LE3 .A278 2014

2014

MacDonald, Jennifer

Acadia University

Bachelor of Arts

Honours

History

History & Classics

England in the eleventh century was a place of uncertain rule with men from England, Denmark, and Normandy all claiming to be the rightful King of England at different times during this chaotic century. This thesis explains how two of the foreign conquerors of England in the eleventh century, Cnut of Denmark and William of Normandy, managed to legitimize their position as King of England in their own way. Although both of these men had similar claims to the throne, they used these claims differently to achieve the same ends. The first part of this study examines the way in which Cnut established himself as king of England by cultivating his own connections to West Saxon governance through agreement with his predecessor, marriage to the former king’s widow, integration of English instruments into his government, and use of both secular and ecclesiastical personnel in his reign. The second part of this study examines William’s method of establishing himself as King of England. Though William also relied on his predecessor’s promise of the throne, he did not monopolize on his connections to the English throne as much as Cnut did. By introducing many of his own personnel, William redefined the position of king from within the English governance structure to establish his legitimacy. Therefore, while Cnut became “more English than the English” through his means of legitimizing himself, William maintained the persona of foreign military ruler throughout his tenure as king of England. This thesis will illustrate how in eleventh century England, foreigners were able to establish legitimate claim to the throne both by appealing to and suppressing their predecessors.

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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:1071