Vikings: Valhalla season 3 focused on the last days of King Canute (Bradley Freegard) and his decision about who would succeed him as King of England, bringing together his children, Emma of Normandy’s (Laura Berlin) sons, and their son. Set seven years after the ending of Vikings: Valhalla season 2, the show’s third and final season caught up with Leif Erikson (Sam Corlett), Freydis (Frida Gustavsson), Harald (Leo Suter), King Canute, and Queen Emma in different parts of the world, each dealing with a different challenge or conflict, of which some were historically accurate to an extent.

After skipping most of season 2, King Canute had a bigger role in Vikings: Valhalla season 3 as he was dying, and he had to decide which of his sons and Emma’s sons with King Aethelred would succeed him. Season 3 brought together Canute and Queen Aelfgifu’s sons Svein (Jakob Femerling Andersen) and Harefoot (Pyry Kähkönen), Emma’s sons Edward (Cal O’Driscoll) and Alfred (Henry Proctor), and Canute and Emma’s son Harthacnut (Huey O’Meara) in Kattegat, where Canute made his decision. All of Canute and Emma’s sons were real-life people, but Vikings: Valhalla took many creative liberties with them – from their ages to their actions and fates.

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Edward the Confessor

Edward Was Born Between 1003-1005

Just like in Vikings: Valhalla, Edward was the son of Queen Emma and King Aethelred the Unready, but his fate was different from what the show implied. In Vikings: Valhalla, Emma sent Edward and his brother, Alfred, to Normandy for their safety, where they stayed for seven years. When Canute summoned all his and Emma’s children to Kattegat, Edward fought Canute’s son, Harefoot, to prove who was (physically) the strongest, with Harefoot winning and Emma stopping him from killing her son. Canute decided that Edward and Alfred would go back to Normandy, much to Edward’s frustration.

Moments before King Canute died, Godwin (David Oakes) told Emma she should call Edward as the earls would turn against her and there could be a civil war as a result, but Emma had already called for her son – however, Godwin didn’t let the message get to Edward and, instead, brought Harefoot to England. It’s implied that, to Godwin’s surprise, Emma and Harefoot got together after that and ruled England together. The real Edward spent a quarter of a century in exile when Cnut became king, and it’s most likely he spent that time in Normandy.

Following Cnut’s death, his son, Harold Harefoot, became regent in England and Edward and Alfred traveled to England, but it was a trap. Edward escaped back to Normandy and, after Harefoot’s death, Harthacnut took over the throne of England and chose Edward as his heir. Edward was crowned in 1043, and historians disagree on how effective or not he was as a king. Edward restored the rule of the House of Wessex and is considered its last king, and he married Godwin’s daughter, Edith. Edward died in 1066.

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Alfred Aetheling

Alfred Was Born In 1012

Alfred was Queen Emma and King Aethelred’s second son. In Vikings: Valhalla, he was sent back to Normandy by King Canute along with his brother, Edward, and in real life, he had a more tragic fate than his brother. As explained above, when Cnut died, Edward and Alfred returned separately to England, with Emma later claiming they arrived in response to a letter forged by Harefoot inviting them to visit her, but historians believe she invited them to counter Harefoot’s popularity. Unfortunately, Alfred was betrayed and captured by Godwin, who turned him over to Harefoot.

Harefoot tortured Alfred and had him blinded by forcing red-hot pockets into his eyes. Alfred died soon after as a result of his wounds, in 1036, at the age of 23-24. Years later, when Harthacnut succeeded Harefoot, he went after Godwin and the Bishop of Worcester and Crediton for what they did to Alfred. Godwin gave Harthacnut a warship carrying 80 men as appeasement and assured him he didn’t want to blind Alfred, and he had acted in obedience to the then king. Still, Edward and Harthacnut saw Godwin as guilty of the crime.

Alfred’s death led Edward to not trust Godwin anymore, and the brutality of it led many members of Anglo-Saxon society to mistrust and resent Earl Godwin and his family. Unfortunately, Alfred went down in history for his horrifying death, the unfairness of it, and those involved in it.

