The rise of Mercia
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain how Mercia came to be the most powerful Anglo-Saxon kingdom by 796 CE.
Key learning points
- By 750 CE the kingdoms of Mercia, Wessex, Northumberland and East Anglia were the most powerful.
- By the second half of the 8th century, Mercia was ruled by King Offa and his Frankish queen, Cynethryth.
- Sometimes the most powerful Anglo-Saxon kings would claim to be the 'bretwalda', the ruler of all of Britain.
- Having won many battles against other Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, Offa called himself ‘bretwalda’.
- Offa was unable to defeat the Welsh; he built a barrier on his western borders to protect his kingdom against them.
Keywords
Northumbria - Northumbria was a former Anglo-Saxon kingdom in north-east England in modern-day Northumberland
Mercia - Mercia was a major Anglo-Saxon kingdom in the central part of England
Supremacy - having supremacy is having more power than anyone else
Barrier - a barrier is a fence or obstacle that prevents movement or access
Common misconception
King Offa was solely responsible for Mercian supremacy.
Although it was mostly King Offa, the supremacy of Mercia was already beginning before his reign and continued for a short while afterwards.
Teacher tip
You may wish to see which Anglo-Saxon kingdom your local setting would have been a part of and if there are any significant settlements from that period nearby.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.How many Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were there around 600 CE?
Q2.What was Augustine sent to Britain to do by the Pope in 597 CE?
Q3.What is the name of the tribe that arrived in Britain from Ireland around the early 400s CE?
Q4.Match the Anglo-Saxon god or goddess with the day of the week named after them.
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Q5.What three things did the Roman Christians and Celtic Christians disagree on?
Q6.What was the name given to the meeting between the Celtic and Roman Christians to decide what type of Christianity should be used in Britain?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which two of the following were considered to be the most powerful Anglo-Saxon kingdoms by 750 CE?
Q2.Who was the King of Mercia from 757 to 796 CE?
Q3.Match the word with its definition.
a country or area ruled by a king or queen
a fence or obstacle that prevents movement or access
having more power than anyone else
an Anglo-Saxon word meaning the ruler of all of Britain
Q4.Starting with the earliest, sort these events into chronological order.
Q5.What was the name of the large barrier that was built between Mercia and Wales?
Q6.Pick the reasons why Offa was such a powerful Anglo-Saxon king.
To help you plan your 5 history lesson on: The rise of Mercia, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 5 history lesson on: The rise of Mercia, 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 2 history lessons from the Britain's settlement by Anglo-Saxons: what changed after the Romans left? unit, dive into the full primary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.