Hereward the Wake
Hereward the Wake | |
|---|---|
Hereward fighting Normans from Cassell's Illustrated History of England (1865) | |
| Born | c. 1035 Lincolnshire, England |
| Died | c. 1072 (aged 36–37) |
| Other names | Hereward the Outlaw and Hereward the Exile |
| Movement | English resistance to Norman Conquest |
Hereward the Wake (Old English pronunciation /ˈhɛ.rɛ.ward/ HEH-reh-ward, modern English pronunciation /ˈhɛ.rɪ.wəd// HEH-ri-wəd) (also known as Hereward the Outlaw or Hereward the Exile) was an Anglo-Saxon nobleman and a leader of local resistance to the Norman Conquest of England. His base when he led the rebellion against the Norman rulers was the Isle of Ely, in eastern England. According to legend, he roamed the Fens, which covers parts of the modern counties of Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire and Norfolk, and led popular opposition to William the Conqueror.