Matilda's later life: supporting Henry II
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain how a study of Matilda's later life can lead to a greater understanding of the political role of medieval women.
Key learning points
- Matilda’s son, Henry 'FitzEmpress', launched military campaigns in England after Matilda relocated to Normandy.
- Matilda and Stephen ended the Anarchy by agreement in the Treaty of Wallingford.
- Stephen agreed Matilda's son Henry would inherit the throne after his death, which led to a peaceful succession.
- Matilda retired to Normandy but continued to advise Henry II on matters of government.
- Matilda's later life can be studied by historians interested in the political role played by elite medieval women.
Keywords
Treaty - a treaty is a formal agreement between two countries
Common misconception
Barons must obey the their monarch's orders.
Although this is true in theory, in reality the barons and their monarch worked as a partnership: the monarch relied upon the barons and if they weren't doing a good enough job, they could expect to lose the support of their barons.
Teacher tip
For the first activity, encourage students to try and link the causes together in order to help them understand that, as with much of history, these events weren't happening in isolation from each other, but were inextricably intertwined.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the keyword to the correct definition.
a war between citizens of the same country
somewhere that it is being surrounded by people trying to capture it
somebody who takes something by force without the right to do so
an absence of government and order in society
Q2.Put the following events of the Anarchy in chronological order.
Q3.In which ways was Matilda considered to be a successful ruler at the time?
Q4.Who was one of Empress Matilda's most important supporters?
Q5.Complete the following sentence: The Rout of resulted in the destruction of much of Matilda's forces, as well as the capture of Robert of Gloucester.
Q6.How was Queen Matilda of Boulogne, Stephen's wife, important during the Anarchy?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What keyword describes a formal agreement between two countries?
Q2.Why was Matilda forced to relocate to Normandy in 1148?
Q3.Why did tensions in the civil war reduce in the 1140s?
Q4.What was the name of Matilda's eldest son?
Q5.What was the name of Stephen's son who he had tried repeatedly to have crowned alongside him in order to secure the succession?
Q6.What happened in October 1154?
To help you plan your 7 history lesson on: Matilda's later life: supporting Henry II, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 7 history lesson on: Matilda's later life: supporting Henry II, 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 3 history lessons from the Medieval women: what can we learn from Matilda about women in medieval England? unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.