the organisation of the Christian religion

the principal church of a diocese and the seat of a bishop

a person who has withdrawn from normal life to dedicate their life to God

a person who works for the Church and helps people with religious matters in the local community

Norman reforms to the English Church

History

This unit will give pupils a grounding in the disciplinary use of sources which will be developed in the later unit on the English Civil War

Pupils will have an understanding of religious change in Europe and beyond which will contextualise aspects of the Norman Conquest

The Norman Conquest: how do we know about the impact of the Conquest on England?

Subjects which particular individuals may be sensitive to, eg, adoption, migration, bereavement or death, divorce.

Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Depiction or discussion of violence or fighting, including threats of violence or the aftermath of violence.

Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

the principal church of a diocese and seat of a bishop

works for the Church to help people in the local community

a man who withdraws from normal life to focus on God

Match the words with the correct definitions.

In 1070 William the Conqueror appointed a new Archbishop of Canterbury. What was the Archbishop’s name?

Honouring sacred objects called relics, including the body parts of dead saints.

Priests getting married instead of staying celibate.

Ordinary people going on pilgrimages – making religious journeys to holy sites.

Buying and selling positions in the Church to make money.

The Normans and the Pope disapproved of the way the Anglo-Saxon Church operated. Which of these common Anglo-Saxon practices were Normans critical of?

Replaced almost all the Anglo-Saxon abbots with Normans.

Replaced almost all the bishops appointed by Edward the Confessor with Normans.

Ordered all Church services to be in English so everyone could understand them.

Introduced new rules for how priests, bishops and monks should live their lives.

Which of these were things that Lanfranc carried out in his reform of the English Church?

The Normans replaced Anglo-Saxon churches and cathedrals with buildings in a style known as {{  }}. 

Stopping rule-breaking, e.g. breaking rule of celibacy.

A large programme of rebuilding in the Norman Romanesque style.

Property was passed to the eldest son (primogeniture).

Carrying out a survey of all landholding in King Edward's time and in the 1080s.

Which of these ways of increasing Norman control over England were connected to Lanfranc's Church reforms?

Norman conqueror, crowned king of England in December 1066

Norman chronicler, who wrote about William's conquest

William's wife, she governed Normandy when William was away

Match these people with the correct descriptions.

works with the community and performs rituals in church

the most important church in its area (called a diocese)

the bishop of Rome and leader of the Catholic Church

Match these words connected to religion with the correct definitions.

Normandy was a duchy in the north of which modern-day European country?

It states that Edward promised William the throne.

It states that Harold promised to support William’s claim.

It states that Harold was a treacherous liar who broke his promises.

It states that William often had to fight wars against other Norman lords.

Which one of these is not a way in which the Gesta Guillelmi seeks to justify or strengthen William’s claim to the throne?

It was written by someone who knew William of Normandy very well

William of Poitiers was a priest, not a trained historian.

It was written to set out reasons why William’s claim was the strongest.

It was written soon after the events of the succession crisis.

Which of the following best explains why historians think carefully about the claims reported in the Gesta Guillelmi?

Monks in Norman England followed strict rules. Which one of these were Norman monks not allowed to do?

Content guidance

Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Depiction or discussion of serious crime

Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Adult supervision required

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Norman reforms to the English Church

Lesson outcome

Content guidance

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.