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XXI

The Attack on Aggersborg

The History of King Sweyn Estridsson and His Sons and of the Martyrdom of King Canute the Holy

But in order that the fulfillment of their wicked resolve might be completed, the exhortations of that illustrious man were scorned and his pious persuasion set aside. The accomplices of violence multiplied along the roads, and the rebellious host — reckless and headlong toward every crime — hurried swiftly to the aforementioned fortress, where the keepers and stewards of the royal treasury were stationed, determined that the fame of their begun insolence should spread throughout all of Jutland.

And why linger on the telling? You would be astonished at the frenzy of their assault. Some men were dragged naked from their beds and strangled at their own doorways; others were thrown headlong into the river. Even leading men were hunted down wherever they were found — here escape was blocked by weapons, there the enemy and the sword stood waiting at the door.

Thus both sides fought: the attackers from outside, the defenders within, striving to protect themselves and what was theirs. But as the numbers of the attackers kept swelling, some defenders — stripped even of their clothing — rushed out naked to fight; others fell wounded, as if torn apart by wild beasts. Some fled from houses already being torn apart and sought the nearest hiding places; others, taking to ships, yielded to the fury of the attackers, while the king and his companions had already crossed beyond the river, removed for the time being from these tumults.

Once all the royal officials and household members had been driven out, every furnishing was overturned, bedding was carried off, private quarters were ransacked, guesthouses searched, and even courtyards dug up. Whatever each plunderer, greedy or starving, seized or devoured became a matter of dispute among the thieves themselves, as reckless greed fought with greed. Thus the low-born and rapacious enriched themselves, while nobles were stripped of their possessions by hostile bands, and some were robbed even of goods they had once acquired at the cost of wounds.