Hereward the Wake, known in his own times as Hereward the Outlaw or Hereward the Exile, was an 11th century leader in the Kingdom of England who led resistance to the Norman Conquest, and was consequently labelled an outlaw. He was English. According to legend, Hereward's base was the Isle of Ely and he roamed the The Fens that surround what is now Lincolnshire, leading popular opposition to William I of England. It is said that the title the Wake was popularly assigned to him many years after his death and is believed to mean the watchful, however, some believe the name was given to him by the Wake family, the Norman landowners who gained Hereward's land after his death, in order to imply a family connection and therefore legitimise their claim to the lands. In the Old English language, Hereward would have literally meant "herd guardian".
Hereward the Wake
Early Life, Outlaw, & The attack on Peterborough
© Joseph Allen McCullough
Jul 2, 2006
Hereward the Wake was the leader of the last organized Saxon resistance to William the Conqueror.
A man dressed as Hereward the Wake at the Royal Armouries
In many ways, Hereward the Wake is a writer's dream and a historian's nightmare. There are just enough historical facts about the man to confirm his existence and his importance in the years following the Norman Conquest of England, but not near enough to construct any kind of full biography. Most of what we know for sure comes from a few lines in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and some sketchy accounts given by later French medieval writers. There is an English medieval biography, but this it is full of strange happenings, that the stories it tells have to be considered very carefully. Still, I'll construct the story as best I can using all of the sources available.
Hereward was probably born around the year 1040 in Lincolnshire. Legend gives his parents as Earl Leofric of Mercia and Lady Godiva, although given his name it is more likely his father was one of the many Danes who had settled in the area. Hereward's childhood is a complete mystery, although it is thought that sometime in his late teens or early twenties, he managed to get himself outlawed by King Edward the Confessor. Being an outlaw, Hereward left England and went adventuring. There are many tales from this time, such as his travels to the Orkneys, his fight with a giant named Ironhook, and his most famous exploit, the slaying of the white bear. During his adventures, he became a mercenary in the service of the King of Flanders and fought many battles for the king. While in Flanders he may, or may not, have got married to a woman who may, or may not, have been a witch.
Hererward the Wake's mother was Lady Godiva, an Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who, according to legend, rode naked through the streets of Coventry in England in order to gain a remission of the oppressive toll imposed by her husband on his tenants. The name "peeping Tom" for a voyeur comes from later versions of this legend in which a man named Tom watched her ride and was stricken blind. She told the people of the town to close the shutters on their windows so that they wouldn't see her naked. In the end, Godiva's husband keeps his word and abolishes the onerous taxes.
Whatever the truth to most of those tales, it is commonly thought that Hereward was not in England in 1066 when William of Normandy invaded. As the tales go, Hereward returned to England in secret a year later, ambushed and killed the Normans who had taken up residence in his ancestral home, and raised the surrounding countryside into rebellion. With a group of loyal followers, Hereward led a guerilla war against the Normans from the swampy fen-country in Anglia.
In 1070, Hereward and his men joined up with a small invading army sent by King Swein Estrithson of Denmark, who had a claim to the English throne that was probably more legitimate than William. It is said in some tales that it was Hereward that actually sent for this army, but either way, the fact that he joined forces with them is a strong argument toward his Danish roots.
Later that year, the army of Swein attacked the abbey at Peterborough. The justification for this was to keep the treasures of the English Church out of the hands of the Normans, but this argument is a bit weak considering most of those treasures sailed away with the Danes, never to return. What is interesting is that according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle this attack was led by Hereward. It is strange that a man without some noble blood would lead a mixed force of Danes and Anglo-Saxon-Danish.
This attack caused William the Conqueror to consider Hereward a major threat. William bribed king Swein to give up his claim to the throne, and the Danish Army sailed away. Still, Hereward did not give up his fight. He rallied more of the oppressed Anglo-Saxon population to his banner and made a base at the island monastery of Ely, a solid chunk of rock in the midst of a vast bog. Several famous personages joined his cause including Earl Morcar of Northumbria.
Fearing that Hereward's rebellion might spread all over the country, William personally led a major offensive against Ely. His first idea was to construct a long wooden causeway supported on floats to march his army across the bog. On the day of the attack, Hereward moved a number of archers into a position to ambush the army. As the army marched across the causeway, they were met by a stream of arrows. The ensuing panic caused the causeway to shake and eventually collapse into the bog.
Armored in their heavy mail hauberks, the Norman knights were unable to swim and many were drowned in the bog.
