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Warmatrix

War Matrix - Sweyn Forkbeard

Viking Age 800 CE - 1066 CE, Generals and leaders

Coin of Sweyn Forkbeard
Coin of Sweyn Forkbeard
Sweyn Forkbeard was Viking king of Denmark around the turn of the first millennium CE.
He was born around 960 CE, grandson of Gorm the Old, the longest reigning king of Denmark and the son of Harald Bluetooth, who did much to strengthen the kingdom economically and militarily. Sweyn revolted against his father around 985 CE and deposed him.
Sweyn personally commanded most of his campaigns. In the first 15 years of his reign he worked together with Olaf Tryggvasson, plundering England and Scotland. In 991 CE the vikings landed in Essex and defeated the English at the Battle of Maldon, in which Sweyn may have participated. Afterwards the land lay open for them to raid. An full-scale attack on London in 992 CE failed, but this did not stop the raids. During this period, the English for the first time paid vast sums of Danegeld to get the Vikings off their back, or at least to buy time. This did not work; the raiders simply returned a little later to extort more money.
In the meanwhile, behind Sweyn's back, the Swedish king Erik Segersäll took over Denmark, though when he died in 994 CE, Sweyn recovered the throne. When his ally Olaf broke up the kingdom of Norway, Sweyn seized his chance and intervened. In the naval Battle of Svolder he managed to ambush Olaf and kill him. After that he subjugated Norway to Danish rule.
Sweyn was an effective commander but a harsh conqueror, beating his enemies into submission. Some historians depicted him as a pagan, but it is known that he built christian churches in Denmark. He also had a non-christian wife and actually seemed quite tolerant and practical, using religion for political ends.
In 1002 CE the English king Æthelred ordered many Danes outside the Danelaw murdered. With Scandinavia secure, Sweyn took revenge in three campaigns during 1002 - 1005 (stopped short by a famine), 1006 - 1007 and 1009 - 1012, in which he progressively broke down the English army. In 1013 he personally led a full invasion. The power of his army and support from the many Vikings who had already settled in England made almost all resistance melt away. Only London, where the English king Æthelred had teamed up with the Jomsviking Thorkell the Tall, put up a fight. Sweyn simply secured the loyalty of the countryside without giving battle and then the Londoners yielded, so that the English king was forced to flee. On Christmas day Sweyn was crowned.
Only five weeks later he died, possibly from a fall from his horse. His son Harald and three years later his other son Cnut went on to become kings of a combined Danish-English North Sea kingdom. Under Cnut the realm became peaceful again and prospered, but the unity was broken in 1042 CE.