Canute

"Ohhh, there's crime here, I can smell it. I can taste it! So shall I begin my first patrol of The City."

Canute was a Viking who ruled England in the early 11th century.

Fiction

Marvel The Transformers comics

Galvatron howled defiance at the onrushing time rift in a manner reminiscent of Canute. Time Wars

Transformers '84

Canute was in Stansham Castle when it was besieged in 1017 by the forces of Godwin—other Vikings from northern France intent on seizing the English throne from him. One night, during a lull in the siege when the attackers had been forced into retreat, soldiers on the ramparts witnessed the fiery atmospheric entry of an Autobot shuttle which then crashed nearby. The next day, Canute ordered scouts to investigate this "celestial omen". The scouts found the ship but were immediately ambushed by some of Godwin's men. Fastlane and Cloudraker, taking pity on Canute's men, intervened on their behalf. Canute's men nevertheless believed the Autobots to be devils, and they gave chase to Godwin's men rather than stick around. Meanwhile, the two clones fended off a Decepticon attack and then tried to escape in their ship, but it was shot down—crashing this time right into Stansham Castle. Transformers '84 #0

Notes

• In the original storyline featuring Stansham Castle in 1017, Canute wasn't mentioned; his presence was a retcon 35 years later. It's historically accurate inasmuch as Canute was king at the time, and in fact he was overthrown at one point by forces including other Vikings. Immediately after Canute was crowned in 1014, [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Æthelred the Unready|{{#if:a deposed English king|a deposed English king|Æthelred the Unready}}]] who had been in exile in [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Duchy of Normandy|{{#if:northern France|northern France|Duchy of Normandy}}]] invaded with the help of [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Olaf II of Norway|{{#if:another Viking king|another Viking king|Olaf II of Norway}}]], driving Canute back to [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Denmark|{{#if:his homeland across the sea|his homeland across the sea|Denmark}}]]. This is the best match for the events of the comic, though the year is off. By 1017, Canute had returned with a vengeance, retaken the throne definitively, and ushered in a peaceful period of stable rule.

External links

• [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Cnut the Great|{{#if:Canute|Canute|Cnut the Great}}]] at Wikipedia