King Harold Harefoot was a member of the House of Knytlinga. He was the son of King Canute by his first wife, Aelfgifu of Northampton. He ruled England from 1037 – 1040.
Contents
King Harold Harefoot Family Tree Image
King Harold Harefoot Family Tree in Table Form
King Harold Harefoot Short Biography
King Harold Harefoot Family Tree Image showing:
grandparents, parents, siblings, wives and children
King Harold Harefoot Family Tree in Table Form showing:
grandparents, parents siblings, wives and children
GRANDPARENTS
Paternal Grandfather – Sweyn Forkbeard, King of Denmark, Norway and England – (960 – 1014)
Paternal Grandmother – Gunhilda of Wenden or Sigrid / Swietoslawa – (dates not known)
Maternal Grandfather – Not known
Maternal Grandmother – Not known
PARENTS
Father – Canute the Great, King of Denmark, Norway and England – (995 – 1035)
Mother – Aelfgifu of Northampton – (c.990 – c.1044)
SIBLING
Sweyn Knutsson, King of Norway – (1016 – 1035)
HALF SIBLINGS
Harthacnut – (1018 – 1042)
Gunhilda – (1020 – 1038)
MARRIED
Aelfgifu – (dates not known)
CHILDREN
Aelfwine – (dates unknown)
GRANDCHILDREN
No grandchildren
King Harold Harefoot Short Biography
Early Life
Harold Harefoot was born in 1016 and died on 17th March 1040. He was the second son of King Canute the Great and Aelfgifu of Northampton, his elder brother Sweyn had been born in 1015.
Canute had successfully taken the English throne after conquering the country in 1016. Although Harold’s mother was still alive, Canute married King Aethelred’s widow, Emma of Normandy, to help gain the trust of the English people. When their first son, Harthacnut, was born Harold was displaced as heir to the throne.
When King Canute died on 12th November 1035, Harthacnut was declared King. However, he was in Denmark where he had been sent as regent for his father and due to a number of disturbances he was unable to return to England immediately.
Harold and Earl Godwin
In December 1035, Emma of Normandy’s sons by her first marriage to Aethelred the Unready, Edward and Alfred arrived in England. Edward landed at Southampton and Alfred came ashore in Kent. It is believed they hoped to take the throne and restore the house of Wessex.
Earl Godwin, the most powerful noble, who had allied himself with Harold Harefoot, met Alfred in Kent. He took him captive, blinded him and sent him to the monastery at Ely where he died of his injuries. Godwin would later claim that he was acting on Harold’s instructions. On hearing of his brother’s fate, Edward returned to Normandy.
King of England
Harthacnut was still in Denmark in 1037 and the Witan allowed Harold to take the throne. Hardly any details of Harold’s reign have been recorded.
It is known that King Harold I married a lady by the name of Aelfgifu, but no details survive as to her parentage or her dates of birth and marriage. Her name disappeared from the records after Harold’s death. They had a son, Aelfwine, who may have become a monk on the continent, but again no dates are recorded.
King Harold I died on 17th March 1040 at the age of 24 years. The cause of his death is not known. He was succeeded by his half-brother, Harthacnut.
Published Jul 27 2020 – Updated – Dec 4 2024
Harvard Reference for Harold Harefoot Family Tree:
Heather Y Wheeler. (2020 – 2024). King Harold Harefoot Family Tree & Biography 1016-1040. Available: https://www.treesofblue.com/king-harold-i-harefoot-1016-1040. Last accessed December 19th, 2024