Year 7 Work BookletNorman England – Project two

Key word Definition

Hierarchy

Feudalism

Society

Loyalty

Harrying

Rebellion

Famine

Landholding

Tithe

Monastery

Archbishop

Chancellor

Excommunication

Can you find out the definitions to each key word?

Let’s do a little bit of revision

1) Name the four claimants to the throne of England in 1066.

3) Name one reason why William the Conqueror was a strong

contender to the throne?

4) Where did the Battle of Stamford Bridge take place and

who was involved?

2) What date did the Battle of Hastings take place?

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5) What are the strengths and weaknesses of using a sword in

battle?

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What happened after the Battle of Hastings?

• After the Battle of Hastings, William still had to conquer England. He marched

from Hastings, crossing the Thames and towards London.

• Along the way, a few towns surrendered to William, which helped him secure

London.

• William wanted to be crowned King as soon as possible. His coronation took

place on Christmas Day, 1066 at Westminster Abbey.

• A fight had broken out between the Saxons and Norman soldiers outside the

Abbey.

• One of the problems that William and the Saxons had was that they could not

understand each other’s language.

Which of William’s other problems were his biggest problems when he became the King of England? Can you rank them 1= biggest problem to 4 – smallest problem?

England was a big country. There were still Vikings in the North of England and William was worried the Vikings would join with the English and fight against William.

William did not have any money and needed to pay his army so they would protect him.

Some of Harold’s army was in London and did not like William.

Some of the English lords were not happy that William was their king. William could not trust them to keep their areas under control and needed to find a way to get his people to trust him.

How did William solve his problems?

Solution 1: Knowing where you belonged in society and controlling land.

William said that all the land in England belonged to him. England, however, was too large for him to look after all by himself though.

William introduced a new hierarchy system that would help him still own England by sharing the land out in exchange for people’s loyalty to him. This was known as the ‘Feudal System’ (land holding).

Most of the people he lent land to had helped him in the Battle of Hastings. He was rewarding them for their help.

Task: Can you match the statements up to the right person? The first one has been done for you.

‘I give land to the knights who pay me taxes and fight for men when I need them’.

’I am at the bottom of the pile. Everyone is my lord!’

‘I own all the land’

‘The peasants are loyal to me, but I am loyal to the baron… and the king, of course!’

The Feudal System

King

Baron

Knight

Peasant

How much did society change for England?

Study the two pyramids. One pyramid shows what the social hierarchy system was like in Anglo-Saxon England and the other pyramid shows the Norman Feudal System.

The King owned most of the land. Some was owned by the Church. The king made laws along with the Witan.

The Earls had control of 6 Earldoms. The king owned the land, but the earls controlled it. In return, they promised to support the king.

There were over 4,000 Saxon thegns (lords) who looked after the land for the earls. In return, they paid some money to the earls. They also were also part of the king’s army.

Peasants did not have much freedom. They had to work on the land for 2-3 days a week and pay taxes to their thegns. Slaves were the property of some peasants and worked in return for food and shelter.

Anglo-Saxon

Hierarchy System

What are the similarities and differences between the two social hierarchies?

Do you think having a Feudal System (Norman Hierarchy) was a fair way of keeping the Anglo-Saxons happy and loyal to the king?

I think this was a fair/unfair way of keeping the Anglo-Saxons happy and loyal to the king.

I think this because the Feudal System meant that…

Similarities Differences

• The king was still in control of all the lands.

•

•

• The Earls have been replaced by Barons and Churchmen.

•

•

Can you complete the table using the information on the previous slide and find 2 similarities and three differences between the two social hierarchies? The first two have been done for you.

Keeping control method 2: Castle Building

Why did William need so much control?

• Very few castles had been built in England before 1066. The only buildings that resembled castles in England were the Burghs (fortified towns) built in the 9th

century by Alfred the Great to defend the country against Viking raids.

• William built castles were built to impose Norman rule on the rebellious English. These were much better to defend against any invasion.

• Castles were a vital part of William’s strategy to control England. When he landed at Pevensey (a place in the South of England), one of William’s first actions was to build a castle to help keep his position in England so he didn’t lose it to the Anglo-Saxons. Everywhere the Normans went, they built castles to show they belonged there.

• These castles were known as Motte and Bailey castles. They had to be built quickly and wherever the Normans wanted them.

The safest and highest part of the castle. The last line of defence.

Usually built by the local English people. About 15 metres high.

