During this time Canute the Great, called by some Canute the Old,
was king of England and Denmark. Canute the Great was a son of
Svein Haraldson Forkedbeard, whose forefathers, for a long course
of generations, had ruled over Denmark. Harald Gormson, Canute's
grandfather, had conquered Norway after the fall of Harald Grafeld,
Gunhild's son, had taken scat from it, and had placed Earl Hakon the
Great to defend the country. The Danish King, Svein Haraldson, ruled
also over Norway, and placed his son-in-law Earl Eirik, the son of Earl
Hakon, to defend the country. The brothers Eirik and Svein, Earl Hakon's
sons, ruled the land until Earl Eirik went west to England, on the
invitation of his brother-in-law Canute the Great, when he left behind
his son Earl Hakon, sister's son of Canute the Great, to govern Norway.
But when Olaf the Thick came first to Norway, as before related, he took
prisoner Earl Hakon the son of Eirik, and deposed him from the kingdom.
Then Hakon proceeded to his mother's brother, Canute the Great, and had
been with him constantly until the time to which here in our saga we
have now come. Canute the Great had conquered England by blows and
weapons, and had a long struggle before the people of the land were
subdued. But when he had set himself perfectly firm in the government of
the country, he remembered that he also had right to a kingdom which he
had not brought under his authority; and that was Norway. He thought he
had hereditary right to all Norway; and his sister's son Hakon, who had
held a part of it, appeared to him to have lost it with disgrace. The
reason why Canute and Hakon had remained quiet with respect to their
claims upon Norway was, that when King Olaf Haraldson landed in Norway
the people and commonalty ran together in crowds, and would hear of
nothing but that Olaf should be king over all the country, although some
afterwards, who thought that the people upon account of his power had
no self-government left to them, went out of the country. Many powerful
men, or rich bondes sons, had therefore gone to Canute the Great, and
pretended various errands; and every one who came to Canute and desired
his friendship was loaded with presents. With Canute, too, could be
seen greater splendour and pomp than elsewhere, both with regard to the
multitude of people who were daily in attendance, and also to the other
magnificent things about the houses he owned and dwelt in himself.
Canute the Great drew scat and revenue from the people who were the
richest of all in northern lands; and in the same proportion as he had
greater revenues than other kings, he also made greater presents than
other kings. In his whole kingdom peace was so well established, that
no man dared break it. The people of the country kept the peace towards
each other, and had their old country law: and for this he was greatly
celebrated in all countries. And many of those who came from Norway
represented their hardships to Earl Hakon, and some even to King Canute
himself; and that the Norway people were ready to turn back to the
government of King Canute, or Earl Hakon, and receive deliverance from
them. This conversation suited well the earl's inclination, and he
carried it to the king, and begged of him to try if King Olaf would not
surrender the kingdom, or at least come to an agreement to divide it;
and many supported the earl's views.