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The only legend which exists today about Cnut is of the arrogant fool attempting to turn the tide. Legends are notoriously fickle and give us an utterly distorted view of one of the greatest kings of Medieval Europe. If the waves incident happened at all, it was an act of humility by Cnut to remind flatterers that only God had such power.
An equally false image among historians is of the Viking thug made good. Cnut was born into an age at once harsher and more naïve than ours, where miracles happened and complex politics was decided with the sword. This, the first full biography of Cnut for some time, charts the rise of the Viking warlord to become king of England and of Norway, Denmark and much of Sweden. He was a master of political intrigue, a general of brilliance and holds the same place in European history as Charlemagne or Alfred.
It is Cnut’s tragedy today that his memory has been eclipsed by another conqueror, William of Normandy. Cnut’s own family did not survive and his northern empire disappeared into the welter of European realpolitik which followed 1066. It is no exaggeration to reflect that in these days of counter-factual history, the place of Britain in world affairs would have been, had Cnut’s heirs thrived, very different.
book reviews
- Weekend Mail
This is a good rehabilitation job on an important figure from history. South Wales Argus The truth behind the man and his amazing achievements – becoming the second most powerful man in Europe behind the holy Roman Emperor – is graphically told in this enlightening book. Brimming with facts but without being weighty, Cnut is a lively guide to a time when myths and legends all too easily muddied the waters of what was and was not the truth surrounding the history of this land of ours. - Good Book Guide
"...this compelling biography... " Dorset Echo Trow resurrects Cnut’s achievements, bringing to life the tumult of 11th century England with its wooded shires, shifting allegiances and sudden murders. A neat piece of detection with many surprises.
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