One of the chief problems has been where to begin the narrative. To begin in the conventional way with childhood, education, and the rest is not practicable when the place and the year of birth are unknown and the forms and influences of early training are matters of inference and conjecture. At the same time it was found impossible to separate the man from his time, from the great activities that were going on in the lands about the North Sea, and from the purposes of the dynasty that he belonged to. Before it is possible to give an intelligent account of how Canute led the viking movement to successful conquest, some account must be given of the movement itself. The first chapter and a part of the second consequently have to deal with matters introductory to and preparatory for Canute's personal career, which began in 1012.
In the writing of proper names the author has planned to use modern forms whenever such exist; he has therefore written Canute, though his preference is for the original form Cnut. King Ethelred's by-name, "Redeless," has been translated "Ill-counselled," which is slightly nearer the original meaning than "unready"; "uncounselled" would scarcely come nearer, as the original seems rather to imply inability to distinguish good from bad counsel.
In the preparation of the study assistance has been received from many sources; especially is the author under obligation to the libraries of the Universities of Illinois, Chicago, Wisconsin, and Iowa, and of Harvard University; he is also indebted to his colleagues Dean E.B. Greene, Professor G.S. Ford, and Professor G.T. Flom, of the University of Illinois, for assistance in the form of critical reading of the manuscript.
L.M.L.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill., 1911.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
[THE HERITAGE OF CANUTE THE GREAT]
CHAPTER II
[THE CONQUEST OF ENGLAND—1003-1013]
CHAPTER III
[THE ENGLISH REACTION AND THE NORSE REVOLT—1014-1016]
CHAPTER IV
[THE STRUGGLE WITH EDMUND IRONSIDE—1016]
CHAPTER V
[THE RULE OF THE DANES IN ENGLAND—1017-1020]
CHAPTER VI
[THE BEGINNINGS OF EMPIRE—1019-1025]
CHAPTER VII
[CANUTE AND THE ENGLISH CHURCH—1017-1026]
CHAPTER VIII
[THE TWILIGHT OF THE GODS]
CHAPTER IX
[CANUTE AND THE NORWEGIAN CONSPIRACY—1023-1026]
CHAPTER X
[THE BATTLE OF HOLY RIVER AND THE PILGRIMAGE TO ROME—1026-1027]
CHAPTER XI
[THE CONQUEST OF NORWAY—1028-1030]
CHAPTER XII
[THE EMPIRE OF THE NORTH]
CHAPTER XIII
[NORTHERN CULTURE IN THE DAYS OF CANUTE]
CHAPTER XIV
[THE LAST YEARS—1031-1035]
CHAPTER XV
[THE COLLAPSE OF THE EMPIRE—1035-1042]
[APPENDICES]
[BIBLIOGRAPHY]
[INDEX]