Land and inheritance in Norman England
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe the 'tenurial revolution' which followed the Norman conquest.
Key learning points
- In Norman England, all land was owned by the king.
- In Anglo-Saxon England, people held land in a range of different ways.
- Changes in tenure in Norman England also affected the Church.
- The king was able to influence inheritance in Norman England.
- Large numbers of Anglo-Saxons lost the land which they had previously.
Keywords
Landholding - landholding is how land is owned or rented
Tenure - tenure is the conditions under which land is held
Inheritance - inheritance is land or other property that is passed on to an heir when someone dies
Castelry - castelry is land under the control of a castle and used to support the castle
Relief - relief is a payment made by an heir to their overlord to be allowed to inherit a fief
Common misconception
William copied the landholding system for Norman England from Normandy.
Landholding in Normandy was different from landholding in Norman England. William was not the owner of all the land in Normandy.
Teacher tip
There are often opportunities to look at landholding through the historic environment: for example, the transfer of land to William de Warenne for Castle Acre Priory, or the formation of castelries in Sussex for Pevensey Castle.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the keywords to the correct definitions.
someone who granted land in return for service
a parcel of land given by an overlord to a vassal
to publicly submit and swear an oath of fealty (loyalty) to someone
someone who provided a service to an overlord in return for land
Q2.Which keyword refers to a hierarchical social system where people receive land to live and work on from those higher than them, and in return have to work and fight for them?
Q3.Select the missing words from this sentence: Holding land came with obligations such as paying , providing service or service.
Q4.Put the different levels of Anglo-Saxon social hierarchy in order, with 1 as the most powerful and 5 as the least powerful.
Q5.Put the different levels of Norman social hierarchy in order, with 1 as the most powerful and 4 as the least powerful.
Q6.Why was the Norman hierarchy system important for maintaining William's authority?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the keywords to the correct definitions.
how land is owned or rented
the conditions under which land is held
land or other property that is passed on to an heir when someone dies
land under the control of a castle and used to support the castle
Q2.Which keyword describes a payment made by an heir to their overlord to be allowed to inherit a fief?
Q3.Who owned all the land in the Norman landholding system?
Q4.Which of the following are reasons why historians talk about a ‘tenurial revolution’ in Norman England?
Q5.Which the following were types of tenure in Anglo-Saxon England?
Q6.Who was Harold Godwinson’s earldom of Wessex split between?
To help you plan your 10 history lesson on: Land and inheritance in Norman England, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 history lesson on: Land and inheritance in Norman England, 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 4 history lessons from the British Depth Study: Norman England, c1066–c1100 unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.