North Sea Empire

North Sea Empire
Nordsøimperiet (Danish)
Nordsjøveldet (Norwegian)
1013–1042
Map of northwest Europe with darkened region representing the largest extent of the North Sea Empire: includes southern Norway, Denmark (including extreme southern Sweden), most of England, and part of southern Scotland
The dominions of Cnut the Great. (The Norwegian (now Swedish) lands of Jämtland, Härjedalen, Idre and Särna are not included in this map.)
StatusPersonal union of Denmark, Norway and England
CapitalRibe, Denmark
Common languagesOld Norse, Old English
Religion
Christianity, Norse paganism
GovernmentPersonal union monarchy
King 
• 1013–1014
Sweyn Forkbeard
• 1016–1035
Cnut the Great
• 1040–1042
Harthacnut
Historical eraViking Age
• Sweyn Forkbeard conquers England
1013
1016
1018
1026
• Death of Harthacnut
1042
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Kingdom of Denmark
Kingdom of Norway
Kingdom of England
Danelaw
Kingdom of Denmark
Kingdom of Norway
Kingdom of England

The North Sea Empire, also known as the Anglo-Scandinavian Empire, was the personal union of the kingdoms of England, Denmark[a] and Norway for most of the period between 1013 and 1042 towards the end of the Viking Age.[1] This ephemeral Norse-ruled empire was a thalassocracy, its components only connected by and dependent upon the sea.[2]

The first king to unite all three kingdoms was Sweyn Forkbeard, king of Denmark since 986 and of Norway since 1000, when he conquered England in 1013. He died in the following year, and his realm was divided. His son Cnut the Great acquired England in 1016, Denmark in 1018 and Norway in 1028. He died in 1035 and his realm was again divided, but his successor in Denmark, Harthacnut, inherited England in 1040 and ruled it until his death in 1042. At the height of his power, when Cnut ruled all three kingdoms (1028–1035), he was the most powerful ruler in western Europe after the Holy Roman Emperor.[b]


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  1. ^ Boldt, Andreas D. (2017). Historical Mechanisms: An Experimental Approach to Applying Scientific Theories to the Study of History. Routledge. pp. 125, 196.
  2. ^ Murphy, Terence R. (1998). Magill, F. N. (ed.). Canute the Great. Vol. 2: The Middle Ages. Routledge. pp. 201–205. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  3. ^ Larson, Laurence Marcellus (1912). Canute the Great: 995 – c. 1035 and the Rise of Danish Imperialism During the Viking Age. New York: Putnam. p. 257. OCLC 223097613.