File:Sweyn Forkbeard coin.jpg|thumb|A coin of Swein Forkbeard, minted in 995; this is the earliest known coin with a Latin inscription minted in Scandinavia, based on Anglo-Saxon models and made by an English moneyer (obv.:
ZVEN REX AD DENER "Sven, king of [or among] the Danes", rev.:
GOD-WINE M-AN D-NER "Godwine, moneyer among the Danes").
Adam of Bremen's 11th-century
Deeds of the Bishops of Hamburg, and
Snorri Sturluson's 13th-century
Heimskringla. Conflicting accounts of Swein's later life also appear in the
Encomium Emmae Reginae, an 11th-century Latin
encomium in honour of his son king Cnut's queen
Emma of Normandy, along with
Chronicon ex chronicis by
Florence of Worcester, another 11th-century author. According to
Adam of Bremen, Swein was the son of Harald Bluetooth and a woman named "Gunhild". When Harald converted to Christianity, Swein was baptised "Otto" (in honour of German king
Otto I). Swein married the widow of
Erik, king of Sweden, named "Gunhild" in some sources, or identified as an unnamed sister of
Boleslaus, ruler of Poland. Adam's account is thus not seen as entirely reliable; the claimed 14 years' exile of Swein to Scotland does not seem to agree with Swein's building churches in Denmark throughout the same period, including the churches in
Lund and
Roskilde. According to Adam, Swein was punished by God for leading the uprising which led to king Harald's death, and had to spend fourteen years abroad (i.e. 986–1000). The historicity of this exile, or its duration, is uncertain. Adam writes that Swein was shunned by all those with whom he sought refuge, but was finally allowed to live for a while in Scotland. Adam also suggests that Swein in his youth lived among heathens, and only achieved success as a ruler after accepting Christianity.
Battle of Svolder according to
Heimskringla: The red area was under direct Danish control, with Swein ruling it as a Danish extension.
Eiríkr Hákonarson ruled the purple area as a fiefdom from Swein Forkbeard. The yellow area was under
Sveinn Hákonarson, his half-brother, held as a fief of
Olof Skötkonung, the Swedish king.
Harald Bluetooth had already established a foothold in Norway, controlling
Viken in . He may have lost control over his Norwegian claims following his defeat against a German army in 974. Swein built an alliance with Swedish king
Olof Skötkonung and
Eirik Hákonarson,
Jarl of Lade, against Norwegian king
Olaf Tryggvason. The
Kings' sagas ascribe the causes of the alliance to Olaf Tryggvason's ill-fated marriage proposal to
Sigrid the Haughty and his problematic marriage to
Thyri, sister of Swein Forkbeard. According to the sagas, Sigrid pushed Swein into war with Olaf because Olaf had slapped her. The allies attacked and defeated king Olaf in the western
Baltic Sea when he was sailing home from an expedition, in the
Battle of Svolder, fought in September 999 or 1000. The victors divided Norway among them. According to the account of the
Heimskringla, Swein regained direct control of
Viken district. King
Olof of Sweden received four districts in
Trondheim as well as
Møre,
Romsdal and
Rånrike (the
Fagrskinna, by contrast, says that the Swedish part consisted of
Oppland and a part of Trondheim). He gave these to his son in law, Jarl
Svein Hákonarson, to hold as a vassal. The rest of Norway was ruled by Eirik Hákonarson as King Svein's vassal. The Jarls Eirik and Svein proved strong, competent rulers, and their reign was prosperous. Most sources say that they adopted Christianity but allowed the people religious freedom, leading to a backlash against Christianity which undid much of
Olaf Tryggvason's missionary work.
Religion Swein apparently recruited priests and bishops from England, in preference to the
Archbishopric of Bremen. In part, this reflected the fact that there were numerous Christian priests of Danish origin in the
Danelaw, while Swein had few personal connections to Germany. Swein's preference for the English church may also have had a political motive, because German bishops were an integral part of the state. It has been suggested that Swein was seeking to pre-empt any diminution of his independence by German leaders. This may have been a reason for Adam of Bremen's apparent hostility in his accounts of Swein; by accentuating English ecclesiastical influence in his kingdom, Swein was effectively spurning the Archbishop of Bremen.
Invasions of England The "
Chronicle of John of Wallingford" (c. 1225–1250) records Swein's involvement in raids against
England during 1002–1005, 1006–1007 and 1009–1012. According to Ashley (1998), Swein's invasion was partly motivated by the
St Brice's Day Massacre in November 1002, where Danes in England were massacred under orders from
Æthelred the Unready, in which Swein's sister and brother-in-law are said to have been killed, but Lund (2001) argues that the main motivation for the raids was more likely the prospect of revenue. Swein campaigned in Wessex and East Anglia in 1003–1004, but a famine forced him to return to Denmark in 1005. Further raids took place in 1006–1007, and in 1009–1012
Thorkell the Tall led a Viking invasion into England.
Simon Keynes regards it as uncertain whether Swein supported these invasions, but "whatever the case, he was quick to exploit the disruption caused by the activities of Thorkell's army". The medieval
Peterborough Chronicle (part of the
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle) states: before the month of August came king Swein with his fleet to
Sandwich. He went very quickly about
East Anglia into the
Humber's mouth, and so upward along the
Trent till he came to
Gainsborough.
Earl Uchtred and all
Northumbria quickly bowed to him, as did all the people of the
Kingdom of Lindsey, then the people of the
Five Boroughs. He was given hostages from each
shire. When he understood that all the people had submitted to him, he bade that his force should be provisioned and horsed; he went south with the main part of the invasion force, while some of the invasion force, as well as the hostages, were with his son Cnut. After he came over
Watling Street, they went to
Oxford, and the town-dwellers soon bowed to him, and gave hostages. From there they went to
Winchester, and the people did the same, then eastward to
London. But the Londoners put up a strong resistance, because King Æthelred and
Thorkell the Tall, a Viking leader who had defected to Æthelred, personally held their ground against him in London itself. Swein then went west to
Bath, where the western thanes submitted to him and gave hostages. The Londoners then followed suit, fearing Swein's revenge if they resisted any longer. King Æthelred sent his sons
Edward and
Alfred to Normandy, and himself spent Christmas on the
Isle of Wight, and then followed them into exile. having ruled England for only five weeks. Swein's cause of death is unknown. Some theorise that he was killed, whereas other sources say he died after falling off a horse. His embalmed body was returned to Denmark for burial in the church he had built. Tradition locates this church in
Roskilde, but it is more plausible that it was actually located in
Lund in Scania (now part of Sweden).
Aftermath Swein's elder son,
Harald II, succeeded him as King of Denmark, while his younger son,
Cnut, was proclaimed King of England by the people of the Danelaw. However, the English nobility sent for Æthelred, who upon his return from exile in Normandy in early 1014 managed to drive Cnut out of England. Cnut soon returned and became king of all England in 1016, following the deaths of Æthelred and his son
Edmund Ironside; he succeeded his brother as King of Denmark in 1019 and eventually also ruled Norway, parts of Sweden,
Pomerania and
Schleswig. Cnut and his sons,
Harold Harefoot and
Harthacnut, ruled England over a combined 26-year period (1016–1042). After Harthacnut's death, the English throne reverted to the House of Wessex under Æthelred's younger son
Edward the Confessor (reigned 1042–1066). Swein's daughter,
Estrid Svendsdatter, was the mother of King
Sweyn II of Denmark. Her descendants continue to
reign in Denmark to this day. ==Issue==