Anglo-Saxon law codes
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe one of the written sources from the Anglo-Saxon period and what historians have inferred from them.
Key learning points
- One of the types of written sources we have from the Anglo-Saxon period are law codes.
- The laws concern compensation for injuries people caused each other, suggesting Anglo-Saxon society could be violent.
- Compensation differed according to status; the laws set out a strict hierarchy with enslaved people at the bottom.
- Unlike men women couldn’t receive compensation but they could own property as some laws mention inheritance for widows.
- By looking at who is mentioned and how the law affected them, historians have inferred a lot about Anglo-Saxon society.
Keywords
Law - a law is a rule that tells people what they can and cannot do
Compensation - compensation is something given to make up for loss or harm
Hierarchy - hierarchy a system where people are ranked according to their importance or status
Widows - widows are women whose husbands have passed away
Common misconception
Widow is a gender neutral term.
Widow is a gendered term for a woman whose husband has died. A widower is a husband whose wife has died.
Teacher tip
There is potential in this lesson to discuss social justice and inequalities with this lesson. Some PSHE sessions around women's rights and inequality in modern society may be beneficial before or after teaching this lesson.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of upsetting content
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What was found at Sutton Hoo?
Q2.Why were there Frankish coins in Anglo-Saxon Britain?
Q3.True or false: Roman coins continued to be used by the Anglo-Saxons after the Romans left Britain in 410 CE.
Q4.Choose the correct historical definitions of the word 'mint'.
Q5.Why did the Anglo-Saxon king, King Offa, mint coins with his head and face on them?
Q6.What did archaeologists find that shows that the towns and trade increased once the Romans had left Britain?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the words to the correct definition.
a rule that tells people what they can and cannot do
something given to make up for loss or harm
a system where people are ranked according to their importance
Q2.What are Anglo-Saxon 'law codes'?
Q3.What do the laws about compensation for injuries people caused each other suggest about Anglo-Saxon culture?
Q4.Order the Anglo-Saxon social hierachy starting with the most important and ending with the least important.
Q5.Complete the sentence: Women whose husbands have passed away are called .
Q6.What would Anglo-Saxon widows often inherit from their husbands?
To help you plan your 5 history lesson on: Anglo-Saxon law codes, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 5 history lesson on: Anglo-Saxon law codes, 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 The Anglo-Saxons: how do we know about life in Anglo-Saxon England? unit, dive into the full primary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.