King Knut: That Viking King was No Fool

"From Viking warrior to English king - Canute (Knud) The Great"

This is a pretty good short biography of Knut, king of The Danelaw and the English midlands, and later "king of all England, and of Denmark, of the Norwegians, and part of the Swedes."

That page insists on referring to the Viking king as Canute, but I guess that's a cultural thing.

The story of King Knut that's probably best known is the account of what happened after he heard his courtiers say that he was "So great, he could command the tides of the sea to go back."

King Knut was no fool. He knew what could do, and what he couldn't. So, without explanation, he had his throne taken to the seashore. At low tide.

As the tide started coming in, he commanded it to stop. As I recall, he repeated the command at least twice.

The tide paid no attention, and soon King Knut and his courtiers were quite wet.

Just in case the chowder-heads in his court still didn't get it, King Knut said (translated, of course), "Let all men know how empty and worthless is the power of kings. For there is none worthy of the name but God, whom heaven, earth and sea obey."