1
00:00:27,040 --> 00:00:31,640
He was a legend
already during his lifetime–

2
00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:37,640
–and accomplished much that even
surprised many of his contemporaries.

3
00:00:46,440 --> 00:00:52,600
His life was a success story of its time.
What he did was unprecedented.

4
00:02:15,480 --> 00:02:21,960
The raids of the Vikings ceased,
it is clearly stated. They just stopped.

5
00:02:22,120 --> 00:02:28,840
That is what appealed to the English
- that Knut could create peace.

6
00:03:18,720 --> 00:03:23,080
Olav Haraldsson is another
exciting person who shows up.

7
00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:26,880
He was a possible heir
to the Norwegian krone–

8
00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:32,120
–and may have been a descendant
to Harald Hårfager, who united Norway.

9
00:03:32,280 --> 00:03:34,960
He was an adventurer–

10
00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:39,960
-who sought wealth abroad
and then return home.

11
00:04:05,440 --> 00:04:08,240
During a period up to 1014–1015–

12
00:04:08,400 --> 00:04:15,720
-was Norway a Danish vassal state
during Sven Tveskägg's time as king.

13
00:04:15,880 --> 00:04:22,600
Sven Tveskägg's death created
an opening for Olav Haraldsson.

14
00:04:22,760 --> 00:04:27,800
He had looted
in both England and Europe–

15
00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:33,560
-and now had the opportunity to take power
in Norway and overthrow the Danish rulers.

16
00:05:21,480 --> 00:05:28,680
Erik Håkonsson was no longer there,
but his brother was the earl of Norway.

17
00:05:28,840 --> 00:05:34,200
Olav Haraldsson quickly succeeded
gather allies–

18
00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:39,160
-overthrew the Danish government
and become king of Norway.

19
00:06:37,040 --> 00:06:42,240
Almost all the men in his family are dead,
he is left alone.

20
00:06:42,400 --> 00:06:48,080
He must secure power in Denmark,
the kingdom of his father and forefathers–

21
00:06:48,240 --> 00:06:53,320
–which has enormous symbolic value,
and that complicates the situation.

22
00:07:29,600 --> 00:07:34,800
Denmark had been ruled by various magnates,
and their descendants remained.

23
00:07:34,960 --> 00:07:40,520
So there were probably many in Denmark
who kept an eye out for cracks in the facade.

24
00:07:40,680 --> 00:07:46,160
To be able to become king of Denmark
Knut had to go there.

25
00:08:22,600 --> 00:08:30,000
The whole thing was awkward, Knut took a risk
to lose power over Scandinavia.

26
00:08:30,160 --> 00:08:33,200
People forget that Knut was Danish.

27
00:08:33,360 --> 00:08:39,680
The invasion of England was only one way
to secure power in Denmark.

28
00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:46,680
He wanted to conquer Scandinavia - England
was a step on the way to reaching the goal.

29
00:09:09,800 --> 00:09:16,200
Godwin was a shining star
in the same way as Knut was.

30
00:09:16,360 --> 00:09:19,240
He was the son of a minor magnate–

31
00:09:19,400 --> 00:09:26,120
-but when Knut took power, climbed
he quickly rose in rank among the counts.

32
00:09:46,080 --> 00:09:51,600
Now he no longer invades England
with a Scandinavian here.

33
00:09:51,760 --> 00:09:56,520
He is in Scandinavia
with an English here led by Godwin.

34
00:09:56,680 --> 00:10:02,360
Cnut is an English king
who try to maintain power–

35
00:10:02,520 --> 00:10:08,400
-in the territories that had belonged to his family,
and above all Denmark.

36
00:10:52,840 --> 00:10:58,640
Godwin crept away in the night, without
to warn the king, with the English.

37
00:10:58,800 --> 00:11:05,400
He attacked the enemy, conquered,
killed most and took a few prisoners.

38
00:11:05,560 --> 00:11:11,560
When the king awoke and saw that Godwin
was gone, he suspected treason.

39
00:11:45,520 --> 00:11:53,440
From the latter half of the 1020s
Godwin became the leading figure.

40
00:11:53,600 --> 00:11:59,920
It is unclear if the story is true,
but I think Godwin was there.

41
00:12:00,080 --> 00:12:07,280
Did he play an important role? Perhaps. But
he became both powerful and respected.

42
00:12:39,880 --> 00:12:47,600
After the death of his brother Harald, Knut was
had to go back and forth–

43
00:12:47,760 --> 00:12:50,960
-between England and Denmark.