It was an embarrassing and costly setback, but William knew that the island was well stocked and could survive a siege indefinitely, thus he was forced to consider attacking again. After consulting with his advisers, Williams decided, somewhat reluctantly, to enlist the aid of dark magic. Although it might sound as though the story is slipping into fairytale, it should be remembered that most people at this time fully believed in such things. William ordered that the causeway be rebuilt, but much stronger. Also, a large wooden tower was built near the causeway. As William launched a new assault on the island, a witch was taken to the top of the tower, from where she screamed her dark spells down on the island's defenders. But again, Hereward was ready. Again he had sent out ambushers.
This time, instead of arrows, they attacked with fire. With the wind at their backs, the defenders set fire to the fens. The fire quickly spread, enveloping the causeway and the wooden tower. Many Norman knights and the witch were burned to death.
Seeing his second attack end in a greater disaster than the first, William decided upon a completely different tactic. Using his spies, William was able to convince the monks on Ely to betray the defenders. The monks led William's army on a secret path to the island, and caught the defenders unprepared. It is at this moment that history loses track of Hereward the Wake. Legend says that he escaped the attack, and considering that no historical account states that he was either killed or captured, this seems quite likely.
Regarding Hereward we are again left with legends and stories. Most of these are tales of how he continued his resistance to William, striking from secret bases with small bands of men. Eventually though, Hereward grew tired of the constant fighting which he recognized as futile. He sent word to William that he wished to make peace. William welcomed Hereward with open arms, pardoned him for his crimes, and proposed a marriage to an Anglo-Saxon noble woman. Hereward's first wife, if she existed, is said to have become a nun. In this way, Hereward became a servant of William and one of the King's top military commanders. The years passed and both William and Hereward grew older, and their skills diminished. William began to lose control over his vassals. One Norman Knight, whose brother had supposedly been killed by Hereward, gathered together a group of warriors and attacked the aging Hereward in his house. Hereward the Wake was caught completely unawares. Although he slew many of his attackers, he was eventually overwhelmed and killed.
If parts of this story sound a little familiar, there's a definite reason that I will explain in a further article.
For anyone who is wondering why he is called Hereward the Wake, the truth is, no one is really sure.
Some say that he was called this during his life time as he was ever watchful. Some say this title was added after his death, but it is not even clear what the term would have meant in the English used at the time. Still others claim that the title was added by a family know as Wake who wanted to claim Hereward as their ancestor (some of the stories have Hereward having children, probably by his first wife). The Wakes on the other hand claim their name comes from Hereward, and have continued to use the name - most notably by General Hereward Wake a British Soldier in World War I
http://britishhistory.suite101.com
Hereward the Wake
Early Life, Outlaw, & The attack on Peterborough
© Joseph Allen McCullough
Jul 2, 2006
Hereward the Wake was the leader of the last organized Saxon resistance to William the Conqueror.
A man dressed as Hereward the Wake at the Royal Armouries
In many ways, Hereward the Wake is a writer's dream and a historian's nightmare. There are just enough historical facts about the man to confirm his existence and his importance in the years following the Norman Conquest of England, but not near enough to construct any kind of full biography. Most of what we know for sure comes from a few lines in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and some sketchy accounts given by later French medieval writers. There is an English medieval biography, but this it is full of strange happenings, that the stories it tells have to be considered very carefully. Still, I'll construct the story as best I can using all of the sources available.
Hereward was probably born around the year 1040 in Lincolnshire. Legend gives his parents as Earl Leofric of Mercia and Lady Godiva, although given his name it is more likely his father was one of the many Danes who had settled in the area. Hereward's childhood is a complete mystery, although it is thought that sometime in his late teens or early twenties, he managed to get himself outlawed by King Edward the Confessor. Being an outlaw, Hereward left England and went adventuring. There are many tales from this time, such as his travels to the Orkneys, his fight with a giant named Ironhook, and his most famous exploit, the slaying of the white bear. During his adventures, he became a mercenary in the service of the King of Flanders and fought many battles for the king. While in Flanders he may, or may not, have got married to a woman who may, or may not, have been a witch.
Hererward the Wake's mother was Lady Godiva, an Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who, according to legend, rode naked through the streets of Coventry in England in order to gain a remission of the oppressive toll imposed by her husband on his tenants. The name "peeping Tom" for a voyeur comes from later versions of this legend in which a man named Tom watched her ride and was stricken blind. She told the people of the town to close the shutters on their windows so that they wouldn't see her naked. In the end, Godiva's husband keeps his word and abolishes the onerous taxes.
