Early Medieval Persuasion: Rhetoric in Cnut’s 1018 Law Code
Document Type
Event
Faculty Mentor
Daniel Panici
Abstract
After three years of conflict in early eleventh-century England, Cnut the Great secured the English throne following his victory over Edmund Ironside at the Battle of Assandun. Despite this victory, Cnut faced significant resistance among the Anglo-Saxon population. As the son of Sweyn Forkbeard, whose earlier campaigns had devastated parts of England during the reign of Æthelred the Unready, Cnut struggled to establish legitimacy among his new subjects. Moreover, royalty had displayed its incompetence under the blundering rule of Ethelred, and it had taxed the populace almost to starvation. There was little nobility left within the concept of kingship. To secure his rule, Cnut issued a law code in 1018 that sought to legitimize his authority and unite his new kingdom. This presentation will argue that Cnut employed rhetorical strategies similar to those described by Aristotle in his theory of persuasion—pathos, logos, and ethos—to strengthen his claim to kingship. By appealing to the fears and religious sensibilities of the English people (pathos), presenting structured legal arguments rooted in established traditions (logos), and emphasizing his commitment to justice and good governance (ethos), Cnut framed himself as a legitimate and capable ruler. Through these rhetorical strategies, Cnut’s 1018 law code helped stabilize his authority and contributed to the unification of his North Sea empire.
Early Medieval Persuasion: Rhetoric in Cnut’s 1018 Law Code
After three years of conflict in early eleventh-century England, Cnut the Great secured the English throne following his victory over Edmund Ironside at the Battle of Assandun. Despite this victory, Cnut faced significant resistance among the Anglo-Saxon population. As the son of Sweyn Forkbeard, whose earlier campaigns had devastated parts of England during the reign of Æthelred the Unready, Cnut struggled to establish legitimacy among his new subjects. Moreover, royalty had displayed its incompetence under the blundering rule of Ethelred, and it had taxed the populace almost to starvation. There was little nobility left within the concept of kingship. To secure his rule, Cnut issued a law code in 1018 that sought to legitimize his authority and unite his new kingdom. This presentation will argue that Cnut employed rhetorical strategies similar to those described by Aristotle in his theory of persuasion—pathos, logos, and ethos—to strengthen his claim to kingship. By appealing to the fears and religious sensibilities of the English people (pathos), presenting structured legal arguments rooted in established traditions (logos), and emphasizing his commitment to justice and good governance (ethos), Cnut framed himself as a legitimate and capable ruler. Through these rhetorical strategies, Cnut’s 1018 law code helped stabilize his authority and contributed to the unification of his North Sea empire.
