Cnut makes pilgrimage to Rome

1026

The Anglo-Danish king walked barefoot through the Lateran and prostrated himself at St. Peter's tomb. He used the journey to extract trade and toll concessions for English merchants crossing the Alps. It was the first such pilgrimage by a reigning English monarch, and it startled the papal court. His letter home, written with genuine piety, promised to rule more justly upon his return to England.