Sweyn Forkbeard
Born in 960
Died on 3rd of February 1014
Sweyn Forkbeard was a Viking warrior who was born in 960 in Denmark, his father was Harald Bluetooth, and his mother was Gunhild. His first military skirmish was against his father who ultimately died in battle in 986. Sweyn became King of Denmark, England and parts of Norway, he raided and ultimately conquered England, he set sail with a massive army and ships, eventually arriving in Exeter in 1003 where he sought revenge for the St Brice's Day Massacres, when Ethelred The Unready had ordered the bloody killings of all Danes throughout the kingdom, thousands were killed including his sister and her husband.
Eleven years of raids and ransacking resulted in the powerful Nobles, who were growing increasingly unhappy with Ethelred The Unready's rule, they declared their allegiance to Sweyn, he was declared king in 1013 on Christmas Day, this resulted in Ethelred The Unready in fleeing to join his wife in Normandy. Sweyn had married twice, his first wife was Gunhilda, who was the daughter of the Duke of Poland, his second wife was Sigrid who was the widow of the King of Sweden. Sigrid was central to persuading Sweyn to join together with Olaf's enemies and rise up against him, still angered when he had proposed to her and wanted her to change religion, she had refused, and it's said that he struck her, it was only time before Sweyn fought in the Battle of Svolder in the year 1000, where he, together with a contingent of Olaf's enemies defeated the King of Norway, Olaf, Sigrid had her revenge, Olaf died and Sweyn split and divided his kingdom.
Sweyn's reign of England was short lived and did not last for too long, as Sweyn died in 1014 at Gainsborough in Lincolnshire, he was later buried in Roskilde Cathedral in Denmark. The warrior king had declared that his son Canute would succeed him, however, the Witan decided to re-call Ethelred The Unready to rule, Canute fled, for the time being, destined to return in 1016 to become king of England.
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