| Harold Harefoot | |
|---|---|
 Harold Harefoot drawn in the 13th century, from The Life of King Edward the Confessor by Matthew Paris | |
| King of the English | |
| Reign | 12 November 1035 – 17 March 1040 |
| Predecessor | Cnut the Great |
| Successor | Harthacnut |
| Died | 17 March 1040 Oxford, England |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | Ælfgifu? |
| Issue | Ælfwine? |
| House | Knýtlinga |
| Father | Cnut the Great |
| Mother | Ælfgifu of Northampton |
Harold I (died 17 March 1040), also known as Harold Harefoot, was regent of England from 1035 to 1037 and King of the English from 1037 to 1040. Harold's nickname "Harefoot" is first recorded as "Harefoh" or "Harefah" in the twelfth century in the history of Ely Abbey, and according to some late medieval chroniclers it meant that he was "fleet of foot".[a][1]
The son of Cnut the Great and Ælfgifu of Northampton, Harold was elected regent of England following the death of his father in 1035. He initially ruled England in place of his brother Harthacnut, who was stuck in Denmark due to a rebellion in Norway which had ousted their brother Svein. Although Harold had wished to be crowned king since 1035, Æthelnoth, Archbishop of Canterbury, refused to do so. It was not until 1037 that Harold, supported by earl Leofric and many others, was officially proclaimed king. The same year, Harold's two step-brothers Edward and Alfred returned to England with a considerable military force. Alfred was captured by Earl Godwin, who had him seized and delivered to an escort of men loyal to Harefoot. While en route to Ely, he was blinded and soon after died of his wounds.
Harold died in 1040, having ruled just five years; his half-brother Harthacnut soon returned and took hold of the kingdom peacefully. Harold was originally buried in Westminster, but Harthacnut had his body dragged up and thrown into a fen adjacent to the river Thames, from where it was reportedly recovered by a fisherman and eventually reburied in a Danish cemetery in London.
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