Canute (or Knut) IV (c. 1043 – July 10, 1086), also known as Canute the Saint and Canute the Holy (Danish: Knud IV den Hellige or Sankt Knud), was King of Denmark from 1080 until 1086. Canute was an ambitious king who sought the English throne, attempted to strengthen the Danish monarchy, and devoutedly supported the Roman Catholic Church. Slain by rebels in 1086, he is recognized by the Roman Catholic Church as patron saint of Denmark.
Canute wa...
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Canute (or Knut) IV (c. 1043 – July 10, 1086), also known as Canute the Saint and Canute the Holy (Danish: Knud IV den Hellige or Sankt Knud), was King of Denmark from 1080 until 1086. Canute was an ambitious king who sought the English throne, attempted to strengthen the Danish monarchy, and devoutedly supported the Roman Catholic Church. Slain by rebels in 1086, he is recognized by the Roman Catholic Church as patron saint of Denmark.
Canute was the illegitimate son of Sweyn II Estridsson. Before he became king of Denmark, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle reports that Canute was one of the leaders of a Viking raiding expedition against England in 1075. On its return from England, the Danish raiders' fleet stopped in the County of Flanders. Because of its hostility toward William I of England, Flanders was a natural ally for the Danes.
In 1080, Canute succeeded his brother, Harald III, to the throne of Denmark. On his accession, he married Adela, daughter of Robert I, Count of Flanders. She...
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