Hereward the Wake
/ˌherɪwəd ðə ˈweɪk/
/ˌherɪwərd ðə ˈweɪk/
- (11th century) a British military leader who encouraged the Anglo-Saxons to resist William the Conqueror and the Normans in 1070. His military base was the Isle of Ely in Cambridgeshire, and after the Normans had defeated him there he is said to have escaped. There are many stories about his adventures although few of them are based on historical fact.