Eleanor, Queen of England
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe Eleanor of Aquitaine's relationship with Henry II and her connections to England.
Key learning points
- Two months after her marriage to Louis was annulled, Eleanor married Henry, who was next in line to the English throne.
- Henry became the King of England, and Eleanor was his queen; together they ruled over large parts of France and England.
- However, their marriage was not always happy and eventually Eleanor moved back to Aquitaine.
- When her sons decided to revolt against Henry, she supported them and Henry had her confined as punishment.
- However, after Henry's death she helped two of her sons, Richard and John, to rule when they were king of England.
Keywords
Rebel - to rebel means to go against a leader
Prisoner - when someone is a prisoner they are kept in one place and do not have the freedom to leave
Common misconception
Some may think of Eleanor as a prisoner being kept in terrible conditions.
Eleanor lived in places of comfort, for example, castles. She did not have the freedom to leave but was well looked after.
Teacher tip
It might be helpful to look at a family tree for Eleanor of Aquitaine to see all of her children or get learners to create one themselves.
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.Eleanor of Aquitaine married Prince of France when she was very young.
Q2.Which event came first?
Q3.Which important person had to lead soldiers into a war?
Q4.King Louis had to lead his soldiers on a…
Q5.On the crusade, Eleanor and Louis travelled from France to far away places.
Q6.Eleanor and Louis had their marriage annulled…
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Put these kings of England into the correct order, starting with who was the King first.
Q2.Select the countries that Eleanor of Aquitaine became queen of in her lifetime.
Q3.Three of Eleanor’s sons tried to against their father.
Q4.Eleanor was kept as a for helping her sons to rebel.
Q5.Select the two statements which are true.
Q6.Which of Eleanor’s sons became kings of England?
To help you plan your 2 history lesson on: Eleanor, Queen of England, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 2 history lesson on: Eleanor, Queen of England, 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.