His eldest son, Edmund, was chosen by the Witan meeting London to be the new King as Edmund II (the Ironside); unfortunately not all the nobles were in agreement and another Witan was held almost simultaneously eighty odd miles away in Southampton in which Canute was elected King.
Edmund ruled for seven months during which time he had to fight many times to subdue the lesser kings of the Kingdom (the old Saxon kingdoms still existed) and against the invading Canute. It was the lack of support for Edmund by the King of Mercia that probably lost Edmund the battle of Assandun in Essex to Canute (picture). The two met at Olney in Bedfordshire and agreed to divide the country, but shortly after Edmund died (some say naturally and others that he was murdered) in London. His two sons fled the country for Hungary.
Whilst the final reckoning did not occur until 1016, both Canute and Edmund are recorded as having reigned from 1014, although clearly Canute was King unopposed from 1016. In 1018 his brother Harald died and Canute was acclaimed King in Denmark and in 1031 after he had re-conquered it, he became King of Norway.
Malcolm III, King of Scotland accepted Canute’s suzerainty and Sweden was also vassal to him. His power in England was enhanced when he married Emma of Normandy, the widow of Ethelred.
