What the Wars of the Roses tell us about England in the fifteenth century
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain what the Wars of the Roses tells us about 15th century England.
Key learning points
- The Wars of the Roses can tell us a lot about why England became unstable in the 15th century.
- Henry VI’s reign shows how important having a strong, warrior king who could control the nobility was.
- Despite his qualities, Edward IV’s inability to control his nobility led to further instability and conflict.
- The Wars of the Roses show how actions by dissatisfied, powerful nobles like Warwick often led to further instability.
- Richard III’s actions show how England was still an unstable place when arguments about who should rule broke out.
Keywords
Rebellion - resistance to the government, often an armed uprising
Power - control or influence over others
Plantagenet - royal house of England, which reigned from 1154-1485
Tudor - royal house of England, which reigned from 1485-1603
Common misconception
Students may think the Wars of the Roses ended with the victory of Henry VII at Bosworth and that all historians agree with this interpretation.
Explain that Henry VII also faced rebellions at the start of his reign and, although the Tudors are well-known for their rule of England, few expected them to last long as a result of the rebellions and the prior decades of instability.
Teacher tip
Introduce the idea that historians can - and often do - disagree with one another.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of serious crime
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.The ceremony of crowning a king or queen is known as a...
Q2.How old was Edward V when his father unexpectedly died?
Q3.Richard of Gloucester made himself of England until Edward V was old enough to rule.
Q4.Write the missing name: Edward V and his younger brother were both held in the Tower of London.
Q5.What most likely happened to the princes in the tower?
Q6.Put these events into the correct order.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Write the missing number. The Wars of the Roses helps to explain why England was so unstable in the th century.
Q2.Henry VI's reign shows that a medieval king needed to be strong and a brave in battle.
Q3.Which group of people did Edward IV fail to control effectively during his unstable first reign?
Q4.Which of the following were features of Plantagenet rule?
Q5.At which battle in 1485 did Henry Tudor kill Richard III?
Q6.Match the following keywords to their correct definitions.
To help you plan your 7 history lesson on: What the Wars of the Roses tell us about England in the fifteenth century, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 7 history lesson on: What the Wars of the Roses tell us about England in the fifteenth 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.
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