The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle reports that Harold Harefoot…
November 1035 CE
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle reports that Harold Harefoot said that he was a son of Cnut the Great and Ælfgifu of Northampton, "although it was not true".
Florence of Worcester (twelfth century) elaborates on the subject.
Claiming that Ælfgifu wanted to have a son by the king but was unable to, she secretly adopted the newborn children of strangers and pretended to have given birth to them.
Harold was reportedly the son of a cobbler, while his brother Svein Knutsson was the illegitimate son of a priest.
She deceived Cnut into recognizing both children as his own.
Harriet O'Brien doubts that Cnut, the shrewd politician who "masterminded the bloodless takeover of Norway" could have been deceived in such a way.
She suspects that the tale started out as a popular myth, or intentional defamation presumably tailored by Emma of Normandy, the other wife of Cnut and rival to Ælfgifu.
Upon the death of Cnut on November 12, 1035, Harold's younger half-brother Harthacnut, the son of Cnut and his queen Emma of Normandy, is legitimate heir to the thrones of both the Danes and the English.
Harthacnut, however, is unable to travel to his coronation in England because his Danish kingdom is under threat of invasion by King Magnus I of Norway and King Anund Jacob of Sweden.
England's magnates favor the idea of installing Harold Harefoot temporarily as regent or joint monarch, due to the difficulty of Harthacnut's absence, and despite the opposition of Godwin, the Earl of Wessex, and the Queen, he eventually wears the crown.
There is some dispute in primary sources (the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle) about Harold's initial role.
Versions E and F mention him as regent, the others as co-ruler.
Ian Howard points out that Cnut had been survived by three sons: Svein, Harold, and Harthacnut.
The Encomium Emmae Reginae also describes Edward the Confessor and Alfred Aetheling as the sons of Canute, though the modern term would be step-sons.
Harold can claim the regency or kingship because he is the only one of the five present at England in 1035.
Harthacnut is reigning in Denmark, and Svein had joined him there following his deposition from the Norwegian throne, while Edward and Alfred are in Normandy.
Harthacnut can reign in the name of his absent brothers, with Emma rivaling him as candidate for the regency.
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle ignores the existence of Svein, or his claim to the throne, which Howard considers as evidence of the relative entries being unreliable, of failing to give a complete picture.
The Heimskringla of Snorri Sturluson claims that Svein and Harthacnut had agreed to share the kingdom between them.
This agreement would include Denmark and (probably) England.
Snorri quotes older sources on the subject and could be preserving valuable details.
Harold reportedly seeks coronation as early as 1035.
According to the Encomium Emmae Reginae, however, Æthelnoth, Archbishop of Canterbury, refused to crown Harold Harefoot.
Coronation by the Archbishop would be a legal requirement to become a king.
Æthelnoth reportedly placed the scepter and crown on the altar of a temple, possibly that of the Canterbury Cathedral.
Offering to consecrate Harold without using any of the royal regalia would have been an empty honor.
He refused to remove the items from the altar and forbade any other bishop from doing so.
The tale goes on that Harold failed to sway Æthelnoth, as both bribes and threats proved ineffectual.
The despairing Harold reportedly rejected Christianity in protest.
He refused to attend church services while uncrowned, preoccupying himself with hunting and trivial matters.