Hereward the Wake
Anglo-Saxon Rebel Leader
"While there is breath in the men of the Fens, the island shall not be taken."
Biography
Hereward — later called 'the Wake,' meaning the watchful — was an Anglo-Saxon thegn who became the most celebrated leader of native resistance to the Normans. Returning from exile to find his family's lands seized and his brother killed, he raised a revolt in the Fenland of East Anglia. In 1070, joined by a Danish fleet, his men sacked the wealthy abbey of Peterborough to keep its treasures out of Norman hands. His last stand came at the Isle of Ely, the watery stronghold deep in the marshes where the surviving rebels and the earl Morcar gathered. The Fens defied Norman assault until William's army built a great causeway across them — and, legend says, the monks of Ely betrayed the secret paths. The isle fell in 1071, but Hereward himself escaped into the marshes and into folklore, becoming a enduring symbol of English defiance against the conquerors. His ultimate fate is unknown.
Did you know?
His followers sacked Peterborough Abbey in 1070, claiming they did so to save its wealth from the incoming Norman abbot rather than let it fall into foreign hands.
Key Battles
The Siege of Ely
Normans (Duke William) victory1071 · 2,000 total casualties
The fall of Ely extinguished the last major center of Anglo-Saxon resistance and effectively completed the conquest. Hereward the Wake became a folk hero of English defiance, his story retold for centuries as a symbol of native resistance to the Norman yoke.
Life Journey
Timeline
c. 1035
🌅 Birth
Born in the East Midlands
1070
⚔️ Battle
Sacks Peterborough Abbey with Danish allies
1071
⚔️ Battle
Leads the last stand at the Isle of Ely
after 1071
🕊️ Postwar
Escapes into the Fens and into legend