Cnut the Great Cnut (; ang, Cnut cyning; non, Knútr inn ríki ; or , no, Knut den mektige, sv, Knut den Store. died 12 November 1035), also known as Cnut the Great and Canute, was King of England from 1016, King of Denmark from 1018, and King of Norwa ...

has been depicted in a number of fictional works. *''Alfgar the Dane; or the Second Chronicle of Æscendune: a Tale of the Days of Edmund Ironside'' (1875) by Augustine David Crake. Depicts the struggle for supremacy over the English throne, from 1002 to 1018. Covering the reigns of

Æthelred the Unready Æthelred II ( ang, Æþelræd, ;Different spellings of this king’s name most commonly found in modern texts are "Ethelred" and "Æthelred" (or "Aethelred"), the latter being closer to the original Old English form . Compare the modern diale ...

Edmund Ironside Edmund Ironside (30 November 1016; , ; sometimes also known as Edmund II) was King of the English from 23 April to 30 November 1016. He was the son of King Æthelred the Unready and his first wife, Ælfgifu of York. Edmund's reign was marred by ...

, Sweyn Forkbeard, and Canute. The story is told in diary form by a fictional narrator. The main events take place in

Carisbrooke Carisbrooke is a village on the south western outskirts of Newport, Isle of Wight and is best known as the site of Carisbrooke Castle. It also has a medieval parish church. St Mary's Church (overlooking Carisbrooke High Street with views to the ...

Dorchester on Thames Dorchester on Thames (or Dorchester-on-Thames) is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about northwest of Wallingford and southeast of Oxford. The town is a few hundred yards from the confluence of the River Thames and River Thame. A c ...

Dorchester Abbey The Abbey Church of St Peter and St Paul, more usually called Dorchester Abbey, is a Church of England parish church in Dorchester on Thames, Oxfordshire, about southeast of Oxford. It was formerly a Norman abbey church and was built on the ...

, and

Abingdon Abbey Abingdon Abbey ( '' " St Mary's Abbey " '' ) was a Benedictine monastery located in the centre of Abingdon-on-Thames beside the River Thames. The abbey was founded c.675 AD in honour of The Virgin Mary. The Domesday Book of 1086 informs ...

.Baker (1914), p. 12Nield (1925), p. 25 *''The Ward of King Canute'' (1903) by Ottilie A. Liljencrantz. Covers events of the years 1016–1017, focusing on the final struggle between Canute and Edmund Ironside. The

Battle of Assandun The Battle of Assandun (or Essendune) was fought between Danish and English armies on 18 October 1016. There is disagreement whether Assandun may be Ashdon near Saffron Walden in north Essex, England, or, as long supposed and better evidenc ...

and its consequences are prominently featured.Baker (1914), p. 12Nield (1925), p. 25 *Cnut is featured in the historical novel ''A Hollow Crown: The Story of Emma, Queen of Saxon England'' (2004, also published as ''The Forever Queen'') by Helen Hollick. The protagonist is his wife

Emma of Normandy Emma of Normandy (referred to as Ælfgifu in royal documents; c. 984 – 6 March 1052) was a Norman-born noblewoman who became the English, Danish, and Norwegian queen through her marriages to the Anglo-Saxon king Æthelred the Unready and the ...

. It covers her life, including her marriage to Cnut.A Hollow Crown
*The story of

King Canute and the waves The story of King Canute and the tide is an apocryphal anecdote illustrating the piety or humility of King Canute the Great, recorded in the 12th century by Henry of Huntingdon. In the story, Canute demonstrates to his flattering courtiers th ...

is the subject of numerous paintings and has entered proverbial use. *The

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...

song " Can-Utility and the Coastliners" from the 1972 album '' Foxtrot'' relates the story of King Canute and the waves. "They told of one who tired of all singing Praise him, praise him / We heed not flatterers, he cried" *Canute appears in the Vinland Saga manga originally as a timid Danes prince with

bishōnen (; also transliterated ) is a Japanese term literally meaning "beautiful youth (boy)" and describes an aesthetic that can be found in disparate areas in East Asia: a young man of androgynous beauty. This word originated from the Tang dynas ...

traits, along with his strong Christianity. However, later on in the story, he develops a drastic personality change and becomes a strong ruler. His attempt to stop the waves of the sea is also featured, but in a different philosophical approach than the usual for the aforementioned legend.Vinland Saga, chapter 97

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* * {{Cultural depictions of English and British monarchs

Cnut the Great