Emma of Normandy (died 1052), the wife of King Aethelred the Unready from 1002 to 1016 and then the wife of King Cnut from 1017 to 1035, was a dominant player in English politics for nearly 50 years. Emma is the first English queen depicted in contemporary artwork, and she also commissioned her own work of history, the Encomium Emmae Reginae. Her lengthy career saw her outlive both of her husbands, but she also lived long enough to see two of her children, Harthacnut (r. 1040-1042) and Edward the Confessor (r. 1042-1066), become English kings.
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Timeline
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1002The English king Aethelred the Unready marries Emma of Normandy, the sister of the Duke of Normandy.
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1013Following a Viking attack, the English king Aethelred the Unready escapes to Normandy.
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1014English nobles invite Aethelred the Unready to again become king of England.
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1016 - 1035Reign of Cnut the Great.
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1016The Danish conquest of England is complete; Cnut the Great is the undisputed king of England.
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23 Apr 1016The English king Aethelred the Unready dies of an illness in London.
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1017Emma of Normandy marries Cnut the Great.
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1037Emma of Normandy is exiled by Harold Harefoot.
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1040Death of Harold Harefoot. Emma of Normandy returns to England with Harthacnut.
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1052Death of Emma of Normandy.
