1035 CE
A year of succession crises across Europe as Cnut the Great died, fragmenting his North Sea empire, and the Umayyad Caliphate of Cordoba formally dissolved into competing taifa kingdoms in Iberia.
Governance & Power
- Cnut the Great, King of England, Denmark, and Norway, died on November 12 at Shaftesbury. His death shattered the North Sea empire he had built, as his sons divided and fought over his realms.
- Harold Harefoot, Cnut's son by Aelfgifu of Northampton, claimed the English throne, while Harthacnut, Cnut's son by Emma of Normandy, was preoccupied with holding Denmark.
- The Umayyad Caliphate of Cordoba, which had been formally abolished in 1031 after years of civil war, was a fading memory, and by 1035 the taifa kingdoms that replaced it were well established across Muslim Iberia.
Climate & Environment
- Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration was approximately 275 parts per million, as later confirmed by ice core analysis.
Population & Demographics
- World population is estimated to have been approximately 313 million.