Uploaded August 2018 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
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.
#GCSEHistory #GCSERevision #AngloSaxons
***---Useful resources---***
Quizlet Flashcards: 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.
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.
#GCSEHistory #GCSERevision #AngloSaxons
***---Useful resources---***
Quizlet Flashcards: 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.
