How Did Canute Die? Who Killed Him?

The diversity of modern-day manga and anime is something that is a well-known fact, but some titles manage to stand out even among such harsh competition. Vinland Saga is one such title, as it stands out among the lot for its accurate depiction of historical events, the authenticity of the content, and the fact that it is focused on European rather than Asian (Japanese or Chinese) history. This has also been transferred to the characters of Vinland Saga, most of which are great and also based on actual historical people. In this article, we will talk about Canute from Vinland Saga and reveal his real, historical fate that could be mimicked in the manga as well.

As far as the manga is concerned, King Canute is still alive and has not died. As for the real-life King Cnut, he actually died on November 12, 1035, in Shaftesbury, Dorset, England; he was around 45 years old at the time. At the time of his death, Cnut was the reigning king of England, Denmark, and Norway. He was buried in Winchester, England.

The rest of this article is going to tell you about some of the actual history behind the Vinland Saga. We are going to tell you about all the historical events that actually happened and inspiredVinland Saga, some of which have been depicted in the story, while some are yet to be depicted, like Canute’s death (although we don’t know if it is going to happen as it did in the history books). We won’t be going into the actual plot of the manga, so the info here cannot technically be classified as spoilers, but still, be careful how you approach it.

How did Canute die?

Canute is a 17-year-old Danish prince, the second son of King Sweyn. He initially appears as a shy, feminine-looking boy, unable to speak in public and without his personal guard, Ragnar. Very Christian, in addition, he will be the laughingstock of the Viking warriors, especially during the trip he makes with the troop of Askeladd. However, after the death of Ragnar, executed by Askeladd, his character changes completely, and he is shown to be charismatic and fit to rule.

In order to create a perfect world on Earth before the return of God, he wants to pacify England and reunite it with Denmark; he thus plots to take the throne from his father, aided by Askeladd, Thorkell, and Thorfinn. Gradually, he hardens and looks more and more, by his power-hungry actions, to his father King Sweyn.

At this point in the plot, Canute is still alive. He is a very important character in the series, and he is probably going to stick around until the very end of the series. Now, Canute is based on the English ruler Cnut, and while Yukimura is known for his historical accuracy, it remains to be seen whether he will respect Cnut’s real story fully. Namely, Canute’s story is so intrinsically tied to that of Thorfinn that it remains to be seen whether the mangaka will completely honor the historical events surrounding Cnut’s death. Namely, as you are about to read, Cnut’s death was a very non-controversial one, and we’re not sure that such a turn of events will benefit the story properly, so this might change in the end.

But, in order to actually prepare you for a potential ending of Vinland Saga, here is the story of the real King Cnut, as some of it is surely going to be featured in the upcoming chapters and volumes of the Vinland Saga manga, as well as its anime adaptation, whose second season is being aired at the time of writing this article.

Cnut the Great was King of England (1016-1035), King of Denmark (1019-1035), and King of Norway (1028-1035). Cnut came from the Jelling dynasty, which had been the Danish rulers since the 10th century. He was the second son of King Sweyn Forkbeard and probably the Świętosława – called Gunhild in Scandinavian sources – a daughter of the Polish Duke Mieszko I.

In 1013 he took part in the invasion of England by his father Sweyn, leaving him in command of the fleet at Gainsborough. When Sweyn died in early 1014, Cnut became his successor in England. Not recognizing his claims to the English throne and recalling their former king Æthelred, the English Witan retired to Denmark. In the summer of 1015, he returned to England with a large invading force, disembarking in South Gloucestershire and invading Wessex. In winter, he went north across the Thames and through Mercia, occupied Northumbria, and had Earl Uhtred there killed.

In the spring of 1016, he moved back south to attack London with the support of his fleet, where after Æthelred’s death, Edmund Ironside reigned. Edmund managed to break out of besieged London but was defeated by Cnut at the Battle of Assandun near Ashingdon in Essex in late 1016 and thereafter recognized Cnut’s dominion over England, except for Wessex. After Edmund’s death in November, that restriction was removed, and Cnut was crowned King of England at Christmas.

In 1017 he married Æthelred’s widow Emma of Normandy, to cement his claim to England. In the same year, he divided his dominion into the counties of Wessex, Mercia, Northumbria, and East Anglia. As earls, he installed Godwin in Wessex, Leofric in Mercia, Erik Håkonsson in Northumbria, and Torkjell Høge in East Anglia. In 1018 he raised the last Danegeld. In the spring of 1020, Cnut announced his willingness to govern England together with the Catholic Church.

The king supported the intention written in the oldest Danish royal charter by promoting church buildings in England. At the same time, he caused English priests to come to Denmark in order to be able to strengthen cohesion. After the death of his older brother Harald II, he became king of Denmark in 1019, appointing his brother-in-law Ulf Jarl as his deputy. He ended the attempt by Anund Jakob of Sweden and Olav II Haraldsson of Norway to wrest Denmark from him in 1025/26 at the Battle of Helgeå in Sweden.

He had his brother-in-law, whom he suspected of collaborating with their plans, killed. In 1025 Cnut’s daughter Gunhild was promised to Henry, the future German king and the son of Conrad II. (The marriage of the two took place in 1036, but Gunhild died in 1038.) Apparently, in return, Cnut was recognized as the ruler of Sydjylland. On March 26, 1027, he attended the coronation of Conrad in Rome.

In 1028 he conquered Norway. The attempt of the dethroned King Olav to regain power failed in 1030 at the Battle of Stiklestad. However, Cnut’s son Sven Alfivason could also not assert himself in Norway, where Olav’s son Magnus took power again from 1035 (until 1047). Cnut also apparently attempted to conquer Scotland in 1034 but had no lasting success.

Cnut died on November 12, 1035, in Shaftesbury, Dorset, England, and was buried in Winchester’s Old Minster. William the Conqueror later had Winchester Cathedral built on this site. After his death, England fell first to his sons Harald (until 1040) and Hardiknut (until 1042), then to his stepson Edward the Confessor (until 1066). Norway did not fall as planned to Knut’s son Sveno, who also lost Scotland, but back to Magnus (until 1047). In Denmark, Hardiknut ruled first, followed by Magnus, and then finally Knut’s nephew Sven Estridsson (until 1076), who founded the Estrid dynasty and fought against Magnus’ uncle Harald Hardråde (until 1066). This, in turn, fell in the Battle of England.

So, as you can see, Cnut died – as it seems – a natural death around the age of 45. There is no record suggesting foul play, which is why we don’t think this will be mimicked in the manga unless the author manages to resolve Thorfinn’s story in another way.