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Hereward the Wake

Hereward the Wake (her'iwurd) [key], fl. 1070, Anglo-Saxon rebel against William I. A thane, he apparently held land in Lincolnshire. In 1070 he sacked Peterborough with the aid of a Danish fleet and then consolidated his forces on the Isle of Ely. After William captured (1071) the island, Hereward seems to have continued resistance as an outlaw. It is said that he was later pardoned by William. He became a folk hero to the conquered Anglo-Saxons.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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