New
New
Year 10
AQA
The site of the White Tower
I can explain why the White Tower's location was chosen.
New
New
Year 10
AQA
The site of the White Tower
I can explain why the White Tower's location was chosen.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- The site chosen for the White Tower was a strategically important one.
- The site of the White Tower made use of the old Roman walls.
- A key role for the White Tower was to control London's population.
- Two other castles were also built in London: Baynard's Castle and Montfichet's Tower.
- The White Tower was in close connection with both religious and administrative centres in London.
Keywords
Strategically - important or essential for achieving a plan or an aim
Fortification - any structure designed for defence
Legitimacy - having the right to hold power
Common misconception
Students may think that the White Tower was the only castle in Norman London.
In fact, there were two other castles in Norman London: Baynard's Castle and Montfichet's Tower.
Use illustrations or maps of Norman (or Roman and Saxon) London to help students picture the site.
Teacher tip
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
Complete the sentence: William’s terrifying harrying of the area around London seems to have convinced the English leadership to to him.
Q2.
Complete the sentence: London was a well-defended and so Harold could have waited for William there, instead he chose to leave on 13th October to face William in the south.
Q3.
Who did the Anglo-Saxon elite choose as king immediately after the Battle of Hastings?
Earl Edwin
Earl Morcar
William of Normandy
Q4.
Why did William embark on a strategic march around the southeast of England?
to please his soldiers who wanted revenge on London
to weaken London as a city in the long-term
Q5.
Why did William choose to have his coronation in Westminster Abbey?
He liked the building's Romanesque architecture.
He wanted to bury Harold there to officially end Anglo-Saxon rule.
He could host his friends and family easily there as it was so big.
Q6.
Put the following events in chronological order.
Exit quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
Which word describes being important or essential for achieving a plan or an aim?
Q2.
Which word describes any structure designed for defence?
Q3.
Why was the White Tower built on a bend in the River Thames?
It could be constructed from soil from the river bank.
It could allow residents to get fish from the river easily.
Q4.
How many castles were there in Norman London?
1 - just the White Tower
2 - the White Tower and Baynard's Castle
2 - the White Tower and Montfichet's Tower
4 - the White Tower, London Bridge, Baynard's Castle and Montfichet's Tower
Q5.
How tall was the White Tower?
seven metres
17 metres
37 metres
Q6.
Which two other Norman buildings allowed the White Tower to be in close connection with the religious and administrative centres of London?
Winchester Treasury
Westminster Cathedral
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