It is believed from historical evidence that Cnut visited Rome in 1027 to attend the coronation of Emperor Conrad II. While he was there he wrote a letter to the English people to tell them of his successes. This letter, which can be read and interpreted in modern society, can give a basis from which to establish the possible actions, beliefs and intentions of Cnut during his reign as king. However, the letter cannot be taken solely as evidence of historical facts, many other sources of evidence must be taken into consideration and the letter itself must be analysed.
The letter is not available in its original form. It had originally been written in Old English but only the Latin translation exists. This Latin translation exists in the Chronicles of Florence of Worcester and William of Malmesbury. This leaves room for interpretation because an individual has translated the letter from its Old English form to Latin. It is impossible to know if they had a fluent command of the languages from which to produce an accurate translation. In addition there are several Old English words that were very similar to others which could have led to misinterpretation of a word or sentence. This could change the whole meaning of part of the letter and lead to inaccuracies in the knowledge of this part of history. The letter has also been translated from Latin to modern English and for the reader who has no knowledge of Latin; they must again trust the translation.
The letter written on 26 March 1027, which was Easter day, provides the reader with knowledge of when Cnut travelled to Rome. It is known from the translation of the letter that Cnut journeyed to Rome for the coronation of the Emperor Conrad by Pope John XIX. However while the letter states that Cnut visited Rome in 1027, there are other sources, which give a different date. The Anglo-Saxon chronicle dates Cnut's journey to Rome as 1031.
