Which noble was imprisoned for life as a consequence of the rebellion of Ely?

Which noble was imprisoned for life as a consequence of the rebellion of Ely?

• A. Morcar
• B. Edwin
• C. Hereward
• D. Erdrich the Wild

Answer: (A)

In the Ely rebellion, a high-status conspirator who was used as a symbol of royal power was kept out of circulation for good by lifelong imprisonment. Hereward the Wake led the resistance at Ely, but the lasting punishment that tied to that uprising was Marrcar’s fate as an earl who was captured and kept imprisoned for life by William. This was a way to remove a powerful rival without erasing his name from history, which fits the pattern of how William dealt with major noble resistance. Hereward the Wake remained a figure of resistance with a different fate, while Edwin and the fictitious Erdrich do not fit the Ely episode. Morcar’s life-long imprisonment is the clear historical outcome associated with that rebellion.

In the Ely rebellion, a high-status conspirator who was used as a symbol of royal power was kept out of circulation for good by lifelong imprisonment. Hereward the Wake led the resistance at Ely, but the lasting punishment that tied to that uprising was Marrcar’s fate as an earl who was captured and kept imprisoned for life by William. This was a way to remove a powerful rival without erasing his name from history, which fits the pattern of how William dealt with major noble resistance. Hereward the Wake remained a figure of resistance with a different fate, while Edwin and the fictitious Erdrich do not fit the Ely episode. Morcar’s life-long imprisonment is the clear historical outcome associated with that rebellion.