Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe the Eleanor of Aquitaine's early life and how she became a duchess.
Key learning points
- Eleanor of Aquitaine was the daughter of the Duke of Aquitaine, an important landholder in what is modern France.
- Her father made sure that she received a good education and she was taught about literature, languages and how to ride!
- Her father expected her to marry a duke, prince or king, and this education would be very useful.
- However, before he could see her married, the Duke of Aquitaine died, leaving Eleanor all of his lands.
- Just 13 years old, Eleanor was now the rich and powerful Duchess of Aquitaine.
Keywords
Aquitaine - Aquitaine was a large area of modern day France. The person who controlled it was known as the Duke or Duchess of Aquitaine
Inherit - somebody will inherit something if it is left to them when someone else dies
Common misconception
Some may think that Aquitaine is the same as modern day France.
Aquitaine was only one area of modern day France, there were lots of areas controlled by different powerful families at this time.
Teacher tip
Use a modern map to compare the location of Aquitaine to modern day France.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Zheng He made voyages in treasure ships to…
Q2.Match each part of a boat to the correct definition.
Q3.Which ocean did Polynesians sail in?
Q4.At the time, the SS Great Britain was the largest ever built.
Q5.Longboats were used by which group of people?
Q6.Ancient Minoans and Ancient Greeks explored which sea?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Aquitaine was a large area of modern day...
Q2.Eleanor of Aquitaine was born around years ago.
Q3.Match each person to the name they had when they controlled Aquitaine.
Q4.What does inherit mean?
Q5.Eleanor had a very good education when she was growing up.
Q6.Eleanor became the Duchess of Aquitaine when she was __________ years old.
To help you plan your 2 history lesson on: Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 2 history lesson on: Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 1 history lessons from the Ruling and religion unit, dive into the full primary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.