44
00:12:51,120 --> 00:12:55,360
What he was looking for
in all the lands he conquered–

45
00:12:55,520 --> 00:13:00,000
-was a person
who could rule in his place.

46
00:13:40,680 --> 00:13:45,320
Ulf and his entire clan were already powerful.

47
00:13:45,480 --> 00:13:53,680
Knut does not seem to have chosen him, but was given
accept Ulf whether he wanted to or not.

48
00:13:53,840 --> 00:13:57,840
And Knut had reason to distrust him.

49
00:14:19,280 --> 00:14:23,600
Knut married his sister off to Ulf–

50
00:14:23,760 --> 00:14:30,000
- which was part of a strategy that consisted of
to create a network of contacts–

51
00:14:30,160 --> 00:14:35,000
- who protected Knut's kingship
on the other side of the North Sea.

52
00:14:37,440 --> 00:14:45,240
It is noteworthy that Knut
had Ulf marry into the royal family.

53
00:14:45,400 --> 00:14:51,000
The marriage with Ulf
was an attempt to "tame" him–

54
00:14:51,160 --> 00:14:53,960
- so that he did not turn towards Knut.

55
00:15:12,760 --> 00:15:16,640
When Knut had secured Denmark,
was the next logical step–

56
00:15:16,800 --> 00:15:21,840
– to recreate the father's dominance
over parts of Norway–

57
00:15:22,000 --> 00:15:26,480
–and the biggest obstacle to it
was Olav Haraldsson.

58
00:16:45,640 --> 00:16:49,360
It was about
an important state event.

59
00:16:49,520 --> 00:16:55,160
Knut wanted to appear as imperial
on the political scene.

60
00:16:55,320 --> 00:16:59,600
Europe's most powerful man,
Konrad II, King of Germany–

61
00:16:59,760 --> 00:17:04,080
–would be crowned emperor by the Pope.

62
00:17:04,240 --> 00:17:10,880
It was the biggest event of the time,
which would not be repeated–

63
00:17:11,040 --> 00:17:15,640
- so he had to be there.

64
00:18:12,880 --> 00:18:19,960
For the rulers in the rest of Scandinavia were
Knut's growing power in Denmark worrying–

65
00:18:20,120 --> 00:18:23,400
-because they feared Danish domination.

66
00:18:23,560 --> 00:18:28,000
So when Knut fortified
its position in Denmark–

67
00:18:28,160 --> 00:18:35,040
-were worried that he would too
subjugate Sweden and Norway.

68
00:18:57,800 --> 00:19:02,520
Norwegians, Swedes and Danish rebels
thought that Knut–

69
00:19:02,680 --> 00:19:08,000
– would be completely focused
on the trip to Rome.

70
00:19:08,160 --> 00:19:12,640
They thought they had a whole year
to prepare–

71
00:19:12,800 --> 00:19:17,760
-before Knut returned from Rome
and could fight back.

72
00:20:13,240 --> 00:20:18,880
A group formed around Ulf–

73
00:20:19,040 --> 00:20:26,240
- who was Knut's right-hand man in Denmark
and who tried to take power from Knut.

74
00:20:26,400 --> 00:20:34,680
At the same time, the Norwegians started under
Olav Haraldsson a full scale invasion–

75
00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:40,200
- and so did the Swedes.

76
00:20:40,360 --> 00:20:48,040
So both domestic and foreign armies
attacked and occupied Denmark.

77
00:20:48,200 --> 00:20:55,440
It was a disaster, and one of the most
decisive moments in Knut's life.

78
00:21:40,560 --> 00:21:45,160
Now Knut showed proof
on his tactical skill.

79
00:21:46,520 --> 00:21:54,360
He gathered such a large fleet
he could from all England–

80
00:21:54,520 --> 00:22:01,720
-picked up Danish warriors on the way
and sailed around the northern tip of Jutland.

81
00:22:34,240 --> 00:22:37,640
According to English sources
were the battles fierce–

82
00:22:37,800 --> 00:22:42,800
-but the Swedes and Norwegians held their ground.

83
00:22:48,040 --> 00:22:53,840
But the shell dedicts produced it
as a great victory for Knut–

84
00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:57,480
– so it's hard to know what's true.

85
00:22:57,640 --> 00:23:02,480
It's all moot, just like
the conflict with Edmund Järnsida.

86
00:23:02,640 --> 00:23:10,120
It was not a battle where victory alone
was enough to achieve one's political goals.

