Hardecanute, the Long Nose

After the death of King Sweyn, several barons made competing claims to the throne. Hardecanute, known as the Long Nose, took to the field to support the claim of his cousin, Gustav, another nephew of Alsgood, the Great. Hardecanute and Gustav proved to be clever politicans and skilled tacticians. Within a few months, they had put together a coalition of barons strong enough to put down all resistence to Gustav's claim.

Ironically, in the closing moments of what should have been the last battle against the last rival claimant to the throne, Gustav was killed. Faced with the prospect of seeing the coalition collapse and the kingdom fracture, a reluctant Hardecanute took the sword of Alsgood and proclaimed himself king in the Citadel.

Late in life, Hardecanute wavered between proclaiming his son, Thorfinn, his heir or naming his nephew, Haroldson, as his successor. The resulting confusion and conflict plunged the kingdom into civil war.