A large yard with storerooms, kitchens, stables and guardrooms.

The wooden fence surrounding the bailey

This led from the bailey to the stairs climbing the motte.

The entrance to the bailey, guarded by the baron’s soldiers.

This made it harder to reach the walls of the bailey.

Task: Look at the diagram below. This is a Motte and Bailey castle, one of the first castles William built in England. Can you answer the questions about this type of castle?

1) Which part of the motte and bailey castle would be the best place to see an incoming invasion?

2) Why would it be hard for invaders to attack the castle?

3) What are the disadvantages to building a motte and bailey castle?

4) Who do you think would live in the bailey and why do you think they would live there?

How did the Normans build a motte and bailey castle?

When choosing a location for a castle, the Normans had to smart and choose very carefully. Task: Have a look at the map below and think about what the good and bad features are of each of these sites to build a castle.

MARSH(a wet land that can flood during wet seasons.

HILL TOP

OPEN COUNTRY (land with not many trees)

D

A

B

C

WOODED AREA

Site Good feature about this site Bad feature about this site

A) Hill top A h___ t__ would allow the Normans to see any i______ coming to a____ the castle.

Building a m___ on a hill could potentially make the castle un____. Larger hills require much more piled earth than s_____ hills. It is h____ to build a large castle.

B) Wooded area

A w____ a____ meant that the Normans would be h____ away from enemies. They would also have a large supply of w_____ to build more c______.

Wood can easily catch f____. If wood can burn down, that meant that the wood around the c____ could burn down easily too.

C) Open country

An o___ c_____ allowed motte and bailey c_____ to see who was coming to the castle.

There would not much surrounding the m___ and b_____ castle to p_____ the N________.

D) Marsh A m____ provided easy access for w______ to place around a m_____ and b_____ castle.

Marshes are usually unstable. This may mean that castles might s___ into the m____.

Can you explain which site is the best location for building a new castle using the evidence from your table?

I think the best location for a castle is site____.

I think this because…

What other castles did the Normans build?

As motte and bailey castles were constructed out of wood, which meant they could easily be chopped or burnt down, the Normans created stronger castles.

As early as 1070, a few lords with the time, money and a suitable location began to build their castles in stone. These were known as stone keep castles. If a castle had good strong walls, a keep was not needed. Lords were able to just build towers instead.

A second castle that developed in Norman England was the concentric castle. This was a much larger castle than motte and bailey and stone keep castles. Concentric castles would provide the defender with more opportunity to hurt any attacking force.

• William now had two realms to run – England and

Normandy.

• William faced multiple threats during the first few years of

his reign in England, not just from the Anglo-Saxons, but

from his Norman earls too. These rebellions broke out in

different parts of England.

Keeping control method 3: Destroying rebellions

Do you think the Anglo-Saxons would still be angry that a Norman king

had invaded their land?

I think the Anglo-Saxons would be happy/angry because…

How do you think William would react if he found out his people were

trying to get rid of him and were not listening to his rules?

I think William would react….. Because….

One rebellion that was considered as controversial was the Harrying of the North. William had had enough of the Northern Englishmen disliking him as the new King of England, so he decided to teach them a lesson.

Task: On the next few slides, can you read through the story of the Harrying of the North, answer the questions about the sources, and decide how the Harrying of the North has been interpreted by scholars?

StoryTask: Read through the information about the Harrying of the North. As you read the information, bullet point 1/2 key points from each paragraph.

The Harrying of the North 1069

The Harrying of the North was a terrible incident that happened in 1069. Williamwas not happy that the people in the North did not like William’s rule. He marched up North and brutally dealt with the northerners.

After William attempted to establish control in the North by building castles and garrisons, however, this had been undone by Danish invasions and English lords rebelled against him.

William thought that a harsh punishment was needed. In 1069 he marched up North again with an army. He made sure that he had full control over the North of England. This was known as the Harrying of the North.

William sent out troops to kill people, burn buildings and fields, take money and destroy large areas of land. Many people fled the North to avoid the killing and the famine. Even more castles were built, and the slaughter of the North had shown that William was in charge and no one would dare to rebel against him again.

Title of each paragraph Fill in the gaps.

People in the N___ were not happy with W____ as king of E____

C_____ were no longer effective as D____ invaders had still managed to r____ against William.

The H____ of the N_____ saw William take back full c_____ of the North.

William p____ the northerners by burning b_____, f______ and killing many people. The destruction that the Normans created caused a f______.

