Cnut

Military Power and Taxation

Cnut's hybrid rule relied on traditional English administration backed by overwhelming Viking military force. To pay off his massive invasion fleet of 160 ships in 1018, Cnut levied the largest Danegeld in English history.

The total tax collected was £82,500. This was broken down into:

• £72,000 extracted from the whole of England.
• £10,500 paid specifically by the city of London.

Once the fleet was paid off, Cnut kept a small, elite standing army of 3,000 to 4,000 professional Viking soldiers known as Housecarls. He also maintained a permanent naval fleet of between 40 and 60 ships. To fund this permanent force, he introduced the Heregeld, an annual military tax that was essentially the first regular national tax in Europe.

Strategic Marriages and Dynastic Control

Marriage was a vital political tool for Cnut. In July 1017, he married Emma of Normandy, the widow of the previous English king, Aethelred the Unready.

• As Queen Consort, Emma provided immense "soft power". She linked Cnut to the historic Saxon royal line and neutralised the threat from Normandy by preventing the Norman court from supporting her sons by Aethelred.
• Cnut also maintained a previous union, forged More Danico (according to Danish custom), with Aelfgifu of Northampton.

Cnut used Aelfgifu and their son Swein as regents to rule Norway on his behalf between 1030 and 1035.

The Church as a Tool for Legitimacy

To secure the support of the literate English clergy, who ran his tax system, Cnut positioned himself as a devout Christian king.

• Cnut engaged in visible acts of Penance, such as a six-mile barefoot pilgrimage to the shrine of St Cuthbert in Durham.
• He patronised religious sites, building a stone church at Assandun in 1020 and presenting a large golden cross to the New Minster in Winchester.
• In 1027, Cnut travelled to Rome for the coronation of the Holy Roman Emperor. He successfully negotiated a reduction in the cost of the Pallium for English archbishops and secured lower tolls for English merchants and pilgrims.

Controlling Denmark and Norway

Cnut's control over his Scandinavian realms was maintained through military dominance and English wealth.

• In 1026, Cnut’s joint Anglo-Danish fleet defeated a combined Norwegian and Swedish force at the Battle of Helgeå.
• He conquered Norway in 1028 not just with ships, but by using English silver to bribe local magnates into betraying their king.
• Cnut relied on regents like Ulf Jarl (Denmark) and Aelfgifu (Norway). However, Aelfgifu’s harsh laws and heavy taxes in Norway sparked resentment, leading to the collapse of Danish rule there by Cnut’s death in 1035.