1070-71: Hereward the Wake & the Rebellion at Ely | GCSE History Revision | Anglo-Saxon England

In 1070, a fleet of Danes returned to England, following the Anglo-Danish attack on York in the summer of 1069. The fleet was led by the King of Denmark, himself, Sweyn II, and set up on the Isle of Ely. Sweyn teamed up with a local rebel leader called Hereward the Wake, who had been fighting a guerrilla war. This was the final great challenge from the Anglo-Saxons that King William I faced.

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Quizlet Flashcards: https://quizlet.com/_52hwdn

Practice exam-style questions:
Describe two features of the rebellion at Ely, 1070-71
Explain why William was able to put down the rebellion at Ely, 1070-71
You may use the following in your answer:
Local Monks
The Danes
You must also use information of your own.
'The main reason for William's victory at Ely was his bribing of local monks to show him a safe passage through the marshes'.
How far do you agree? Explain your answer.

Revision Notes:
1070, a Danish fleet returned to England (after the anglo-danish attack on York carried out in summer 1069)
King Sweyn himself led the fleet
They set up on the Isle of Ely, in the middle of the fens in East Anglia
The Fens are a marshy region in the east of England
Local knowledge of safe paths was essential to avoid sinking in the marsh
In 1070, Ely was surrounded by water and swamp, thus were an excellent defensive location for the Danes and rebels
East Anglia was part of the Danelaw, so it was easy for Sweyn to make alliances with locals
Sweyn made alliances with local people
One of these locals Sweyn made alliances with was a local rebel leader called Hereward the Wake
Hereward was a local thegn who had been exiled under Edward the Confessor
During his exile, he’d fought as a mercenary in Flanders
1069, Hereward came back to find his lands had been seized and given to a Norman
At the same time, the Archbishop of Peterborough, near Ely, (who may have been Hereward’s lord), was replaced by a Norman called Turold
Hereward had been fighting a guerrilla war (*where small bands attack a larger force by surprise and then disappear back into the local population - It is a modern term) against the Normans with other East Anglia rebels

The Danes and Hereward raided Peterborough Abbey together
Hereward wanted to stop the abbey’s riches falling into the hands of the Normans
After the successful raid, unfortunately, the Danes promptly sailed off back to Denmark with the treasure
Morcar and his men joined Hereward
The Normans, led by William, advanced on Ely
Hereward and Morcar prepared to defend the Isle of Ely
The Normans managed to capture Ely
They possibly did this by bribing local monks to show them a safe way through the marshes
Morcar was captured
Hereward escaped and was not heard of again
Morcar was imprisoned by William for the rest of his life
William took the brothers’ lands
The defeat at Ely marked the end of the large-scale Anglo-Saxon rebellions

This video is a revision resource for the 'Anglo-Saxon & Norman England' module of the new Pearson Edexcel 2016 History GCSE (9-1), though may be compatible with other specs from different exam boards.