Sources

Now, read the sources and answer the following questions.

Source A

It was horrible to see. Houses, streets

and roads were empty. Human

bodies rotted as there was no one

left to bury them. People died by

fighting and starvation… between

York and Durham no village was

lived in.

Written by a Saxon Monk from

Durham.

Source B

“In his anger at the English Saxon

barons, William said that all crops and

herds, houses and food should be

burned to ashes, so that the people in

the North starved.

That winter, a famine fell upon the

people, that more than 100,000 young

and old people starved to death. I think

William was harsh.”

Orderic Vitalis Diary –Orderic was a

monk (priest who was English but grew

up in Normandy after William left)

Source C

According to Orderic, William said on his

deathbed:

“I was wrong to persecute the Saxons of

England in York. They died because of me and

they were stabbed by my soldiers or died

because I starved them. My soul is stained

with the blood of those that I killed.”

SOURCE D:

From the Bayeux Tapestry 1070 –

This shows William’s men sacking a

Saxon village .

4) The Bayeux Tapestry was created by William’s half brother, Odo of Bayeux. Can we trust this Norman view?

3) Did William regret what he had done? Can we trust the evidence of the Chronicler, Orderic?

2) Does Orderic think that people thought William was to blame?

1) What were the consequences of William’s decision to show that he was in control of England?

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Answer box:

1) Are these interpretations positive or negative views of William’s Harrying of the North?

2) Highlight two sentences which show they are positive/negative.

Scholarship – Historians’ opinions

‘The Harrying of the North was the most horrific action of William’s career. ”Nowhere else had William shown such cruelty,” said Orderic Vitalis in the 12th century. Some have accused William of being wrong to kill so many people, while others have said that this was normal for a king to kill a lot of people.’ (M. Morris, 2013)

‘After a few weeks, William had not only punished those who did not like William’s rule. He also made sure they could not send him back to Normandy.’ (J. Aitcheson, 2016).

Keeping control method 4: The Domesday Book

Look at the source and answer these questions:

1) What can you see in the source?

2) What do you think is happening in the cartoon?

3) Why do you think this might be happening?

What do you think William the Conqueror used this book for to help him keep control of England?

I think William might use a book to help him educate people/control people/write a diary of his time in England.

William the Conqueror was keen to know all about

the country that he had conquered and how much it

was worth.

In 1085, William sent officials all over England to

visit every village and ask a series of detailed

questions. They interviewed the priest, the steward

(the man who organised the farm work in the

village) and six elderly villagers in each village.

The officials took a year to visit over 13,000 villages.

Soldiers who travelled with them threatened to kill

people if they didn’t tell the truth. A second group

visited the villages later to check the people had

been honest.

What was the Domesday Book?

Task: Can you watch the video and choose the correct answer to the question?

1) Why did William want every ‘free man, every slave, every farm’ etc. in the country to be counted? a) To raise money and an army b) To know who his people were

2) Who was sent all over England to collect this information?a) Farmersb) commissioners

3) Were the English happy about this new survey?a) They were upset as they remembered what happened in the North b) They were happy to be recognised by the king!

4) What language was the survey written in?a) Frenchb) Latin

5) What does ‘Dom’ mean in Old English? Why did the English feel this way?a) Judgement. The English thought they were being examined, counted and judged.b) Judgement. The English thought they were being looked after by the King.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om_BIzXaVwU

Write two PEE paragraphs explaining how effective William the Conqueror’s methods were of keeping control in

England.

One method that William the Conqueror used to keep control of England was…

For example, he solved his problem of… by…

(Describe in detail using the information from the work you have just completed about solving William’s problems and how he kept control of England).

I think this method of control was effective because…

Another method that William the Conqueror used to keep control of England was…

An example of this method was… as it solved his problem of….. (describe in detail how this method allowed William to keep control of England).

I think this method was more/less effective than…. because…

Overall, I think William’s methods of control were wholly/partially/not very effective because…

How did religion influence every day medieval life?

Religion played a very important role in people’s lives in the Middle Ages. It was with them every minute of every day. When the Normans took over England, they made sure that everyone followed the same religion as them to make sure they got into heaven and avoided hell.

Task: Can you think of two examples that would send you to heaven and hell? The first ones have been done for you.

Heaven

• Going to Church on Sundays and Holy days

•

•

Hell

• Stealing money

•

•

The Normans introduced different ways to show how people could get into heaven and avoid going to hell. These would be going on a pilgrimage, buying your way into heaven, visiting your local priest or becoming a monk or nun.

