Editing Sweyn Forkbeard (section)

===Invasions of England===
The "[[John of Wallingford (d. 1258)|Chronicle of John of Wallingford]]" (c. 1225–1250) records Sweyn's involvement in raids against [[England]] during 1002–1005, 1006–1007 and 1009–1012. According to Ashley (1998), Sweyn's invasion was partly motivated by the [[St Brice's Day Massacre]] in November 1002, where Danes in England were massacred under orders from [[Æthelred the Unready]], in which Sweyn's sister and brother-in-law are said to have been killed,<ref>Ashley, Mike (1998). ''British Monarchs: A complete genealogy, gazetteer and biographical Encyclopaedia of the Kings and Queens of Britain''. Robinson Publishing, p. 483: "Probably his [Æthelred's] worst decision was the St. Brice's day massacre on 13 November 1002... he ordered the killing of every Dane who lived in England, except the Anglo-Danes in the Danelaw. The massacre brought back to English shores the Danish commander Swein, whose sister and brother-in-law had been killed in the massacre".</ref> but Lund (2001) argues that the main motivation for the raids was more likely the prospect of revenue.<ref name="Lund"/>

At the outset of the invasions, Sweyn negotiated an agreement with Duke Richard II of Normandy whereby the Danes gained permission to sell their spoils of war in Normandy.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Bauduin|first=Pierre|date=2021|title=Quasi in domo propria sub securitate sanaretur: a peace agreement between King Swein Forkbeard and Duke Richard II of Normandy|url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/emed.12480|journal=Early Medieval Europe|volume=29|issue=3|pages=394–416|doi=10.1111/emed.12480|s2cid=236400372|issn=1468-0254|access-date=10 June 2021|archive-date=10 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210610102048/https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/emed.12480|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

Sweyn campaigned in Wessex and East Anglia in 1003–1004, but a famine forced him to return to Denmark in 1005. Further raids took place in 1006–1007, and in 1009–1012 [[Thorkell the Tall]] led a Viking invasion into England. [[Simon Keynes]] regards it as uncertain whether Sweyn supported these invasions, but "whatever the case, he was quick to exploit the disruption caused by the activities of Thorkell's army".<ref name=Blackwell/>
Sweyn acquired massive sums of ''[[Danegeld]]'' through the raids. In 1013, he is reported to have personally led his forces in a full-scale invasion of England.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Blair |first=Peter Hunter |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9eN87VsPaw0C |title=An Introduction to Anglo-Saxon England |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2003 |isbn=0521537770 |edition=3rd |page=98 |access-date=25 October 2015 |archive-date=2 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230702224337/https://books.google.com/books?id=9eN87VsPaw0C |url-status=live }}</ref>

The medieval ''[[Peterborough Chronicle]]'' (part of the ''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]'') states:
<blockquote>before the month of August came king Sweyn with his fleet to [[Sandwich, Kent|Sandwich]]. He went very quickly about [[Kingdom of East Anglia|East Anglia]] into the [[Humber]]'s mouth, and so upward along the [[River Trent|Trent]] till he came to [[Gainsborough, Lincolnshire|Gainsborough]]. [[Earl]] [[Uhtred the Bold|Uchtred]] and all [[Northumbria]] quickly bowed to him, as did all the people of the [[Kingdom of Lindsey]], then the people of the [[Five Boroughs of the Danelaw|Five Boroughs]]. He was given hostages from each [[shire]]. When he understood that all the people had submitted to him, he bade that his force should be provisioned and horsed; he went south with the main part of the invasion force, while some of the invasion force, as well as the hostages, were with his son Cnut. After he came over [[Watling Street]], they went to [[Oxford]], and the town-dwellers soon bowed to him, and gave hostages. From there they went to [[Winchester]], and the people did the same, then eastward to [[London]].<ref name="asc">[http://mcllibrary.org/Anglo/ The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060421183735/http://mcllibrary.org/Anglo/ |date=21 April 2006 }}. Everyman Press: London, 1912. Translation by James Ingram (London, 1823) and [[J. A. Giles]] (London, 1847). Medieval and Classical Literature Library Release #17. Retrieved 12 October 2006.</ref>
</blockquote>

But the Londoners put up a strong resistance, because King Æthelred and [[Thorkell the Tall]], a Viking leader who had defected to Æthelred, personally held their ground against him in London itself. Sweyn then went west to [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]], where the western thanes submitted to him and gave hostages. The Londoners then followed suit, fearing Sweyn's revenge if they resisted any longer. King Æthelred sent his sons [[Edward the Confessor|Edward]] and [[Alfred Aetheling|Alfred]] to Normandy, and himself spent Christmas on the [[Isle of Wight]], and then followed them into exile.<ref name="asc"/>

Based in [[Gainsborough, Lincolnshire]], Sweyn began to organise his vast new kingdom, but he died there on 3 February 1014,<ref name="Sawyer2004"/><ref name="Howard2">{{Cite book|last=Howard|first=Ian|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jzXp1yYjq94C|title=Swein Forkbeard's Invasions and the Danish Conquest of England, 991–1017|publisher=Boydell Press|year=2003|isbn=0851159281|location=Woodbridge|pages=126|access-date=25 October 2015|archive-date=14 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230414015622/https://books.google.com/books?id=jzXp1yYjq94C|url-status=live}}</ref> having ruled England for only five weeks. Sweyn's cause of death is unknown.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=25 December 2013 |title=Sweyn Forkbeard: England's forgotten Viking king |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-25341754 |access-date=2 November 2022 |archive-date=20 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210820110622/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-25341754 |url-status=live }}</ref> Some theorise that he was killed, whereas other sources say he died after falling off a horse.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Death of Svein Forkbeard {{!}} History Today |url=https://www.historytoday.com/archive/death-svein-forkbeard |access-date=2 November 2022 |website=www.historytoday.com |archive-date=29 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220929040853/https://www.historytoday.com/archive/death-svein-forkbeard |url-status=live }}</ref> His embalmed body was returned to Denmark for burial in the church he had built. Tradition locates this church in [[Roskilde]],<ref name="Blackwell">{{Cite encyclopedia |year=2001 |title=Swein Forkbeard |encyclopedia=The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England |publisher=Blackwell Publishing |last=Keynes |first=Simon |page=437 |isbn=0631155651 |editor1=Lapidge, Michael |editor2=Blair, John |editor3=Scragg, Donald |place=London}}</ref> but it is more plausible that it was actually located in [[Lund]] in Scania (now part of Sweden).<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 February 2014 |title=Sweyn Forkbeard |url=http://www.medievalhistories.com/sweyn-forkbeard/ |access-date=9 March 2017 |website=Medieval Histories |archive-date=31 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170531125050/http://www.medievalhistories.com/sweyn-forkbeard/ |url-status=live }}</ref>