[Sidenote: CANUTE, KNOUGHT OR CNUTE.]
CANUTE, or Cnute, whome the English chronicles doo name Knought, after
the death of king Edmund, tooke vpon him the whole rule ouer all the
[Sidenote: 1017.]
realme of England, in the yéere of our Lord 1017, in the seuentéenth
yeere of the emperour Henrie the second, surnamed Claudus, in the
twentith yéere of the reigne of Robert king of France, and about the 7
yeere of Malcolme king of Scotland. Cnute shortlie after the death of
king Edmund, assembled a councell at London, in the which he caused
all the nobles of the realme to doo him homage, in receiuing an oth of
loiall obeisance. He diuided the realme into foure parts, assigning
Northumberland vnto the rule of Irke or Iricius, Mercia vnto Edrike,
and Eastangle vnto Turkill, and reseruing the west part to his owne
gouernance. He banished (as before is said) Edwin, the brother of king
Edmund; but such as were suspected to be culpable of Edmunds death, he
caused to be put to execution: whereby it should appeere, that Edrike
was not then in anie wise detected or once thought to be giltie.
[Sidenote: _Wil. Malm._]
[Sidenote: _Ran. Higd._]
[Sidenote: King of churles.]
[Sidenote: _Wil. Malm._]
The said Edwin afterwards returned, and was then reconciled to the
kings fauor (as some write) but shortlie after traitorouslie slaine by
his owne seruants. He was called the king of churles. Others write,
that he came secretlie into the realme after he had béene banished,
and kéeping himselfe closelie out of sight, at length ended his life,
and was buried at Tauestocke. Moreouer, Edwin and Edward the sonnes of
[Sidenote: _Ran. Higd._]
king Edmund were banished the land, and sent first vnto Sweno king of
Norweie to haue bin made away: but Sweno vpon remorse of conscience
sent them into Hungarie, where they found great fauor at the hands of
king Salomon, insomuch that Edwin maried the daughter of the same
Salomon, but had no issue by hir. Edward was aduanced to marie with
Agatha, daughter of the emperour Henrie, and by hir had issue two
sonnes, Edmund and Edgar surnamed Edeling, and as many daughters,
Margaret and Christine, of the which in place conuenient more shall be
said.
[Sidenote: _Polydor._]
[Sidenote: King Cnute maried to quéene Emma the widow of Egelred,
in Iulie, anno. 1017.]
When king Cnute had established things, as he thought stood most for
his suertie, he called to his remembrance, that he had no issue but
two bastard sonnes Harold and Sweno, begotten of his concubine Alwine.
Wherefore he sent ouer to Richard duke of Normandie, requiring to haue
quéene Emma, the widow of king Egelred in mariage, and so obteined
hir, not a little to the woonder of manie, which thought a great
ouersight both in the woman and in hir brother, that would satisfie
[Sidenote: _Polydor._]
the request of Cnute herein, considering he had béene such a mortall
enimie to hir former husband. But duke Richard did not onelie consent,
that his said sister should be maried vnto Cnute, but also he himselfe
tooke to wife the ladie Hestritha, sister to the said Cnute.
¶ Here ye haue to vnderstand, that this mariage was not made without
[Sidenote: The couenants made at the mariage betwixt Cnute and Emma.]
great consideration & large couenants granted on the part of king
Cnute: for before he could obteine queene Emma to his wife, it was
fullie condescended & agréed, that after Cnuts decease, the crowne of
England should remaine to the issue borne of this mariage betwixt hir
& Cnute, which couenant although it was not performed immediatlie
after the deceasse of king Cnute, yet in the end it tooke place, so as
the right séemed to be deferred, and not to be taken away nor
abolished: for immediatlie vpon Harolds death that had vsurped,
Hardicnute succéeded as right heire to the crowne, by force of the
agréement made at the time of the mariage solemnized betwixt his
father and mother, and being once established in the kingdome, he
ordeined his brother Edward to succéed him, whereby the Danes were
vtterlie excluded from all right that they had to pretend vnto the
[Sidenote: The English bloud restored.]
[Sidenote: The praise of quéene Emma for hir wisdome.]
crowne of this land, and the English bloud restored thereto, chieflie
by that gratious conclusion of this mariage betwixt king Cnute and
quéene Emma. For the which no small praise was thought to be due vnto
the said quéene, sith by hir politike gouernement, in making hir match
so beneficiall to hir selfe and hir line, the crowne was thus
recouered out of the hands of the Danes, and restored againe in time
[Sidenote: _Encomium Emmæ._]
to the right heire, as by an auncient treatise which some haue
intituled "Encomium Emmæ," and was written in those daies, it dooth
and may appeare. Which booke although there be but few copies thereof
abroad, giueth vndoubtedlie great light to the historie of that time.
[Sidenote: _Matth. West._]
But now to our purpose. Cnute the same yeare in which he was thus
maried, through persuasion of his wife quéene Emma, sent awaie the
Danish nauie and armie home into Denmarke, giuing to them fourescore
and two thousand pounds of siluer, which was leuied throughout this
[Sidenote: _Wil. Malm._]
[Sidenote: 1018.]
land for their wages. In the yeare 1018, Edrike de Streona earle of
Mercia was ouerthrowen in his owne turne: for being called before the
king into his priuie chamber, and there in reasoning the matter about
some quarrell that was picked to him, he began verie presumptuouslie
to vpbraid the king of such pleasures as he had before time doone vnto
him; "I did (said he) for the loue which I bare towards you, forsake
my souereigne lord king Edmund, and at length for your sake slue him."
