Svend I Haraldsson Tjugeskjegg of Denmark ^{1 2}

   Other names for Svend were Sweyn Forkbeard and Sweyn Tveskæg.

  General Notes:

Svend var leder av en sterk opposisjon mot sin far, kong Harald, mot slutten av dennes levetid. Så vidt man kan se, var denne opposisjon grunnet på at Danmark, ved innførelsen av kristendommen under kong Harald, hadde kommet så sterkt under innflytelse av erkebispsetet i Bremen. Den ønsket også å gjenoppta vikingtokter til England i stor stil. Omkring 986 kom spenningen til utbrudd. Kong Harald ble jaget fra Danmark og døde i Jumne (Jomsborg i Vengland), hvoretter Svend ble konge.

Ifølge noen primærkilder, bl.a. Snorre, var Svend også gift med Sigrid Storråde (960 - 1020), datter til Skoglar-Toste. Sigrid skulle være enke etter Erik VII Segersäll av Sverige og mor til Estrid. Andre primærkilder oppgir at denne enken var en polsk prinsesse. Gunhild av Polen er også nevnt lenge etter det angivelige giftemålet med Sigrid. Flere forskere er derfor av den mening at Sigrid er en oppdiktet person, og at Gunhld var Svends eneste kone.

From Snorre Sturlasson: King Olaf Trygvason's Saga:

"38. HARALD GORMSON'S DEATH.
Svein, King Harald's son, who afterwards was called Tjuguskeg (forked beard), asked his father King Harald for a part of his kingdom; but now, as before, Harald would not listen to dividing the Danish dominions, and giving him a kingdom. Svein collected ships of war, and gave out that he was going on a viking cruise; but when all his men were assembled, and the Jomsborg viking Palnatoke had come to his assistance he ran into Sealand to Isafjord, where his father had been for some time with his ships ready to proceed on an expedition. Svein instantly gave battle, and the combat was severe. So many people flew to assist King Harald, that Svein was overpowered by numbers, and fled. But King Harald received a wound which ended in his death: and Svein was chosen King of Denmark. At this time Sigvalde was earl over Jomsborg in Vindland. He was a son of King Strutharald, who had ruled over Skane. Heming, and Thorkel the Tall, were Sigvalde's brothers. Bue the Thick from Bornholm, and Sigurd his brother, were also chiefs among the Jomsborg vikings: and also Vagn, a son of Ake and Thorgunna, and a sister's son of Bue and Sigurd. Earl Sigvalde had taken King Svein prisoner, and carried him to Vindland, to Jomsborg, where he had forced him to make peace with Burizleif, the king of the Vinds, and to take him as the peace-maker between them. Earl Sigvalde was married to Astrid, a daughter of King Burizleif; and told King Svein that if he did not accept of his terms, he would deliver him into the hands of the Vinds. The king knew that they would torture him to death, and therefore agreed to accept the earl's mediation. The earl delivered this judgment between them -- that King Svein should marry Gunhild, King Burizleif's daughter; and King Burizleif again Thyre, a daughter of Harald, and King Svein's sister; but that each party should retain their own dominions, and there should be peace between the countries. Then King Svein returned home to Denmark with his wife Gunhild. Their sons were Harald and Knut (Canute) the Great. At that time the Danes threatened much to bring an army into Norway against Earl Hakon."

"98. KING SVEIN'S MARRIAGE.
The Danish king, Svein Tjuguskeg, was married to Gunhild, a daughter of Burizleif, king of the Vinds. But in the times we have just been speaking of it happened that Queen Gunhild fell sick and died. Soon after King Svein married Sigrid the Haughty, a daughter of Skoglartoste, and mother of the Swedish king Olaf; and by means of this relationship there was great friendship between the kings and Earl Eirik, Hakon's son."

From Snorre Sturlasson: Saga of Olaf Haraldson:

"139. HERE BEGINS THE STORY OF CANUTE THE GREAT.
During this time Canute the Great, called by some Canute the Old, was king of England and Denmark. Canute the Great was a son of Svein Haraldson Forkedbeard, whose forefathers, for a long course of generations, had ruled over Denmark. Harald Gormson, Canute's grandfather, had conquered Norway after the fall of Harald Grafeld, Gunhild's son, had taken scat from it, and had placed Earl Hakon the Great to defend the country. The Danish King, Svein Haraldson, ruled also over Norway, and placed his son-in-law Earl Eirik, the son of Earl Hakon, to defend the country. ..."

Ethelred II "den Rådville" var konge av England fra 978 til 1016. På hans tid ble England hjemsøkt av den senere norske kongen Olav Tryggvasson og andre vikinger, og Ethelred måtte flere ganger ut med svære pengesummer til dem. Angrepene ble fortsatt av Olavs våpenbror, Svein Tjugeskjegg, og engelskmennene måtte på ny finne seg i å kjøpe seg fri for vikingenes herjinger. Pengene som skulle til, ble innkrevet som skatt, den såkalte "danegeld".

Men i 1002 gikk den uberegnelige Ethelred til det grusomme og troløse skritt å la alle dansker i den angelsaksiske delen av England drepe. Grunnen var et rykte om at danskene pønsket på å rydde ham selv og hele hans ætt av veien. Da tok Svend en forferdelig hevn ved år etter år å sette i gang plyndringstog som ble fulgt av nye utpressinger. Sammen med ham kom også den senere norske kongen Olav Haraldsson, som etter sin død fikk navnet Olav "den Hellige". Til slutt måtte Ethelred flykte ut av landet, og Svend lot seg utrope til konge av England.

  Noted events in his life were:

• Acceded: King of Denmark, Cir 985.

• Acceded: King of England, 1013.

Svend married.

Svend next married Gunhild Mieczyslavsdatter of Poland, daughter of Mieszko I of Poland and Dobrawka of Bohemia, circa 995. The marriage ended in divorce in 1000. (Gunhild Mieczyslavsdatter of Poland was born in 967 and died in 1014 ⁵.)

Svend next married Sigrid Toftesdatter Storråde, daughter of Skoglar-Toste and Unknown, circa 1000. (Sigrid Toftesdatter Storråde was born in 967 and died in 1014.)