Norman preparations for invasion in 1066
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe how the Normans prepared for invasion in 1066.
Key learning points
- William's decision to invade England followed the news that Harold had been crowned king.
- William gained Pope Alexander II's support for his invasion, and was given a papal banner.
- The pope's support and the promise of land and wealth from England convinced Norman barons to join the invasion.
- Constructing the Norman fleet and gathering and supplying the Norman army was an impressive achievement.
- William's preparations were upset by bad weather and a near-disastrous first attempt at crossing the Channel.
Keywords
Oath - an oath was a very serious promise made on a holy item
Papal banner - a papal banner was a symbol from the pope showing his support for something
Baron - in medieval society, barons were men who the monarch had granted land to directly
Common misconception
William barons had to do what he said because of feudalism.
Feudalism in Normandy was not as strict as it would be in Norman England, and the barons also argued that their promises to obey William were for Normandy - they didn't extend across the Channel to England.
Teacher tip
Students could use knowledge and understanding from this lesson to prepare for an exam-style question such as 'The main reason for the success of William's invasion of England was his careful preparation.' How far does a study of the Battle of Hastings support this statement?
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Harold first called out a fyrd to defend the southern coast from William's invasion in May 1066. When was he forced to disband it again?
Q2.Match the numbers to complete a correct statistic.
number of days a fyrd could be called out for
number of ships in Hardrada's invasion fleet
number of men in Hardrada's invasion army
likely number of men defending the southern coast in 1066
Q3.How did Harold respond on hearing of Hardrada and Tostig's invasion?
Q4.Which of these are valid conclusions historians can make about the Battle of Stamford Bridge?
Q5.Put these events in chronological order.
Q6.Which of these options for dealing with William's invasion did Harold decide to act on?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the keywords to their correct definitions.
a very serious promise made on a holy item
a symbol from the pope showing his support for something
men who the monarch had granted land to directly
when an army/country uses force to go into a country and take control
Q2.Complete the sentence: The support and the promise of land and wealth from England convinced Norman barons to join the invasion.
Q3.Put the following events in chronological order.
Q4.Who was given the job of convincing the other Norman barons to fight against England?
Q5.How long did it take to build and prepare William's fleet?
Q6.Why was William’s fleet stuck in Dives-sur-Mer by August 1066?
To help you plan your 10 history lesson on: Norman preparations for invasion in 1066, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 history lesson on: Norman preparations for invasion in 1066, 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 Battle of Hastings unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.