Cnut - Ryan Lavelle

Cnut, or Canute, is one of the great 'what ifs' of English history. The
Dane who became King of England after a long period of Viking attacks
and settlement, his reign could have permanently shifted
eleventh-century England's rule to Scandinavia. Stretching his authority
across the North Sea to become king of Denmark and Norway, and with
close links to Ireland and an overlordship of Scotland, this formidable
figure created a Viking Empire at least as plausible as the Anglo-Norman
Empire that would emerge in 1066.

Ryan Lavelle's illuminating
book cuts through myths and misconceptions to explore this fascinating
and powerful man in detail. Cnut is most popularly known now for the
story of the king who tried to command the waves, relegated to a bit
part in the medieval story, but as this biography shows, he was a
conqueror, political player, law maker and empire builder on the
grandest scale, one whose reign tells us much about the contingent
nature of history.