Year 7 Work Booklet Norman England – Project Two
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Year 7 Work Booklet Norman England – Project two Can you find out the definitions to each key word? Key word Definition Hierarchy Feudalism Society Loyalty Harrying Rebellion Famine Landholding Tithe Monastery Archbishop Chancellor Excommunication Let’s do a little bit of revision 1) Name the four claimants to the throne of England in 1066. Answer box: 2) What date did the Battle of Hastings take place? Answer box: 3) Name one reason why William the Conqueror was a strong contender to the throne? Answer box: 4) Where did the Battle of Stamford Bridge take place and who was involved? Answer box: 5) What are the strengths and weaknesses of using a sword in battle? Answer box: 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. The Feudal System 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 King when I need them’. Baron ’I am at the bottom of the pile. Everyone is my lord!’ ‘I own all the land’ Knight ‘The peasants are loyal to me, but I am loyal to the baron… and Peasant the king, of course!’ 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 There were over 4,000 Saxon thegns the Witan. (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. 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. Anglo- Saxon Hierarchy System 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. What are the similarities and differences between the two social hierarchies? 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. Similarities Differences • The king was still in control of all the • The Earls have been replaced by Barons lands. and Churchmen. • • • • 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… 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. 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? Usually built by the The safest and local English people. highest part of the About 15 metres high. castle. The last line This led from the bailey to of defence. 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. The wooden fence A large yard with surrounding the bailey storerooms, kitchens, stables and guardrooms. 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. D OPEN COUNTRY (land with not many trees) MARSH (a wet land that C can flood during A wet seasons. HILL B TOP WOODED AREA Site Good feature about this site Bad feature about this site A) Hill top A h___ t__ would allow the Normans to Building a m___ on a hill see any i______ coming to a____ the could potentially make the castle. castle un____. Larger hills require much more piled earth than s_____ hills. It is h____ to build a large castle. B) Wooded A w____ a____ meant that the Normans Wood can easily catch area would be h____ away from enemies. They f____. If wood can burn would also have a large supply of w_____ down, that meant that the to build more c______. wood around the c____ could burn down easily too. C) Open An o___ c_____ allowed motte and bailey There would not much country c_____ to see who was coming to the surrounding the m___ and castle. b_____ castle to p_____ the N________. D) Marsh A m____ provided easy access for Marshes are usually w______ to place around a m_____ and unstable. This may mean b_____ castle. 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. Keeping control method 3: Destroying rebellions • 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. 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….