New
New
Year 5
How Christianity survived the Romans' departure
I can explain why Christianity in the British Isles survived the Romans' departure.
New
New
Year 5
How Christianity survived the Romans' departure
I can explain why Christianity in the British Isles survived the Romans' departure.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- Christianity survived the departure of the Romans in the places where the Anglo-Saxons did not settle.
- The main centre of this survival was Ireland, where Christianity grew more popular throughout the 5th century.
- The importance of monasteries meant that Christianity flourished in Ireland.
- The work of missionaries meant that Ireland began to spread Christianity to other places in the 6th century.
- A good explanation of why Christianity survived the Romans' departure will use knowledge from across this unit.
Keywords
Pagan - pagan means a religion other than one of the main world religions
Monastery - a monastery is a building lived in by a community of monks who follow religious vows
Missionary - a missionary is a person sent on a religious mission, especially one sent to promote Christianity in a foreign country
Common misconception
Pupils may think Christianity survived because of one reason.
Christianity survived because of a few reasons. It survived in the places the Anglo-Saxons did not settle. It also survived because monasteries were set up and missionaries spread the the religion to other places.
Track the key events on a timeline so pupils can understand how Christianity survived from the 4th to the 6th century.
Teacher tip
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on
Open Government Licence version 3.0
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Starter quiz
Download starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.
St Columba set up monastery.
Bobbio
Annegray
Q2.
Who did St Columba and St Columbanus travel with?
Q3.
Who did St Columba successfully convert to Christianity?
Romans
Welsh
Q4.
Gaul is an ancient region of Europe.
Q5.
Order these events chronologically.
Q6.
Order these events chronologically.
Exit quiz
Download exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.
When did the Romans leave Britain?
Q2.
What did the Anglo-Saxons believe in?
Christianity
Islam
Q3.
What evidence was discovered that showed Christianity survived after the Romans left?
coins
Q4.
When were monasteries built in Ireland?
Q5.
Who supported monasteries by giving valuable gifts?
the poor
Q6.
Large monasteries became important places for .