Famous Men of the Middle Ages · Ch. XV · Unit 5: Northmen, Danes and Saxons
22. Canute the Great
Goal: Your child can tell how the Dane Canute became king of all England, and the story of Canute and the tide.
You'll need
- The book, open to this chapter
- A map of Europe and the Mediterranean (a free online map or a globe)
- Paper and colored pencils
- Your timeline strip (see the tips at the top)
What's in the book
Chapter XV (1014-1035): Sweyn, king of Denmark, conquers England in 1013; his son Canute, nineteen, follows him. Edmund Ironside fights Canute in six battles and is beaten only when the traitor Edric pulls his men out. Canute shares England with Edmund until Edmund dies in 1016, then rules wisely, sends his Danish army home, and rebukes his courtiers' flattery by commanding the tide to go back.
The lesson, step by step
Set the scene
Find Denmark and England again. Say: The kings after Alfred drove the Danes back. Now, more than a hundred years later, a Danish king tries again.
Read the chapter
Read Chapter XV aloud. It begins:
The Danes, you remember, had the eastern and northern parts of England in the time of Alfred.
Tell it back
Prompts:
- Who was Edmund Ironside?
- How were the Saxons beaten in the sixth battle?
- How did Canute treat Edmund after winning?
- Why did Canute put his chair at the edge of the sea?
Talk it over
Read what Canute said with his feet in the water:
Learn how feeble is the power of earthly kings. None is worthy the name of king but He whom heaven and earth and sea obey.
Ask: Why did Canute want to teach his courtiers this lesson? What is flattery, and why is it dangerous for a king?
Remember it
Add to the timeline: "1016 Canute king of all England." Say: The years now have four figures. We are past the year 1000.
Extra (optional)
Draw Canute on his chair with the waves around his feet and the surprised courtiers behind him.
Afterwards
Ask your child to tell the story of Canute and the tide, ending with what he said.
Tip
People sometimes tell this story as if Canute was proud enough to think he could stop the sea. The book tells it the old way: he did it to show his flatterers they were wrong.
Answers to the book's problems
Edmund was the son of King Ethelred, a brave Saxon who fought Canute in five battles in one year. The Saxon noble Edric took his men out of the fight. Canute admired him, treated him generously and shared England with him. He wanted to show the courtier who said he could do anything that even a king cannot command the tide; flattery hides the truth from a ruler.
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.