England and Denmark Essays

The Relationship between Denmark and England during the time period of Hamlet. The social and political simiarities between Denmark and England - as well as their actual relationship towards each other- may have never been as apparent as in the Medieval 12 century, the same time period Shakespeare sets his esteemed The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Denmark and England were united under the same monarch for several years during the early 12th century and stayed allies well after its fall. That is, however, not to say the two nations never quarelled. Danelaw, a segment of England majorly populated by Danish peoples, was peacefully maintained until Ethlered the Unready - King of England - abruptly ordered the massacre of the Danish settler in 1002. Sweyn Forkbeard, whose family members were amongst the victims, became King of Denmark a year later and attacked England demanding money for the lives lost. Ethlered counterattacked, demanding money for being falsely accused of ordering the hit on the Danish habitants. This brawl went on until Sweyn died a year after driving Ethlered out of England. Many of the English favored a man named Edmund Ironside to be the next ruling but Sweyn's eldest son Canute - later to be known as Canute the Great - was also a popular candidate and the two fought for the crown. In the end, Canute won, but agreed to let Ironside rule until he died. Ironically, Ironside died less than a year later and Canute became King of Denmark and England. Through strategic battle techniques, Canute added Normay to what became The Danish Kingdom, but his empire did not survive his death. Denmark and England were not united under the same monarch until Margaret I became queen of England and Denamark and later added Sweden, Norway, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands to form the Kalmar Union two centuries later. The nations settled into a more complementary relationship after the dissolution of the Danish Kingdom; they became successful allies. In 1066, they teamed up under Anglo-Saxon King Harold Goldwinson to defeat the Norwegians at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. The dynamic duo was, however, deafeated by William the Conqueror in the Battle of Hastings a month later. Aside from the political drama, Denmark and England enjoyed several social correlations. In both nations, meats like beef, mutton, pork, and poultry were common on the dinner tables of nobility. Roasted meats were

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