Historicity Hereward the Wake

title page of kingsley s novel hereward wake.

the existence of hereward not disputed, though story of life, recounted in gesta, contains exaggerations of deeds , outright fictions. hugh m. thomas argues gesta intended entertaining story english hero, creating fantasy of successful resistance normans. hereward motivated honest emotions , displays chivalric values in warfare, unlike enemies. supreme manly prowess emphasised. potentially discreditable episodes such looting of peterborough excused, , wiped out stories such vision of st. peter leading him return loot.

the fact of hereward s participation in events @ ely attested in documents such annal 1071 in anglo-saxon chronicle. text of chronicle tells of involvement in looting. sources nothing him other fact @ ely , led last band of resisters. estoire des engleis (c. 1140) says had noble family, unspecific. alleged genealogy given in gesta , later historia croylandensis, though variations. 15th century, wake family claiming descent him , elevating ancestry asserting son of leofric, earl of mercia , lady godiva.

it possible of stories hereward mutated tales robin hood or influenced them. hereward nevertheless remained minor figure until victorian period, when idea of native anglo-saxon heroism became popular. charles kingsley’s 1865 novel hereward wake: last of english elevated hereward position of national hero. drew on theory traditional english liberties destroyed norman yoke , idea earlier popularised in walter scott s novel ivanhoe. both novels helped create image of romantic anglo-saxon england violated norman tyranny. after publication hereward appears in numerous popular historical works.