87
00:23:51,120 --> 00:23:56,120
Knut managed to close his
Norwegian and Swedish opponents–

88
00:23:56,280 --> 00:24:03,800
-and then went to Rome to
witness the coronation of the new emperor.

89
00:24:03,960 --> 00:24:09,280
This was a way for Knut
to implement–

90
00:24:09,440 --> 00:24:15,120
-a certain amount of caution
in its military strategy.

91
00:24:15,280 --> 00:24:21,200
The enemy was weakened when it could not
get further into Danish territory–

92
00:24:21,360 --> 00:24:25,920
–or even get out of there,
so he bought some time.

93
00:24:26,080 --> 00:24:29,360
If that's how it happened–

94
00:24:29,520 --> 00:24:34,360
– shows it
what self-confidence Knut had.

95
00:25:07,360 --> 00:25:13,560
He explained that the journey to Rome
was a pilgrimage.

96
00:25:13,720 --> 00:25:18,440
He would visit all the churches on the way
and give gifts.

97
00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:24,160
He appears as the perfect prince,
a royal role model–

98
00:25:24,320 --> 00:25:29,320
-during a time when a Viking son
was not associated with that role.

99
00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:52,120
The journey to Rome
must have been important to Knut.

100
00:25:52,280 --> 00:25:56,880
He bore the responsibility
for an enormous bloodshed–

101
00:25:57,040 --> 00:26:01,200
-in Christendom at this time.

102
00:26:01,360 --> 00:26:09,280
He talks about how he doesn't always
has been a good ruler.

103
00:26:09,440 --> 00:26:14,840
So the trip to Rome is partly about that:

104
00:26:15,000 --> 00:26:19,080
To make amends for those sins
he was guilty of–

105
00:26:19,240 --> 00:26:24,280
-when he was fighting to take power
in England and Denmark.

106
00:26:56,840 --> 00:27:00,320
It must have been big
for Knut to see Rome.

107
00:27:00,480 --> 00:27:04,840
He had never seen
such a big city before.

108
00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:09,240
A city that once had
perhaps a million inhabitants–

109
00:27:09,400 --> 00:27:13,480
- and where it teemed
of relics and churches.

110
00:27:13,640 --> 00:27:20,760
So it was probably a very special one
experience, both spiritual and political–

111
00:27:20,920 --> 00:27:24,840
-and he guaranteed to have
never seen anything like it.

112
00:28:15,640 --> 00:28:20,520
An aspect of the coronation
which must have made an impression on Knut–

113
00:28:20,680 --> 00:28:23,440
- was all pomp and circumstance.

114
00:28:23,600 --> 00:28:31,080
Knut was shown how to do it
pretended monarchy, imperial monarchy–

115
00:28:31,240 --> 00:28:35,080
– so there was a lot for him to learn.

116
00:28:35,240 --> 00:28:40,440
His image of what an empire was
probably built on–

117
00:28:40,600 --> 00:28:45,800
-the only real empire in the west,
namely Konrad's empire.

118
00:29:07,240 --> 00:29:11,800
The journey to Rome
was probably the event–

119
00:29:11,960 --> 00:29:16,240
- which changed Knut's view of the world
more than anything else.

120
00:29:16,400 --> 00:29:22,400
It is now that you start to notice
his imperial ambitions.

121
00:29:22,560 --> 00:29:27,840
The contents of the shell dedications
gradually changed–

122
00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:35,440
–and began to imply that he was
the king of kings, superior to all others.

123
00:30:29,720 --> 00:30:35,520
They were equipped for a summer trip,
with clothes for a summer trip.

124
00:30:35,680 --> 00:30:41,880
They had planned a lightning strike:
to loot, leave and get paid–

125
00:30:42,040 --> 00:30:48,880
-or to sit back and grease the gizzard
in Danish guest rooms.

126
00:30:49,040 --> 00:30:56,360
Instead, both armies were trapped
in the Baltic Sea and winter was at the door.

127
00:31:21,440 --> 00:31:27,520
In some of the tales are told
that rotting wrecks were seen along the coast–

128
00:31:27,680 --> 00:31:30,920
-after hundreds of Norwegian ships.

129
00:31:31,080 --> 00:31:35,920
For the Norwegian army decided to
to walk home through the forest.

130
00:32:06,240 --> 00:32:10,640
It takes a long time
in Swedish history–

131
00:32:10,800 --> 00:32:16,760
-before you find someone who tried
on an equally stupid wintertime hike.

