| Canute IV | |
|---|---|
 Legendary painting of the death of Canute IV of Denmark in the Church of Saint Albanus | |
| King of Denmark | |
| Reign | 1080–1086 |
| Predecessor | Harald III |
| Successor | Olaf I |
| Born | c. 1042[1] |
| Died | 10 July 1086 St. Alban's Priory,Odense |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | Adela of Flanders |
| Issue | Charles I, Count of Flanders Cecilia Knutsdatter Ingegerd Knutsdatter |
| House | Estridsen |
| Father | Sweyn II of Denmark |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Canute IV (c. 1042 – 10 July 1086), later known asCanute the Holy (Danish:Knud IV den Hellige) orSaint Canute (Sankt Knud), wasKing of Denmark from 1080 until 1086. Canute was an ambitious king who sought to strengthen theDanish monarchy, devotedly supported theRoman Catholic Church, and had designs on theEnglish throne. Slain by rebels in 1086, he was the first Danish king to becanonized. He was recognized by the Roman Catholic Church aspatron saint of Denmark in 1101.
Canute was bornc. 1042, one of the many sons ofSweyn II Estridsson[1] by an unknown mistress. He is first noted as a member of Sweyn's1069 raid on England,[2] and theAnglo-Saxon Chronicle reports that Canute was one of the leaders of another raid against England in 1075. When returning from England in 1075, the Danish fleet stopped in theCounty of Flanders.[3] Because of its hostility towardsWilliam I of England, Flanders was a natural ally for the Danes. He also led successful campaigns to Sember and Ester, according toskald Kálfr Mánason.[2]
When Sweyn died, Canute's brotherHarald III was elected king, and as Canute went into exile inSweden,[2] he was possibly involved in the active opposition to Harald.[3] On 17 April 1080, Harald died,[4] and Canute succeeded him to the throne of Denmark. On his accession, he marriedAdela, daughter of CountRobert I of Flanders. They had one son,Charles, who was born in 1084, and twin daughtersCæcilia (who later married Erik Jarl) andIngerid (who later marriedFolke the Fat), who were born shortly before his death (ca. 1085/86).[2][5] Ingerid's descendants, theHouse of Bjälbo, would ascend to the throne of Sweden and Norway and Canute IV's blood returned to the Danish throne in the person ofOlaf II of Denmark.
Canute quickly proved himself to be a highly ambitious king as well as a devout one. He enhanced the authority of the church, and demanded austere observation of church holidays.[2] He gave large gifts to the churches inDalby,Odense,Roskilde, andViborg, and especially toLund.[2] Ever a champion of the Church, he sought to enforce the collection oftithes.[1] His aggrandizement of the church served to create a powerful ally, who in turn supported Canute's power position.[2]
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In May 1085, Canute wrote a letter of donation toLund Cathedral, which was under construction, granting it large tracts of land inScania,Zealand, andAmager.[6] He foundedLund Cathedral School at the same time.[2] Canute had gathered the land largely as pay for the pardon ofoutlawed subjects. The clerics at Lund got extendedprerogatives of the land, being able to tax and fine thepeasantry there. However, Canute kept his universalroyal rights topardon the outlaws, impose fines on subjects who failed to answer hisleding call to war, and demand transportation for hisretinue.[6]
His reign was marked by vigorous attempts to increase royal power in Denmark, by stifling thenobles and keeping them to the word of the law.[2] Canute issued edictsarrogating to himself the ownership ofcommon land, theright to the goods from shipwrecks, and the right to inherit the possessions of foreigners andkinless folk. He also issued laws to protect freedthralls as well as foreignclerics and merchants.[1] These policies led to discontent among his subjects, who were unaccustomed to a king claiming such powers and interfering in their daily lives.[2]
However, Canute's ambitions were not purely domestic. As the grandnephew ofCanute the Great, who had ruledEngland,Denmark andNorway until 1035, Canute considered the crown of England to be rightfully his and regardedWilliam I of England as ausurper. In 1085, with the support of his father-in-law, Count Robert, andOlaf III of Norway, Canute planned an invasion of England and called his fleet inleding at theLimfjord.[2] The fleet never set sail, as Canute was preoccupied inSchleswig by the potential threat ofHenry IV, Holy Roman Emperor with whom both Denmark and Flanders were on unfriendly terms. Canute feared an invasion by Henry, whose enemyHermann of Salm had sought refuge in Denmark.[2]
The warriors of the fleet, mostly made up of peasants who needed to be home for the harvest season, got weary of waiting and elected Canute's brother Olaf (the laterOlaf I of Denmark) to argue their case. That raised the suspicion of Canute, who had Olaf arrested and sent to Flanders. Theleding was eventually dispersed, and the peasants tended to their harvests.[2]
Before the fleet could reassemble, apeasant revolt broke out inVendsyssel,[1] where Canute was staying, in early 1086. Canute first fled to Schleswig and eventually toOdense. On 10 July 1086, Canute and his men took refuge inside the woodenSt. Alban's Priory, in Odense. The rebels stormed into the church and slew Canute, along with his brother Benedict and seventeen of their followers, before the altar.[1] According to the chroniclerÆlnoth of Canterbury, Canute died following alance thrust in theflank.[7] He was succeeded by Olaf asOlaf I of Denmark.
