The English Heritage summary of Conquest Man’s life notes that he was “born in the reign of Viking King Cnut,” a specific and evocative detail that places him at the older end of the pre-Conquest generation.

Cnut (also spelled Canute) was the Danish king who ruled England from 1016 to 1035.

He was a Viking king who became an English king, who had originally invaded England with his father and then returned to conquer it, eventually becoming not just king of England but also king of Denmark and Norway, creating a short-lived North Sea empire.

Cnut’s reign is one of the interesting historical ironies of the period before the Conquest: England was ruled for almost twenty years by a Viking king who in many respects assimilated into English kingship, using English royal traditions and administrative structures while also being the ruler of a Scandinavian kingdom.

His reign was generally stable and, by the standards of the age, not particularly harsh for England.