BattlefieldsHereward Guerrilla Raids from Ely 1070
Medieval

Hereward Guerrilla Raids from Ely 1070

1070
Cambridgeshire, England
Era
Medieval
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Cambridgeshire, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Forces
Not recorded in historical accounts
Forces
Norman patrols
VS
Victor
Not recorded in historical accounts
Forces
Hereward with Fen-based English resistance fighters conducting guerrilla operations
Outcome
Wide area of eastern England disrupted; Norman administration of the Fens paralysed; eventually ended by the siege of Ely
The Battle

History & Significance

From his base on the Isle of Ely, Hereward the Wake conducted guerrilla raids against Norman settlements in the surrounding Fenland, attacking foragers, ambushing patrols, and keeping a wide area in a state of alarm. His raids made the surrounding Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire territories effectively ungovernable for Norman administrators and forced William to commit substantial forces to the eventual siege. The guerrilla campaign lasted for over a year before Norman engineering overcame the Fen defences.

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