AR Penny

Struck: 1016 - 1035
Mint: London (Moneyer: Eadred)
Size: 18.24mm
Weight: 1.0g
Die Axis: ~45°
Grade: XF
Ref: North 790

Obv: +CNU-T RECX, bust left holding scepter.
Rev: +EDRED ON LVNDE, voided short cross.
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Cnut the Great was the King of Denmark, Norway and England and was born around 990. His father was the Danish Prince Sweyn Forkbeard and most sources report that his mother was the daughter of Mieszko I of Poland.

Hardly anything is known for certain of Cnut's life until the year he was part of a Scandinavian force under his father, King Sweyn, in his invasion of England in summer 1013. It was the climax to a succession of Viking raids spread over a number of decades. Near the end of the year King Æthelred fled to Normandy, leaving Sweyn Forkbeard in possession of England. In the winter, Forkbeard was in the process of consolidating his kingship, with Cnut left in charge of the fleet and the base of the army at Gainsborough. On the death of Sweyn Forkbeard after a few months as king, Harald succeeded him as King of Denmark, while the Vikings and the people of the Danelaw immediately elected Cnut as king in England. However, the English nobility recalled Æthelred from Normandy and he led an army against Cnut, who fled with his forces to Denmark.

In 1015 Cnut set out to reclaim England with a fleet of 10,000 men in 200 longships. After more than a year of conquest, London was captured and a treaty was agreed upon giving the Danes control of all England north of the Thames with London and the south belonging to Edmund Ironside, the son of Aethelred and now King. However, Edmund died within weeks of the arrangement and the Saxons now accepted Cnut as King of all England.

Cnut ruled England for nearly two decades. The protection he lent against Viking raiders—many of them ironically under his command—restored the prosperity that had been increasingly impaired since the resumption of Viking attacks in the 980s. In turn the English helped him to establish control over the majority of Scandinavia. He died on November 12th, 1035.