 In 1075 , three earls rebelled , for reasons unknown , and sought aid from the King of Denmark , Sweyn II Estridsson , who had a distant claim to the English throne . Among the rebels was Roger de Breteuil , the Earl of Hereford , whose lands neighboured those of Urse . Along with Bishop Wulfstan of Worcester , Abbot Æthelwig of Evesham , and Walter de Lacy , Urse prevented de Breteuil from crossing the River Severn . Urse 's actions kept the rebels from seizing control of the Severn Valley and joining up with the other English rebels , Waltheof , the Earl of Northumbria , and Ralph de Gael , the Earl of Norfolk . Urse and the magnates fighting alongside him , in addition to their obvious desire to suppress rebellion , had an interest in defeating de Breteuil , as he was the most powerful lord in the area . De Breteuil was caught , tried , and imprisoned for life , increasing the power of his rivals . 
