Harold Harefoot

Harold Harefoot, born in the year one thousand sixteen, was a significant figure in English history, serving as King of England from one thousand thirty-seven until his death in one thousand forty. The son of Cnut the Great and Ælfgifu of Northampton, Harold's rise to power began after the death of his father in one thousand thirty-five, when he was elected regent in the absence of his brother Harthacnut, who was preoccupied with a rebellion in Denmark.

Despite his aspirations for the crown since one thousand thirty-five, Harold faced resistance from Æthelnoth, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who initially refused to crown him. It was not until one thousand thirty-seven, with the backing of influential figures like Earl Leofric, that Harold was officially proclaimed king. His reign, however, was marred by conflict, particularly with his step-brothers Edward and Alfred, who returned to England with a military force. Alfred was captured and tragically blinded before succumbing to his injuries.

Harold's rule lasted a mere five years, ending with his death on the seventeenth of March in one thousand forty. Following his passing, his half-brother Harthacnut returned to reclaim the throne peacefully. Initially interred in Westminster, Harold's body was later exhumed by Harthacnut and discarded into a fen by the river Thames, only to be recovered by a fisherman and eventually reburied in a Danish cemetery in London.