PIN mark your paragraph. Your teacher will look at this paragraph and PIN mark it too.

I have identified one method of how effective William the Conqueror was at keeping control of England.

I have described one how effective William the Conqueror was at keeping control of England and why this was effective.

I have explained why this method was effective for William to keep control of England.

I have described two reasons how William’s methods of control were effective.

I have reached a judgement as to how effective William’s methods were for him to keep control of England with a balanced argument.

Task: Can you copy and paste the following cards into their correct information boxes? The first few have been done for you.

Visiting a priest

• Priests were meant to help people live good lives

Going on a pilgrimage

• The further and harder you travelled on a religious journey, the sorrier you showed yourself to be.

Buying your way into heaven

• Rich people paid for colleges to be set up where people did nothing but pray for their soul.

Becoming a monk or nun

• They took vows not to marry, have no belongings and live simple lives.

• A nun or monk’s daily life was lived by strict rules. They were expected to pray for long hours each day.

• People bought their way into heaven. This was meant to free people from their sins and go straight to heaven when they died.

• People believed by going to a holy place or touching a holy object, this could help you get to heaven.

• People would confess their sins to a priest at a Mass every Sunday, and he would forgive them.

• Priests encouraged people do good things e.g. helping the sick and homeless.

What happens when you challenge a King’s religious authority?

Over the next 100 years, the Church became very powerful in England collecting taxes from the Anglo-Saxons and Normans. After William the Conqueror’s reign ended, many of the kings who succeeded him thought themselves just as powerful as the Church.

King Henry II of England (1154-1189) decided to challenge the Church’s power as he wanted more power for himself. This then led to a dispute involving the King, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and four knights…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JczRpnjNKwc

Task: Watch the video below. After that, can you find the correct order of the story and write your answer in the answer box?

B) Henry and Becket became best friends. Henry made Becket Archbishop of Canterbury.

D) Henry wanted more power than the Church and asked Becket to help him. Becket was not so sure.

A) Terrified after upsetting Henry by not giving him more power, Becket fled to France.

C) Becket came back to England and excommunicated some bishops. Henry then shouted, ‘will no one rid me of this troublesome priest?’

E) Four knights heard Henry thought he wanted Becket dead. The knights went to Canterbury and killed him.

F) Henry was upset that Becket had been killed. He felt awful that this had happened to his friend.

I think the correct order is:

Who do you think was responsible for Thomas Becket’s death in 1170?

Read the evidence below. Sort the cards out by deciding which cards suggest that Henry II, Thomas Becket or the Knights were to blame for Becket’s death in 1070.

This evidence will be used in your final extended writing task.

He wanted to control the Churchbecause it had more power thanhe did in Medieval England

Shouted “Will no one ridme of this troublesomepriest?!”

Appointed three bishopswhilst Becket was in Francefearing for his life

Overheard the King shouting androde off to Canterbury as a result.They thought that the King had giventhem direct orders

Abandoned his rich lifestyle andbecame very religious. He dedicatedhis life to the Catholic Church and tothe Pope

Refused to get rid of thechurch courts as requested

Broke into Canterbury Cathedral,found Thomas Becket and sliced offthe top of his head with their swords

Was disloyal to his friend. For example, herefused to get rid of the Church courtswhich had not been punishing members ofthe Church correctly

Fled to France because heupset the King and fearedfor his life.

Promised to return to England and behave asrequested but as soon as he returned heexcommunicated three bishops. Excommunicationmeans cutting a person off from the Church and wasseen as horrific in medieval times

Made Thomas Becket Archbishop ofCanterbury. Becket had previously beenhis Chancellor and had helped his run thegovernment. He thought he could betrusted.

Perhaps killed ThomasBecket to win favour withthe King.

Thomas Becket

Henry II The Knights

I think ….. was responsible for Thomas Becket’s death in 1170.

The evidence I have that suggest this is….. (use the evidence from the video and card sort to describe your evidence).

This explains why… was responsible for Becket’s death because his actions led to….

I also think that ….. was responsible for Becket’s death.

The evidence I have that suggest this is…..

This explains why… was responsible for Becket’s death because his actions led to….

Overall, I think the person that was mostly responsible for Becket’s death was… (this should be the person from your first paragraph). They were more responsible than…. because….

Write two PEE paragraphs explaining who you think was responsible for Thomas Becket’s death in 1170.