Canute the Great, Viking Emperor of the North

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^{Canute the Great, Danish king of England, Denmark and Norway, attends the coronation of Conrad II as Holy Roman Emperor in 1027.}

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For more than 200 years we have had to endure being called barbarians and murderers. Anglo-Saxon histories refer to us as the Visingas or Vikings. “thieves of the sea”, who raided the coasts and spread terror Among farmers, artisans and monks, who were dedicated to robbing and raping their women.

But today, one of the descendants of this line of “robbers of the North” sits with the main civil and church officials invited by the emperor to his coronation in Rome. The emperors themselves, the Pope and the princes of Europe acknowledge me as another sovereignWho acquired for himself the whole of Denmark and Norway, whose territory now extended to the island of Great Britain in the west.

Not bad for the rugged farmers and sailors of the cold, hostile land, who lived in subjugation on the northern margins of the Roman Empire for centuries.

Since at the beginning of time Odin and his brothers created Midgard – the home of man – and breathed life into Ask and Embla, the fathers of humanity, Scandinavian ancestors have lived a communal life on their farms amid steep hills and dense forests.

These herders and farmers adapted to the adverse climate He became a courageous warrior and an excellent sailor. Who turned their territories into small kingdoms ruled by leaders who sent fearsome maritime expeditions in search of wealth and slaves to sell or use on their Nordic farms.

Our presence in Great Britain continues Since in 793 three ships arrived at the island of Lindisfarne and among them came a group of brave “people of the North”, who sacked the monastery, killing the monks present there or taking them back with them as slaves.

In the next decades, The lands settled by the Anglo-Saxons were the main object of Norse raids, but far from the only one. The territories of the successor states of Charlemagne’s empire also came under attack and many of its cities, such as Paris, were attacked and destroyed on several occasions. In a display of weakness, Charles the Simple had to cede the core territory of the Duchy of Normandy to the Normans. A few years ago, a powerful Danish fleet Attacked cities such as Seville or Cordoba in Al-Andalus and crossed the Strait of Gibraltar Penetrating the Mediterranean Sea to the shores of Italy.

it is not surprising The terror that these pagan warriors caused in Christian history. From there the word Viking was born as a synonym for pirate, rapist and slave, which we have had to endure for generations.

Thanks to all this plunder and wealth gained from the slave trade in Denmark and other Nordic regions Small states were organized that gradually they brought together all the power Around the same person.

This is how our nations were formed, like Denmark, Unified by my grandfather Harald Blue Tooth, a powerful ruler, warlike and good leader in battle, who had earned a great reputation due to the warrior activity inherent in the Nordic peoples. Harald made an important decision to unify his kingdom, beyond territorial conquest: He decided to embrace Christianity and his entire country with him.

Legend has it that after seeing how the German monk Popo held a red-hot iron in his hands without giving a single hint of pain and kept his hands intact even after he released it, Blue Tooth recognized the supremacy of Christianity. It is not my job to question the veracity of the stories of any faith. Which I myself devoutly accept, but I must admit that the conversion was very convenient for the control of a newly unified country, since its parishes and bishoprics served as authorities and transmission belts of the imperial will.

this is what the stories say Harald was not the most devout Christian, like the time he decided not to invade Iceland because a pagan wizard warned him that it was populated by all kinds of demonic creatures. still, He did not hesitate to impose the new sect with fire and blood.Having verified that their king and his nobles had refused to be baptized, they ravaged the shores of Norway, as my grandfather had demanded of them.

My father was Svend, after my grandfather died in a fraternal civil war against his own son Svend. The Kingdom of Denmark set its sights on Great Britain.

Divided into states that fought among themselves or formed alliances against each other, The island, settled by the Angles and Saxons centuries earlier, was an easy target. Its fertile coastal lands were unprotected and had been the target of Norwegian, Danish and Swedish expeditions for over a hundred years. Many Scandinavian leaders had permanent bases dedicated to trading, plundering, and putting themselves at the service of both sides, according to convenience (and economic reward) in each case.

Under my father’s command, they were called Forked Beards because of their large mustaches, which looked like a separate beard. I led several conquests against weaker English kingdoms From the Year 1000 to the Fall of London. After my father and his death I became king of England and completed the work started by my grandfather laid the foundation of a great empire without a crown Of which I am now the owner.

Now it is my turn to administer these vast territories as another Christian king, whose legitimacy has been blessed by God, just like the European sovereigns with whom I now interact, and who Only four generations ago they considered my people a band of barbarian pirates. In one hand the cross adopted by my grandfather, but in the other the sword that my ancestors brandished before me to subjugate the conquered territories with an iron fist and ensure that the legitimacy gained by arms remained in all these countries. Is accepted.

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