Changing rulers in the 11th century
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain how England came to be ruled by Vikings as well as Anglo-Saxons in the 11th century.
Key learning points
- Athelstan’s reign did not see the end of the Vikings in England, with continued raids and uprisings in Northumbria.
- In 1013, Sweyn Forkbeard captured the whole of England before dying.
- This left his son Canute to successfully contest the throne of England with an Anglo-Saxon, Edmund Ironside.
- Canute became King of England, Norway and Denmark, creating a huge North Sea empire which English trade benefited from.
- His son Harthacnut succeeded him in 1035 and ruled for seven years until an Anglo-Saxon, Edward, took the throne.
Keywords
Reign - to reign means to rule as a monarch and be the King or Queen
Tribute - tribute was payment made often by one ruler to another
Contest - to contest something, you fight for a position of power
Common misconception
Pupils may think Ethelred's reign was completely unsuccessful.
Although Ethelred made some poor decisions during his reign, evidence from his charters and coins suggest that Ethelred’s government was more effective than was once believed.
Teacher tip
Have images of each of the kings that ruled in the 11th century so pupils can order them chronologically and track whether the king was Anglo-Saxon or Viking.
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.Athelstan was made King of Mercia and Wessex in ...
Q2.When Athelstan captured the last Viking stronghold of York, he minted coins with what written on them?
Q3.Why do some historians call Athelstan the first king of England?
Q4.Order these events chronologically
Q5.How did Athelstan create 'England'?
Q6.Law codes money which made Athelstan's people happy and wealthy.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Ethelred was the __________ Anglo-Saxon king following Athelstan.
Q2.Match these keywords to their definition.
to rule as monarch, the King or Queen
payment made, often by one ruler to another
fight for a position of power
Q3.What does Ethelred the 'Unready' translate to?
Q4.Who invaded in 1013 and became the first Viking king of England?
Q5.Order these kings chronologically:
Q6.King Harthacnut was the Dane to rule England.
To help you plan your 6 history lesson on: Changing rulers in the 11th century, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 6 history lesson on: Changing rulers in the 11th century, 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 Vikings: how did Viking settlement change Britain? unit, dive into the full primary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.