Which trio were the conspirators in the 1075 revolt?

• A. Ralph de Gael, Rodger de Bretail, Waltheof
• B. Ralph de Gael, Rodger de Bretail, Hereward the Wake
• C. Ralph de Gael, William Malet, Waltheof
• D. Waltheof, Harold Godwinson, Edgar the Atheling

Answer: (A)

This question tests your knowledge of the conspirators in the 1075 revolt against William the Conqueror. In that year, three powerful earls joined forces to challenge William’s rule: Ralph de Gael, Roger de Breteuil, and Waltheof. Ralph de Gael was the Earl of Norfolk, Roger de Breteuil the Earl of Hereford, and Waltheof the Earl of Northumbria. Their plan was to coordinate uprisings in different regions of England and undermine William’s authority. When the plot was uncovered, the consequences were severe for the conspirators: Waltheof was executed, and the others faced punishment and loss of their lands, marking the failure of that conspiracy.

Other figures listed belong to different episodes of resistance around the Norman conquest: Hereward the Wake led earlier resistance in East Anglia, Harold Godwinson and Edgar the Atheling were involved in the events surrounding 1066, and William Malet was connected with earlier uprisings, not the 1075 plot.