132
00:32:16,920 --> 00:32:22,400
And it was only a small few,
maybe only ten percent of the army–

133
00:32:22,560 --> 00:32:27,360
– who staggered out of the woods on
the other side, frozen and miserable–

134
00:32:27,520 --> 00:32:31,640
-and half of them had severe injuries.

135
00:32:48,120 --> 00:32:52,480
Olav must have promised the Norwegians
big men gold and green forests.

136
00:32:52,640 --> 00:32:56,480
That they would sail to Denmark
and plunder–

137
00:32:56,640 --> 00:33:00,400
–eat Danish food and establish yourself there–

138
00:33:00,560 --> 00:33:06,520
- and that most of them would come home
rich and fat and living well.

139
00:33:06,680 --> 00:33:10,640
In fact, he dragged along
a lot of people–

140
00:33:10,800 --> 00:33:17,080
- and a year and a half later
he appeared with a small, frozen here.

141
00:33:17,240 --> 00:33:23,520
The big men who had stayed at home
wondered, "Where's the gold?"

142
00:33:23,680 --> 00:33:26,800
"Where are the sheep and cattle?"

143
00:33:26,960 --> 00:33:32,120
And he had to admit that he had
a devastating tactical error.

144
00:33:32,280 --> 00:33:35,800
It probably wasn't very popular.

145
00:34:04,160 --> 00:34:09,120
The atmosphere is chilly.
Ulf tries to negotiate with his brother-in-law.

146
00:34:09,280 --> 00:34:14,600
Maybe it's just a cliché in fairy tales,
but Knut is said to have remained deathly silent.

147
00:34:14,760 --> 00:34:21,920
In any case, the atmosphere is not at its best,
so Ulf suggests a batch of hnefatafl.

148
00:34:22,080 --> 00:34:29,240
They start playing. Ulf wins,
which curbs the bad mood.

149
00:34:56,080 --> 00:35:04,080
Ulf comes up with excuses, so
Knut asks his faithful to kill him.

150
00:35:04,240 --> 00:35:10,120
What did Ulf expect? He couldn't
rely on. He was a Danish Eadric Streona.

151
00:35:10,280 --> 00:35:15,840
What did he think? He must die.
Sad, but that's politics.

152
00:35:55,680 --> 00:36:02,480
Ulf died from an ax cut while praying
Roskilde church, which later became a cathedral.

153
00:36:02,640 --> 00:36:06,560
Maybe he realized
that his life hung in the balance–

154
00:36:06,720 --> 00:36:11,600
- but it didn't help
to take refuge in the church.

155
00:36:58,680 --> 00:37:05,080
He calls himself king of England,
Denmark, Norway and parts of Sweden.

156
00:37:05,240 --> 00:37:10,960
He hadn't even been to Norway!
But he felt, with some right–

157
00:37:11,120 --> 00:37:15,160
- that he was their king
because he defeated them in battle.

158
00:37:15,320 --> 00:37:21,480
From Knut's point of view, the idea was
that he was king of the Norwegians–

159
00:37:21,640 --> 00:37:25,960
- something like himself
looked like totally legit–

160
00:37:26,120 --> 00:37:30,120
- but many in Norway
did not share that view.

161
00:38:16,440 --> 00:38:20,880
Geography of Norway
makes it difficult for Knut.

162
00:38:21,040 --> 00:38:25,080
High mountains, fjords and isolated villages–

163
00:38:25,240 --> 00:38:29,720
–has led to a fragmented political system.

164
00:38:29,880 --> 00:38:36,880
Norway's nature makes it possible
to establish a sphere of power in an area–

165
00:38:37,040 --> 00:38:41,760
- and almost completely avoid outside influence.

166
00:39:09,160 --> 00:39:14,640
A recurring phenomenon
when medieval kingdoms were Christianized–

167
00:39:14,800 --> 00:39:20,720
– was that it was first adopted
the new faith, but then there was a backlash.

168
00:39:20,880 --> 00:39:26,000
Those who had been converted
perhaps chose to become apostates–

169
00:39:26,160 --> 00:39:30,520
-and those who were never converted
moved forward their positions.

170
00:39:50,360 --> 00:39:55,920
Knut's ship was covered with gold,
and it was also fully loaded with gold!

171
00:39:56,080 --> 00:40:02,320
The fact that he had access to
England's riches were an advantage.

172
00:40:02,480 --> 00:40:05,840
Before a possible force measurement
with Olav–

173
00:40:06,000 --> 00:40:10,760
–could he either send one here
or buy people's loyalty.