At which words Cnute began to change countenance, as one maruellouslie
abashed, and straightwaies gaue sentence against Edrike in this wise;
"Thou art woorthie (saith he) of death, and die thou shalt, which art
guiltie of treason both towards God and me, sith that thou hast slaine
thine own souereigne lord, and my déere alied brother. Thy bloud
therefore be vpon thine owne head, sith thy toong hath vttered thy
treason." And immediatlie he caused his throat to be cut, and his
bodie to be throwen out at the chamber window into the riuer of
[Sidenote: Edrike put to death.]
Thames. ¶ But others say, that hands were laid vpon him in the verie
same chamber or closet where he murdered the king, & straightwaies to
preuent all causes of tumults & hurlieburlies, he was put to death
with terrible torments of fierbrands & links; which execution hauing
passed vpon him, a second succeeded; for both his féet were bound
together, and his bodie drawne through the streets of the citie, & in
fine cast into a common ditch called Houndsditch; for that the
citizens threw their dead dogs and stinking carrion with other filth
into it, accounting him worthie of a worse rather than of a better
buriall. In such hatred was treason had, being a vice which the verie
infidels and grosse pagans abhorred, else would they not haue said,
_Proditionem amo, proditorem odi_; Treason I loue, but a traitor I
hate. This was the end of Edrike, surnamed de Stratten or Streona, a
man of great infamie for his craftie dissimulation, falshood and
treason, vsed by him to the ouerthrow of the English estate, as
partlie before is touched.
[Sidenote: _Simon Dun._]
[Sidenote: _Encomium Emmæ._]
But there be that concerning the cause of this Edriks death, séeme
partlie to disagrée from that which before is recited, declaring that
Cnute standing in some doubt to be betraied through the treason of
Edrike, sought occasion how to rid him and others (whome he
mistrusted) out of the way. And therefore on a day when Edrike craued
some preferment at Cnuts hands, & said that he had deserued to be well
thought of, sith by his flight from the battell at Ashendon, the
victorie therby inclined to Cnutes part: Cnute hearing him speake
these words, made this answere: "And canst thou (quoth he) be true to
me, that through fraudulent meanes diddest deceiue thy soùereigne lord
and maister? But I will reward thée according to thy deserts, so as
from henceforth thou shalt not deceiue anie other," and so forthwith
commanded Erike one of his chiefe capteines to dispatch him, who
incontinentlie cut off his head with his axe or halbert. Verelie Simon
Dunelmensis saith, that K. Cnute vnderstanding in what sort both king
Egelred, and his sonne king Edmund Ironside had béene betraied by the
said Edrike, stood in great doubt to be likewise deceiued by him, and
therefore was glad to haue some pretended quarell, to dispatch both
him and others, whome he likewise mistrusted, as it well appeared. For
at the same time there were put to death with Edrike earle Norman the
sonne of earle Leofwin, and brother to earle Leofrike: also Adelward
the sonne of earle Agelmare and Brightrike the sonne of Alfegus
gouernor of Deuonshire, without all guilt or cause (as some write.)
And in place of Norman, his brother Leofrike was made earle of Mercia
by the king, and had in great fauour. This Leofrike is commonlie also
by writers named earle of Chester. After this, Cnute likewise banished
Iric and Turkill, two Danes, the one (as before is recited) gouernor
of Northumberland, and the other of Northfolke and Suffolke or
Eastangle.
Then rested the whole rule of the realme in the kings hands, wherevpon
he studied to preserue the people in peace, and ordeined lawes,
according to the which both Danes and Englishmen should be gouerned in
equall state and degrée. Diuers great lords whome he found vnfaithfull
[Sidenote: _Hen. Hunt._]
[Sidenote: Lords put to death.]
or rather suspected, he put to death (as before ye haue heard) beside
[Sidenote: A taxe raised.]
such as he banished out of the realme. He raised a tax or tribute of
the people, amounting to the summe of fourescore & two thousand
pounds, besides 11000 pounds, which the Londoners paid towards the
maintenance of the Danish armie. But whereas these things chaunced not
all at one time, but in sundrie seasons, we will returne somewhat
backe to declare what other exploits were atchiued in the meane time
by Cnute, not onelie in England, but also in Denmarke, and elsewhere:
admonishing the reader in the processe of the discourse following,
that much excellent matter is comprehended, whereout (if the same be
studiouslie read and diligentlie considered) no small profit is to be
reaped, both for the augmentation of his owne knowledge and others
that be studious.
* * * * *
_Cnute saileth into Denmarke to subdue the Vandals, earle Goodwins
good seruice with the English against the said Vandals, and what
benefit accrewed vnto the Englishmen by the said good seruice, he
returneth into England after the discomfiture of the enimie, he
saileth ouer againe into Denmarke and incountreth with the Sweideners,
the occasion of this warre or incounter taken by Olauus, his hard hap,
vnluckie fortune, and wofull death wrought by the hands of his owne
vnnaturall subiects; Cnuts confidence in the Englishmen, his deuout
voiage to Rome, his returne into England, his subduing of the Scots,
his death and interrement._