Editing Harthacnut (section)

== Death ==
Harthacnut had suffered from bouts of illness even before he became King of England. He may have suffered from [[tuberculosis]], and he probably knew that he had not long to live.{{sfn|Howard|2008|pp=106, 124, 149}} In 1041, he invited his half-brother [[Edward the Confessor]] (his mother Emma's son by [[Æthelred the Unready]]) back from exile in [[Normandy]] and the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' says that Edward was sworn in as king. Lawson comments: "This may mean that Edward was recognized as heir of Harthacnut, who had neither wife nor children, and who is said by the slightly later Norman historian William of Poitiers to have suffered from frequent illness.  The likely truth of this is suggested not only by his sudden death the following year, but also because it is otherwise difficult to see why a man in his early twenties with a normal life expectancy should have acted so." He may well have been influenced by Emma, who hoped to keep her power by ensuring that one of her sons was succeeded by another.{{sfn|Lawson|2004}} The historian [[John Maddicott]] comments that Harthacnut must have sanctioned Edward's return and may have promoted it,{{sfn|Maddicott|2004|p=654}} but [[Tom Licence]] disagrees and suggests that Edward was summoned to England by the leading magnates because they had lost confidence in Harthacnut and forced Edward on him. Licence comments that no contemporary source says that Harthacnut was dying.{{sfn|Licence|2020|pp=75-79}}

On 8 June 1042, Harthacnut attended a wedding in [[Lambeth]]. The groom was [[Tovi the Proud]], and the bride was Gytha, daughter of [[Osgod Clapa]]. Both men had been close to Cnut.{{sfnm|1a1=Darlington|1a2=McGurk|1y=1995|1pp=532-535|2a1=Lawson|2y=2004}} According to the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'', "Harthacnut died as he stood at his drink, and he suddenly fell to the earth with an awful convulsion; and those who were close by took hold of him, and he spoke no word afterwards".{{sfn|Swanton|2000|p=162}} In Licence's view, the death was not that of a sick man.{{sfn|Licence|2020|p=79}}