Death of Sweyn Forkbeard

February 3, 1014

The conqueror-king died suddenly at Gainsborough only weeks after his acclamation, reportedly struck down by the avenging ghost of St. Edmund. Ethelred the Unready returned from Normandy; the Danish army proclaimed Sweyn's young son Cnut. England's throne was up for grabs all over again. The brevity of Sweyn's reign made his conquest seem almost spectral, a warning that crowns taken by force can vanish overnight.