Whatever the truth to most of those tales, it is commonly thought that Hereward was not in England in 1066 when William of Normandy invaded. As the tales go, Hereward returned to England in secret a year later, ambushed and killed the Normans who had taken up residence in his ancestral home, and raised the surrounding countryside into rebellion. With a group of loyal followers, Hereward led a guerilla war against the Normans from the swampy fen-country in Anglia.
In 1070, Hereward and his men joined up with a small invading army sent by King Swein Estrithson of Denmark, who had a claim to the English throne that was probably more legitimate than William. It is said in some tales that it was Hereward that actually sent for this army, but either way, the fact that he joined forces with them is a strong argument toward his Danish roots.
Later that year, the army of Swein attacked the abbey at Peterborough. The justification for this was to keep the treasures of the English Church out of the hands of the Normans, but this argument is a bit weak considering most of those treasures sailed away with the Danes, never to return. What is interesting is that according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle this attack was led by Hereward. It is strange that a man without some noble blood would lead a mixed force of Danes and Anglo-Saxon-Danish.
This attack caused William the Conqueror to consider Hereward a major threat. William bribed king Swein to give up his claim to the throne, and the Danish Army sailed away. Still, Hereward did not give up his fight. He rallied more of the oppressed Anglo-Saxon population to his banner and made a base at the island monastery of Ely, a solid chunk of rock in the midst of a vast bog. Several famous personages joined his cause including Earl Morcar of Northumbria.
Fearing that Hereward's rebellion might spread all over the country, William personally led a major offensive against Ely. His first idea was to construct a long wooden causeway supported on floats to march his army across the bog. On the day of the attack, Hereward moved a number of archers into a position to ambush the army. As the army marched across the causeway, they were met by a stream of arrows. The ensuing panic caused the causeway to shake and eventually collapse into the bog.
Armored in their heavy mail hauberks, the Norman knights were unable to swim and many were drowned in the bog.
It was an embarrassing and costly setback, but William knew that the island was well stocked and could survive a siege indefinitely, thus he was forced to consider attacking again. After consulting with his advisers, Williams decided, somewhat reluctantly, to enlist the aid of dark magic. Although it might sound as though the story is slipping into fairytale, it should be remembered that most people at this time fully believed in such things. William ordered that the causeway be rebuilt, but much stronger. Also, a large wooden tower was built near the causeway. As William launched a new assault on the island, a witch was taken to the top of the tower, from where she screamed her dark spells down on the island's defenders. But again, Hereward was ready. Again he had sent out ambushers.
This time, instead of arrows, they attacked with fire. With the wind at their backs, the defenders set fire to the fens. The fire quickly spread, enveloping the causeway and the wooden tower. Many Norman knights and the witch were burned to death.
Seeing his second attack end in a greater disaster than the first, William decided upon a completely different tactic. Using his spies, William was able to convince the monks on Ely to betray the defenders. The monks led William's army on a secret path to the island, and caught the defenders unprepared. It is at this moment that history loses track of Hereward the Wake. Legend says that he escaped the attack, and considering that no historical account states that he was either killed or captured, this seems quite likely.
Regarding Hereward we are again left with legends and stories. Most of these are tales of how he continued his resistance to William, striking from secret bases with small bands of men. Eventually though, Hereward grew tired of the constant fighting which he recognized as futile. He sent word to William that he wished to make peace. William welcomed Hereward with open arms, pardoned him for his crimes, and proposed a marriage to an Anglo-Saxon noble woman. Hereward's first wife, if she existed, is said to have become a nun. In this way, Hereward became a servant of William and one of the King's top military commanders. The years passed and both William and Hereward grew older, and their skills diminished. William began to lose control over his vassals. One Norman Knight, whose brother had supposedly been killed by Hereward, gathered together a group of warriors and attacked the aging Hereward in his house. Hereward the Wake was caught completely unawares. Although he slew many of his attackers, he was eventually overwhelmed and killed.
If parts of this story sound a little familiar, there's a definite reason that I will explain in a further article.
For anyone who is wondering why he is called Hereward the Wake, the truth is, no one is really sure.
Some say that he was called this during his life time as he was ever watchful. Some say this title was added after his death, but it is not even clear what the term would have meant in the English used at the time. Still others claim that the title was added by a family know as Wake who wanted to claim Hereward as their ancestor (some of the stories have Hereward having children, probably by his first wife). The Wakes on the other hand claim their name comes from Hereward, and have continued to use the name - most notably by General Hereward Wake a British Soldier in World War I
http://britishhistory.suite101.com