SECOND son of Eric the Good, king of Denmark, was made duke of Sleswig,
his elder brother Nicholas being king of Denmark. Their father, who
lived with his people as a father with his children, and no one ever
left him without comfort, says the ancient chronicle Knytling-Saga, p.
71, died in Cyprus, going on a pilgrimage to the holy land, in which he
had been received by Alexius Comnenus, emperor, at Constantinople, with
the greatest honor, and had founded an hospital at Lucca for Danish
pilgrims. He died in 1103, on the 11th of July. Mallet, 1. 2, p. 112.
Canut set himself to make justice and peace reign in his principality:
those warriors could not easily be restrained from plundering. One day,
when he had condemned several together to be hanged for piracies, one
cried out, that he was of blood royal, and related to Canut. The prince
answered, that to honor his extraction, he should be hanged on the top
of the highest mast of his ship, which was executed. (Helmold, l. 6, c.
49) Henry, king of the Sclavi, being dead, and his two sons, St. Canut
his nephew succeeded, paid homage to the emperor Lothaire II. and was
crowned by him king of the Obotrites, or western Sclavi. St. Canut was
much honored by that emperor, in whose court he had spent part of his
youth. Valor, prudence, zeal, and goodness, endeared him to all. He was
slain by conspiracy of the jealous Danes, the 7th of January, 1130, and
canonized in 1171. His son became duke of Sleswig, and in 1158 king of
Denmark, called Valdemar I. and the Great, from his virtuous and
glorious actions.
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