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Svein Knutsson

Svein Was Born In 1016

Before marrying Emma, Canute was married to Queen Aelfgifu, with whom he had two sons in Vikings: Valhalla and in real life. The oldest one was Svein Knutsson, who, in Vikings: Valhalla season 2, was made King of Norway with Aelfgifu as regent by his grandfather, King Sweyn Forkbeard. Season 3 revealed Svein continued to rule Norway during the seven years that passed between seasons, and Canute decided that he would continue as King of Norway after his death. Unfortunately, Svein wasn’t counting on Olaf’s son, Magnus (Set Sjöstrand), also wanting the throne.

Svein set out to kill Magnus, but the latter turned the king’s guards against him and they killed him. Magnus then killed Aelfgifu, and though he agreed to co-rule Norway with his uncle, Harald, the latter turned the guards against him and imprisoned him, proclaiming himself the only King of Norway. In real life, after Cnut’s vassal ruler of Norway was lost at sea and Olaf Haraldsson’ was deposed as king of Norway and later killed in battle, Cnut sent Svein and Aelfgifu to rule Norway.

Svein and Aelfgifu weren’t exactly popular during their reign, as their new taxes and laws created resentment. After successfully defending the throne of Norway from the son of Olav Tryggvason, Magnus Olafsson was brought to Norway. When the people of Norway sided with Magnus, Svein fled to Denmark. Svein died in 1035, shortly after fleeing to Denmark, and he was 18-19 years old.

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Harold Harefoot

Harefoot’s Date Of Birth Is Unknown

In both Vikings: Valhalla and real life, Harold Harefoot was the youngest son of King Canute and Queen Aelfgifu, and in season 3, he shared his desire to be King of England with Godwin. Harefoot hoped for Godwin to back him up and guide him to become King of England, with Godwin telling him that he had strong competition for the throne. As mentioned above, Harefoot fought Edward in Kattegat and proved he was physically stronger, but that wasn’t enough to grant him the throne of England after Canute’s death.

Canute decided that his and Emma’s son, Harthacanute, would be King of Denmark, but as he was just a kid, Harefoot would be his regent. At the end of Vikings: Valhalla, in one final twist for Godwin and Emma, Harefoot arrived to become King of England, and Emma began to act too nice and kind to him, implying they would get together so they could rule together. The story of the real Harold Harefoot was a bit more complicated than what Vikings: Valhalla showed.

When Cnut died, Harthacnut was the heir to both Denmark and England, but he was unable to travel to his coronation in England due to an invasion of Denmark by Magnus. Harefoot was then named regent of England, and though he could claim the throne as he was the only one of Cnut’s sons in England at the time (Svein having returned to Denmark by then), the Archbishop of Canterbury refused to crown him. As Harefoot gained more and more support, Emma fled to Bruges, Flanders, and in 1037, he was officially proclaimed king.

As mentioned above, Alfred was captured during his reign, brought to Harefoot, and transported by ship to Ely, where he was blinded and killed. Harefoot died in 1040 of unknown causes and was buried at Westminster Abbey, though his body was exhumed, beheaded, and thrown into a fen bordering the Thames when Harthacnut assumed the throne that year. His body was recovered by fishermen and is said to have been buried in the church of St. Clement Danes, in the City of Westminster.

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Harthacnut

Harthacanut Was Born In 1018

Vikings: Valhalla accurately portrayed Harthacanute as the youngest son of Canute and Emma. In the show, Canute decided Harthacanute would reign Denmark with Harefoot as regent, though the latter later traveled to England to take the throne. Although the real Harthacnut wasn’t as young as he was in Vikings: Valhalla when Cnut died, he struggled to retain his father’s possessions. Following his father’s death, Harthacnut succeeded him as King of Denmark (as Cnut III), and when Harefoot died, he finally took the throne of England.

Harthacnut had various bouts of illness throughout his life and knew he wouldn’t live for long. In 1041, he brought Edward back from exile as he had no heir to the throne. Harthacnut died in 1042, and, according to the Anglo-Saoxn Chronicle, he died at a wedding as he stood at his drink when he suddenly fell and convulsed. Harthacnut appointed Magnus as his successor in Denmark and Edward took over as King of England.