Because of hismartyrdom and advocacy of the Church, Canute quickly began to be considered a saint. Under the reign of Olaf, Denmark suffered from crop failure, which was seen asdivine retribution for thesacrilegious killing of Canute.Miracles were soon reported as taking place at his grave,[8] and his canonization was already being sought during the reign of Olaf.[1]
On 19 April 1101, persuaded by the envoys fromEric I of Denmark,Pope Paschal II confirmed the "cult of Canute" that had arisen, and King Canute IV was canonized.[6] He was the first Dane to be canonized.[1] 10 July is recognised by the Catholic Church as his feast day. In Sweden andFinland he is historically, however, partially associated withSt. Knut's Day, which in reality was celebrated in the memory of the death of hisnephew,Canute Lavard.[9][10]
In 1300, his remains and those of his brother Benedict were interred inSaint Canute's Cathedral, built in his honour, where his remains are on display.[1]
Canute was viewed as a martyr following his death and there were reports of miracles received through his intercession. Many people who made pilgrimages to his tomb in Odense were cured of illnesses and maladies.[11] As such his cult spread throughout Denmark. The English monk Aelnoth of Canterbury wrote his biography which helped spread devotion to him in England.[12] The Benedictine monastery at Odense served as the cult centre for Canute.[13] During the 1120s or 1130s devotion to the martyred king reached it's pinnacle in Denmark.[14] Among the evidence for the saints cult in Denmark he was depicted in Næstved Church with a beautiful statue and a screen with images illustrating his life, dating to the 15th century.
The reign of Canute has been interpreted differently through the times; from a violent king who tyrannized his subjects, to a strict but fair ruler who devotedly supported the Roman Catholic Church and fought for justice without regard to his own person.[3] He was never a thoroughly popular saint in Denmark, but his sainthood granted the Danish monarchy an aura ofdivine legitimacy.[1] The cause of the rebellion which killed Canute is unknown, but has been speculated as originating in fines issued to the peasants breaking theleding of 1085 as specified in theChronicon Roskildense, or as a result of his vigorous tithe policy.[3]
The document of his donation to Lund Cathedral was the oldest comprehensive text from Denmark, and provided broad insights into Danish post-Viking Age society.[6] The donation might have had the aim of establishing the DanishArchdiocese of Lund according to Sweyn II Estridsson's wishes,[2] which was finally achieved in 1104. Canute's son Carl became Count of Flanders from 1119 to 1127, ruling asCharles the Good. Like his father, Charles was slain in a church by rebels (inBruges, 1127), and laterbeatified by the Catholic church.[2] According to Niels Lund, Lecturer in Medieval History at theUniversity of Copenhagen, Canute's abortive invasion of England "marked the end of the Viking Age."[citation needed]
In 2008, anX-ray computed tomography was taken of Canute, which showed that he was right-handed and of a slender build. It also specified his cause of death as a thrust to thesacrum through theabdomen, negating Ælnoth's account. He had no injuries indicating he fought against multiple enemies, which can be seen as supporting an account saying he faced his death without a struggle.[7]
In parts of Spain, Canute's feast day has reportedly become atongue-in-cheek "holiday" for themarijuana legalization movement, appropriating the Spanish version of his name,Canuto, which coincidentally is also the word for a marijuana cigarette.[15]
Canute the Saint Born: c. 1042 Died: July 10 1086 | ||
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| Preceded by | King of Denmark 1080–1086 | Succeeded by |
| Knýtlinga |
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| Estridsen | |||||
| Bjälbo |
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| Pomerania |
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| Oldenburg |
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