Sweyn Godwinson

Sweyn (Old English: Swegen) Godwinson (c. 1023-1052) was the eldest son of Earl Godwin of Wessex, and brother of Harold II of England.

Early life

It is estimated that Swegen was born about 1023, and he must have been made Earl of Hereford about 1043 [Barlow, Frank, "Edward the Confessor" p. 74 and Barlow ed., 'Vita Ædwardi' pp. 7-8] . He signed his first Royal charter in 1044 ["Codex diplomaticus aevi saxonici", IV:74] . He was later exiled from the Kingdom, and died on return from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

There is some evidence suggesting that Swegen thought himself to be a son of King Canute, and that this was only settled when his mother brought forth witnesses to his parentage. It has been suggested that he was named after his alleged grandfather, Canute's father, Sweyn, although there is little evidence supporting this [DeVries, "The Norwegian Invasion of England in 1066" p. 108, note 114] .

Focus on Wales

From the start, Swegen sought peace with Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, the King of Gwynedd in northern Wales. This allowed the King of Gwynedd to gain the upper hand on Gruffydd ap Rhydderch, King of Deheubarth and his main Welsh rival [DeVries, "The Norwegian Invasion of England in 1066" p. 109] . Swegen supported the King of Gwynedd with more than words of alliance. In 1046, he joined in on an invasion of Deheubarth. ["Anglo-Saxon Chronicle" (C) 1046]

Exile

It was, according to the "Chronicles", on his return from this campaign that Swegen committed his first fatal crime: deeply in love, he abducted Eadgifu, the Abbess of Leominster and kept her in his care for a year. Finally he was persuaded to give her up, and was exiled in 1046 0r 1047 after the intervention of Bishop Lyfing and Bishop Edsige.They had two sons, Magnus and Hakon. Hakon was later kidnapped by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert of Jumieges along with Wulfnoth Godwinsson, prompting Harold Godwinsson's ill-fated ransom attempt to Normandy. The figure of "Aelfgifu" in the Bayeux Tapestry may Hakon's mother.During his exile he travelled first to Flanders, then to Denmark before returning to England in 1049 to beg for forgiveness.He appears to have been expelled from Denmark for an unspecified offence. His brother Harold and cousin Beorn first opposed Swegen's return, but Beorn eventually agreed to support him.

While accompanying his cousin to meet the King, Swegen had his cousin Beorn murdered and was again exiled, condemned as a "niðing", a man of no honour. [DeVries, "The Norwegian Invasion of England in 1066" pp. 110-111]

Pardoned & Restored

Surprisingly enough it appears that Swegen was pardoned, despite his crimes, the following year, and restored to his office. Some say it was his father Earl Godwin who pleaded his case to the King, others that is was Aldred, or Ealdred, Bishop of Worcester who had met him in Flanders returning from his pilgrimage. In any case, his last stay in England would not be long.

Exile for Life

In 1051, Earl Godwin and all his sons were exiled from England following a dispute with the King. Swegen received the sternest judgement of them all, exiling him for life. Again, he flew to Flanders - this time never to return.

Killed on Return From Pilgrimage

It appears he was driven by remorse for his sins, as he undertook a barefoot pilgrimage to Jerusalem. It was on his return from there he was killed, although the sources differ on where. [DeVries, "The Norwegian Invasion of England in 1066" pp. 112.]

The exile, and eventually death, of Swegen left Harold as the heir apparent of the Godwinson family.

Family Trees

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Notes

References

* cite book
title = Anglo-Saxon Chronicle | url = http://omacl.org/Anglo/
* cite book
last = Barlow | first = Frank | title = Edward the Confessor
* cite book
editor = Barlow, Frank (ed.) | title = Vita Ædwardi
* cite book
last = DeVries | first = Kelly | authorlink = Kelly DeVries | title = The Norwegian Invasion of England in 1066
publisher = Boydell Press | date = 1999 | pages = 108-114 | id = ISBN 1-84383-027-2