Emma of Normandy Worksheets
Do you want to save dozens of hours in time? Get your evenings and weekends back? Be able to teach about Emma of Normandy to your students?
Our worksheet bundle includes a fact file and printable worksheets and student activities. Perfect for both the classroom and homeschooling!
Resource Examples
Click any of the example images below to view a larger version.
Fact File
Student Activities
Table of Contents
Add a header to begin generating the table of contents
Summary
- Early life of Emma of Normandy and marriage to Æthelred II
- Emma of Normandy following the death of Cnut
- Edward’s reign, death, and legacy
Key Facts And Information
Let’s find out more about Emma of Normandy!
Emma of Normandy, also referred to in royal documents as Ælfgifu, was a Norman noblewoman who became queen consort to two kings. First, after marrying Anglo-Saxon king Æthelred the Unready from 1002 to 1016, he became the Queen of England, Denmark, and Norway upon marriage to Cnut the Great. After the death of Cnut in 1035, Emma of Normandy became pivotal in the reigns of his sons, Harthacnut and Edward the Confessor.
Emma with her two sons fleeing England
Early life of Emma of Normandy and marriage to Æthelred II
- Born in 99 CE, Emma was the daughter of Richard I of Normandy (also known as Richard the Fearless) and the Dane, Gunnor. In 1002, she was betrothed to King Æthelred II of England, who was 20 years her senior. Their marriage was a political match that strengthened the position of her house with England.
- At the time of the betrothal, England was frequently attacked by Viking raiders, and one of the king’s solutions to calm the situation was marrying Emma, a Norman with Viking heritage.
- At the age of 12, Emma arrived in England. At first, many Anglo-Saxons were wary of her. Emma had to gain the respect of the court and later established herself following the birth of two sons, Edward and Alfred. They also had a daughter named Goda or Godifu.
- After the marriage, Emma was granted estates in Winchester, Rutland, Devonshire, Suffolk, and Oxfordshire.
- In 1002, Æthelred II’s plan to eradicate the Danes in England resulted in the St. Brice’s Day Massacre, which became notable for killing notable Danes, including Sweyn I of Denmark’s sister.
- The attack on the outskirts of Danelaw was retaliated in 1009 to 1012, when Sweyn Forkbeard invaded England. Emma and his sons fled to Normandy during the invasion, while Æthelred II took refuge on the Isle of Wight.
- Sweyn held England along with his sons, Cnut and Harold. By 1014, the death of Sweyn marked the return of Æthelred II and Emma. However, two years later, Æthelred II died in London, and once again endangered the position of Emma. Æthelred II fathered 10 children, and amongst them was Æthelstan Ætheling. As a result, Emma’s sons were ranked after all the sons from Æthelred’s first wife.
- Another son of Æthelred was Edmund Ironside, known for his reputation on the battlefield. Before dying in 1016, Edmund agreed to split England with Cnut. Edmund will take Wessex, and Cnut will take the rest of England.
- Instead, Cnut took over England in 1016 following the Battle of Assandun. In his attempt to subdue the Anglo-Saxons and integrate Danish life, he married Emma in 1017.
Medieval illumination depicting Edmund Ironside and Cnut
- When they married, Emma’s sons were sent to Normandy under the tutelage of her brother. The marriage made her Queen of England again, later Queen of Denmark in 1018, and Queen of Norway in 1028, titles she held until the death of Cnut in 1035.
- Although it started as a political strategy, the marriage was recorded as happy. Emman was significant in easing the tension between Cnut and the Church, particularly the Viking raids on the latter’s properties.
- Emma organised the reconstruction of churches at the Crown's expense. Furthermore, she gifted the institution with lands and expensive items.
- A better relationship continued as one of her advisors was installed as the Archbishop of Canterbury.
- On many occasions, Emma ruled England on behalf of her husband, Cnut. At that time, Cnut was ruling the North Sea Empire, which required extensive travelling.