174
00:40:39,800 --> 00:40:43,560
In Scandinavia, the king was elected.

175
00:40:43,720 --> 00:40:49,560
The king gained power,
if the big men agreed.

176
00:40:49,720 --> 00:40:54,400
The Scandinavian kings
had to earn their position.

177
00:40:54,560 --> 00:40:58,600
They have to prove
that they had the gods on their side–

178
00:40:58,760 --> 00:41:01,760
- and that luck always stood by them.

179
00:41:01,920 --> 00:41:09,200
If luck fails, you lose all support
and that's what happened to Olav.

180
00:42:08,280 --> 00:42:15,120
Olav Haraldsson met one here who
consisted of Knut's Norwegian allies.

181
00:42:15,280 --> 00:42:20,440
The battle was at Stiklestad,
and Olav died – killed by his own people.

182
00:42:23,480 --> 00:42:30,320
That meant the end for Olav Haraldsson
and his claim to Norway.

183
00:42:30,480 --> 00:42:35,320
And after that the Danes ruled the country
in peace and quiet.

184
00:43:30,080 --> 00:43:37,400
He accomplished more than his ancestors,
he made their dreams come true.

185
00:43:37,560 --> 00:43:41,760
He managed to centralize
power in Denmark–

186
00:43:41,920 --> 00:43:46,640
–and fully controlled England.

187
00:43:46,800 --> 00:43:53,040
He took control of Norway, so that
Denmark did not have to fear Norwegian raids.

188
00:43:53,200 --> 00:43:58,280
In addition, he met the emperor.
So did he get further than his father and grandfather?

189
00:43:58,440 --> 00:44:01,920
He passed them by horse lengths!

190
00:44:02,080 --> 00:44:05,640
I call that a success story.

191
00:44:50,440 --> 00:44:57,000
It is seen as hubris that Knut believed himself
be able to stop the waves, the inevitable.

192
00:44:57,160 --> 00:45:02,200
But the tide paid no attention
at the king's command–

193
00:45:02,360 --> 00:45:06,880
– without steps gradually
until it washed over the king's feet.

194
00:45:35,760 --> 00:45:39,640
And when he stands there,
feet wet, he says:

195
00:45:39,800 --> 00:45:48,480
“My power as the king of the world
stands plainly against the king of heaven."

196
00:45:50,840 --> 00:45:57,040
He is not God and no saint. “I
controls a lot, but not this."

197
00:45:57,200 --> 00:46:03,520
The story should show that he is one
Christian king who is humble before God.

198
00:46:16,760 --> 00:46:24,280
He is aware of the limits of
his power and has never become overconfident.

199
00:46:24,440 --> 00:46:30,720
He stood with his feet in the water and on
the earth and never saw himself as before.

200
00:46:30,880 --> 00:46:36,720
Although the story was added later,
does it probably reflect his spirituality–

201
00:46:36,880 --> 00:46:40,320
-which seems to have been tough,
but sincere.

202
00:46:40,480 --> 00:46:46,280
Knut probably thought deep down that that
was God who had given him the power–

203
00:46:46,440 --> 00:46:53,560
– so the story reflects enough
his thoughts on kingship.

204
00:47:12,680 --> 00:47:19,600
He died of something that seems to have gone
in the family, an aneurysm or a stroke.

205
00:47:19,760 --> 00:47:22,680
And he was only in his 40s!

206
00:47:24,680 --> 00:47:27,560
Everyone studying Knut–

207
00:47:27,720 --> 00:47:33,080
- should think about it
when they turn 40, I did, and say:

208
00:47:33,240 --> 00:47:37,360
"What have I accomplished?"
Because it's nothing compared to him.

209
00:47:58,400 --> 00:48:04,560
Knut's legacy was that he changed
the political system in England.

210
00:48:04,720 --> 00:48:10,520
The idea that England could be ruled
by a foreign conqueror–

211
00:48:10,680 --> 00:48:18,520
-whose rule was perceived as legitimate
must have been big for his contemporaries.

212
00:48:18,680 --> 00:48:24,720
Norman writers of the time
were aware of Knut's legacy–

213
00:48:24,880 --> 00:48:30,160
–and certain aspects of Knut's conquest–

214
00:48:30,320 --> 00:48:38,200
-may have influenced William the Conqueror's
exploits 1066 and later.

215
00:49:27,840 --> 00:49:31,840
Translation: Ingrid Gradén
Swedish media text for SVT