Most Danes know that the official line of Danish kings begins with Gorm the Old, the father of renowned king Harald Bluetooth, who ruled Denmark in the 950s. In reality it ought to start with Harthacnut, his father. Look up monarch in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Gorm the Old (Gorm den Gamle) was King of Denmark in the mid-900s. ... Harold Bluetooth Gormson (Danish: Harald Blåtand, Old Norse: Haraldr blátönn, Norwegian: Harald Blåtann, German: Harald Blauzahn), d. ...

In the 890s Denmark was conquered by Swedes and king Helge was deposed by Olaf who founded the House of Olaf in Denmark. According to clergyman Adam of Bremen, who came from Germany to record the history of the Archbishop of Bremen and was allowed to "interview" king Sweyn Estridsson, Olaf and two or more of his sons took the realm "by weapons and violence". When Olaf died, two of his sons seem to have ruled simultaneously, and around 915 a son of Olaf's son Gnupa and Danish noblewoman Asfrid became king. This young man, whose name was Sigtrygg, is remembered on two runestones erected by his mother after his death. Olaf was according to the Danish king Sweyn Estridson and Adam of Bremen a Swedish chieftain who conquered Denmark in the early 10th century, and founded the House of Olaf. ... House of Olaf was a Swedish dynasty which ruled Denmark in the early 10th century. ... see also Holy Orders The following terms have traditional meanings for the Anglican Church, and possibly beyond: A churchman is in principle a member of a church congregation, in practice someone in holy orders. ... Adam of Bremen (also: Adam Bremensis) was one of the most important German medieval chroniclers. ... The Archbishopric of Bremen was an ecclesiastical state in the Holy Roman Empire. ... Coin struck for Sweyn II of Denmark, ca. ... Gyrd and Gnupa were kings of Denmark in the 10th century according to Sweyn II of Denmark and Adam of Bremen. ... Sigtrygg Gnupasson was a king of Denmark of the Swedish House of Olaf who ruled in the 10th century according to Adam of Bremen and Sweyn II of Denmark. ... A rune stone Rune stones are somewhat flat standing stones with runic stone carvings from the Iron Age (Viking Age) and early middle ages found in most parts of Scandinavia. ...

And this is where Harthacnut enters the picture. Probably born in the 880s, he was either the son of an otherwise unknown "Sweyn", or, as presented by Ragnarssona þáttr, of the semi-mythic viking chieftain Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye, himself one of the sons of the legendary Ragnar Lodbrok. It has also been suggested that Harthacnut was a grandson of Sigurd rather than a son; both claims are impossible to verify. Ragnarssona þáttr, Þáttr af Ragnars sonum or the Tale of Ragnars sons is a short story on Ragnar Lodbrok and his sons. ... The term Viking commonly denotes the ship-borne explorers, traders, and warriors of the Norsemen (literally, men from the north) who originated in Scandinavia and raided the coasts of the British Isles, France and other parts of Europe as far east as the Volga River in Russia from the late... This article is about the leader. ... Sigurd Snake-in-the-eye was one of the sons of Ragnar Lodbrok and Kraka, but what set him apart from the others was that he was born with the image of the ouroborous, a snake or dragon biting its own tail, encircling the pupil of his left eye. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Adam says that Harthacnut (Danish: Hardeknud) came from "Northmannia", the "land of the Northmen", by which he may mean either Norway or Normandy, which had recently been colonized by Danish vikings. But it is also likely that Harthacnut was brought up in the Danelaw territories in East Anglia. Flag of Normandy Normandy (in French: Normandie, and in Norman: Normaundie) is a geographical region in northern France. ... Green: Danelaw The Danelaw (from the Old English Dena lagu, Danish: Danelagen ) is an 11th century name for an area of northern and eastern England under the administrative control of the Vikings (or Danes, or Norsemen) from the late 9th century. ... Norfolk and Suffolk, the core area of East Anglia. ...

He must have been a full-grown man with a certain reputation when he came (back?) to Denmark around 916, and according to Adam and his star witness king Sweyn, Harthacnut immediately deposed the young king Sigtrygg. This happened "in the last days of archbishop Hoger", says Adam, and Hoger died around 917. Harthacnut then ruled unopposed for approximately thirty years, and while some researchers have used a somewhat dubious single source, the Saxon chronicles of Widukind, to establish that Sigtrygg's father Gnupa was still king in 934 when the Danes had an altercation with German king Heinrich, there can be little doubt that the king who was supposedly forced to pay a tribute to the German ruler was in fact Harthacnut. Claims that king Heinrich I forced the "heathen" Danish king to be baptized are almost certainly erroneous. Widukind or Wittekind was a Saxon leader, duke of Saxony and one of the heads of the nobility of Westphalia. ...

In 948, the archbishop of Bremen appointed three bishops to Denmark, and that probably signifies a change in government...Harthacnut is usually portrayed as indifferent or hostile towards Christianity, and while that may only be the church's interpretation, it seems likely that a new and more open-minded king had ascended to the throne around 947 or 948. Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament. ...

The only primary source about Harthacnut of Denmark are two clauses from Adam of Bremen (1,52 and 1,55). 1,52 says king Sveins son, Hardegon in the oldest manuscript which was later changed to king Sveins son, Harthacnut. 1,55 says Hardecnudth Vurm, a double name not uncommon in that era, later changed to Hardecnudths son, Vurm. The "interview" by king Sweyn Estridsson is fiction.^[1] Coin struck for Sweyn II of Denmark, ca. ...

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