550 --> 00:53:10,009
Danish forces descend upon Northumbria,
ravaging territories left dangerously

595
00:53:10,010 --> 00:53:11,060
undefended.

596
00:53:12,840 --> 00:53:16,880
In the awake, towns and villages fall,
one after another.

597
00:53:18,780 --> 00:53:23,859
Uhtred is panicked. He was not ready for
this at all, and he withdraws from the

598
00:53:23,860 --> 00:53:26,270
fight in the south of England, and he
heads home.

599
00:53:31,320 --> 00:53:36,440
Returning to Bambara, Uhtred discovers
his stronghold already in Danish hands.

600
00:53:40,750 --> 00:53:43,810
In the great hall of his palace, Canute
awaits him.

601
00:53:45,270 --> 00:53:48,690
Seated upon the throne that once
belonged to his host.

602
00:53:52,210 --> 00:53:57,270
Facing the young Dane, Uhtred
immediately understands that there is no

603
00:53:59,190 --> 00:54:01,710
Submission is his only hope of survival.

604
00:54:05,640 --> 00:54:08,720
The difference between Knut and Thrain
is clear.

605
00:54:09,080 --> 00:54:11,840
Thrain relied on hostages and negotiated
loyalty.

606
00:54:11,841 --> 00:54:16,459
Knut, however, had already experienced
how fragile aristocratic allegiance

607
00:54:16,460 --> 00:54:20,840
be. Shortly after submitting, Uhtred was
most likely assassinated.

608
00:54:22,820 --> 00:54:26,719
Uhtred is gone from the picture. This
mighty English warrior who could have

609
00:54:26,720 --> 00:54:31,219
turned the tide for Edmund, he's a piece
that's off the chessboard. Click, and

610
00:54:31,220 --> 00:54:34,110
he's gone, and it's checkmate to Knut
just for the moment.

611
00:54:36,120 --> 00:54:41,220
Wessex, Mercia, and much of northern
England now lie under Canute's control.

612
00:54:44,600 --> 00:54:48,720
Edmund can rely only on his own strength
if he hopes to prevail.

613
00:54:49,900 --> 00:54:54,980
As for Æthelred, sick and weakened, he
remains confined within London.

614
00:54:57,180 --> 00:55:01,120
For Canute, the conquest of England now
seems inevitable.

615
00:55:02,260 --> 00:55:07,100
And yet, once more, Fate is about to
intervene.

616
00:55:07,150 --> 00:55:11,700
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