William's consolidation of power
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe how William maintained royal power.
Key learning points
- After the Battle of Hastings, William took the land of all those who had fought against him.
- At first William kept some Anglo-Saxons in positions of power to help him be accepted as England’s new king.
- The uprisings against Norman rule changed William’s mind about including Anglo-Saxons in positions of power.
- William used his control over England’s land to transfer power from Anglo-Saxons to Normans.
- William’s methods of maintaining control included: military strength, harrying and castles, and government power.
Keywords
Tenants-in-chief - tenants-in-chief were the large Norman landholders who held land directly from the monarch
Tenant - a tenant is a person who pays for the use of land or a building
Common misconception
William the Conqueror was hostile towards all Anglo-Saxons from the start.
Some Anglo-Saxons, if they had not fought against William at Hastings, were allowed to keep their land.
Teacher tip
Get students to craft their version of a royal seal, exploring its symbolism and the utility of seals in maintaining royal authority.
Content guidance
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.What was the main threat to William’s control of northern England in 1069?
Q2.What were the aims of the Harrying of the North?
Q3.Complete the following sentence: The Harrying of the North caused a devastating , more than 100 000 people perished from starvation.
Q4.What did the Harrying of the North involve?
Q5.What were the consequences of the Harrying of the North?
Q6.What happened to the population in Yorkshire after the Harrying of the North?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Whose land did William claim for the Normans?
Q2.Which of these changed William's attitude to including Anglo-Saxons in positions of power?
Q3.What was the name of the large Norman landholders who held land directly from the monarch?
Q4.Complete the sentence with the correct answer: William introduced a new system of landholding that more strictly tied the landholder to the .
Q5.Fill in the blank: At first, William allowed Earls Edwin and to keep their earldoms, to help him be accepted as England’s new king.
Q6.How did William maintain royal power when he was abroad?
To help you plan your 10 history lesson on: William's consolidation of power, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 history lesson on: William's consolidation of power, 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.