England’s line of Viking kings spans three generations and was founded in 1013 by Sweyn Forkbeard, King of Denmark, the son of Harald Bluetooth, who after years of conflict, wrested the throne of England from the ineffectual English Saxon king, Aethelred II the Unready.
Sweyn was followed by his son Canute, the Great. Canute converted to Christianity and married Aethelred’s widow, Emma of Normandy.
Canute’s two sons, the illegitimate Harald Harefoot and Hardicanute, his son by his marriage to Emma, reigned after him.
On the death of Hardicanute in 1042, the old Saxon line of Wessex was restored by Aethelred’s son and the half brother of Hardicanute, Edward the Confessor (1042-1066).
| Name | Reign | Birth |
| Sweyn Forkbeard | 1013 | 960 |
| Canute the Great | 1016 – 1035 | 994 |
| Harald I Harefoot | 1037 – 1040 | 1012 |
| Hardicanute | 1040 – 1042 | 1016 |
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Link will appear as Hanson, Marilee. "Viking Kings of England" https://englishhistory.net/vikings/viking-kings/, February 7, 2022