Sweyn was a pagan but he tolerated Christianity, even though he suspected the missionaries of bringing a German influence to bear in Danish affairs. In 990, he joined with the Norwegians in attacking Britain, where Alfred had been succeeded by the wellnamed Ethelred "the Unready". Sweyn's son, Knud I ("the Great") (King Canute of England), married Ethelred's widow, took the British throne and soon controlled a sizeable empire around the North Sea the zenith of Viking power. ¦ The rise of the church During the eleventh and twelfth centuries, Denmark was weakened by violent internal struggles, not only between different wouldbe rulers but also among the Church, nobility and monarchy. Following the death of Sweyn II in 107' two of his four sons, Knud and Harald, fought tor the throne Harald, supported by the peasanth and the Church, emerging victorious. Harald was a mild and introspective individual, though № was a competent monarch, and introduced t"® first real Danish currency. He was constant derided by Knud and his allies, however, and after his death in 1080 his brother became Knud II He made generous donations to the Church, but his introduction of higher taxes and the аЬ80ф11оп of all unclaimed land into the realm enraged the nobility. The farmers of North Jutland revolted in 1086, forcing Knud to flee to Odense, where he was slain on the high altar of Sl(t Alban's Kirl(e. The tenyear period of poor harvests that ensued was taken by many to be divine wrath, and there were reports of miracles oaurring in Knud's tomb, leading to the murdered king's canonisation in 1101. The battles for power continued, and eventually, in 1131, a civil war broke out that was to simmer for two decades, various claimants to the throne and their offspring slugging it out with the support of either the Church or nobility. During this time the power of the clergy escalated dramatically by way of Bishop Eskil, who enjoyed a persuasive influence on the eventual successor, Erik III. Following Erik's death in 1143, the disputes went on, leading to the division of the kingdom between two potential rulers, Sweyn and Knud. Sweyn's repeated acts of tyranny resulted in the death of Knud in Roskilde, but Knud's wounded aide, Valdemar, managed to escape and raise the Jutlanders in revolt at the battle of Grathe Heath, south of Viborg. ¦ The Valdemar era Valdemar I ("the Great") assumed the throne in 1157, strengthening the crown by ending the elective function of the tings, and shifting the power to choose the monarch to the Church. Technically the f still influenced the choice of king, but in practice hereditary succession became the rule. After Bishop Eskil's retirement, Absalon teame Archbishop of Denmark, erecting a fortress at the fishing village of Havn (later to toome Kebenhavn Copenhagen). Besides ting a zealous churchman, Absalon possessed a swrp rnihtary mind and came to dominate the anarch and his successor, Knud IV.