Hereward the Wake

Timeline

1. c. 1035–1062Bourne, Lincolnshire · LincolnshireHereward is said to have been an Anglo-Saxon landowner of Bourne, Lincolnshire, whose family was closely tied to local lands. In his youth he was exiled abroad after conflicts with his family or local authorities; medieval legend records travels in Ireland and Flanders, where he was famed for martial prowess, though specific deeds are largely unverifiable.
2. c. 1063–1067Flanders · FlandersAfter being driven out, Hereward is said to have fled to Flanders, where he served as a mercenary or retainer knight. When the Norman Conquest occurred in 1066 he was abroad. According to tradition he married Thorhild in Flanders and returned to England after about 1067, finding his family estate confiscated by the Normans and his brother murdered, which ignited his resolve to resist.
3. 1070–1071Isle of Ely · CambridgeshireIn 1070 Hereward joined a fleet sent by King Sweyn II of Denmark, raiding Peterborough Abbey to seize treasure before it could fall into Norman hands. Using the marshes of Ely as a natural barrier, he joined exiled English nobles such as Morcar to form the last Anglo-Saxon resistance base. William I personally besieged the stronghold, and in 1071 built floating bridges and long causeways to cross the marshes and storm the base.
4. 1071–1072England (around Lincolnshire) · LincolnshireAfter the Ely stronghold fell in 1071, Hereward is said to have broken out with a small band of followers into the marshes. His subsequent fate is disputed in the sources: one account holds that he continued guerrilla resistance until around 1072, when he was killed; another says he eventually reconciled with William I, received a pardon, and recovered some of his lands; legendary versions claim he went into hiding and vanished mysteriously. His true end remains unconfirmed, but his story spread widely in medieval England as a symbol of national resistance.