Emma of Normandy, following the death of Cnut
- Emma and his sons’ throne position was again placed in danger. When Cnut died in 1035, Emma’s children, to Æthelred, returned from exile. At that time, Harthacnut succeeded his father as king of Denmark, while Harold Harefoot, Cnut’s son by his first wife, took over the English throne.
- Emma’s son Alfred attempted to rescue his mother by challenging Harold Harefoot. However, he was captured, blinded, and soon died from his wounds. Meanwhile, Edward escaped the attack and returned to Normandy.
- In the 11th-century manuscript Encomium Emmae Reginae (In Memory of Queen Emma), possibly written by a monk of Saint Bertin, Alfred's death is pointed out to Harold Harefoot. It suggests that he deliberately removed the potential claimants to the English throne.
- On the other hand, some scholars suggest that Godwin, Earl of Wessex, the protector of the two princes, could have planned the assault.
- Emma fled to northern England and convinced his son Harthacnut to return to England. In 1039, convinced that his mother, Harthacnut and his fleet invaded England. His arrival coincided with the death of Harold Harefoot, so he was declared King of England, and Emma re-established her position.
- Through the efforts of Emma, half-brothers Edward and Harthacnut reconciled.
- By 1042, Harthacnut had died, and Edward had ascended the throne. The once unconcerned Emma, who thought she would retain the title Queen Mother, was stripped of her role.
Edward’s reign, death, and legacy
- After Edward’s coronation in April 1043, he accused his mother of treason, removed her from her home in Winchester, and deprived her of her estates and titles. Some were soon restored, but she remained in isolation.
- Emma retired from court following Edward's marriage to Edith Godwinson, the daughter of the Earl of Essex. In 1052, at the age of nearly 70, Emma died and was interred along with Cnut and Harthacnut in the Old Minster, Winchester.
- After the Norman conquest, their remains were transferred to a new cathedral, and during the English Civil War, the parliamentary forces disinterred and scattered them.
- According to historian Pauline Stafford, Emma was the first of the early medieval queens to be depicted through contemporary portraiture. Her role was symbolic and significant to the Anglo-Norman treaty. Moreover, following her marriage to Cnut, Emma was the wealthiest woman in England.
- Other than her vast landholdings, Queen Emma wielded significant influence over the church in England. Her involvement in the royal treasury led to the treachery against her by Earls Leofric, Godwin, and Siward.
- Other than the Encomium, Queen Emma is also depicted in later medieval texts, including the Life of Edward the Confessor, the Genealogy of the English Kings, and the Genealogical Chronicle of the English Kings, written in the 13th and 14th centuries.
- The Ordeal of Queen Emma by William Blake is based on a 13th-century legend, when Bishop Ælfwine of Winchester accused her of unchastity. To prove her innocence, Emma had to walk over nine red-hot ploughshares.
- Amidst the commissioning of the three volumes of Encomium, depicting her marriage to Cnut, and the right of her sons to rule, Emma was forgotten mainly as Queen of England.
- The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle suggests that Cnut fetched Emma for marriage. Other than being part of a peace agreement, another contemporary writer, Thietmar of Merseberg, stated that Emma never left England, married Cnut, and gave up his sons' claims to the throne to save herself.
- Fourteen years after her death, in 1066, her great-nephew William, Duke of Normandy, invaded and conquered England's shores.
Frequently Asked Questions About Emma of Normandy
- Who was Emma of Normandy?
Emma of Normandy (c. 985–1052) was a queen of England, Denmark, and Norway, and one of the most powerful women of the early medieval period. She played a central role in English politics during the early 11th century.
- Who did Emma of Normandy marry?
Emma married King Æthelred II (“the Unready”) of England around 1002. After his death, she married King Cnut (Canute) the Great, the Danish ruler of England, in 1017.
- How did Emma influence English politics?
Emma was not a passive queen; she acted as a political advisor and power broker, especially during her sons’ reigns. She was a central figure during the turbulent transitions between Anglo-Saxon and Danish rule.