New
New
Year 10
AQA

Daily life in Norman England

I can assess the extent to which life changed for ordinary people in Norman England.

New
New
Year 10
AQA

Daily life in Norman England

I can assess the extent to which life changed for ordinary people in Norman England.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Many aspects of daily life remained the same for most people.
  2. Changes included new buildings, laws and people.
  3. Change did not proceed evenly across the entire country.
  4. People in the south had a different experience to those in the north.
  5. The wealthy had a different experience to the poor.

Keywords

  • Feudal system - a system of landholding in which land is exchanged for service and loyalty

  • Built environment - the landscape created by buildings and infrastructure like roads and bridges

  • Romanesque - an architectural style based on features of ancient Roman buildings

  • Inequality - differences in wealth, opportunity or status in society; for example, between rich and poor people

Common misconception

William I introduced a whole new social system called the feudal system which was completely different from what came before.

In fact, many of the features of what became known as the feudal system were already in place in Anglo-Saxon England. William took the opportunity to increase his control over society to enable the extraction of wealth; his successors built on this.

To extend the final practice task, look through past papers with students to find questions about continuity and change and practise those that relate to comparisons of Anglo-Saxon and Norman life.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision required

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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6 Questions

Q1.
If this is the definition, what is the word? Someone who uses land owned by someone else in return for rent or services.
successor
Forest law
Correct answer: tenant
livestock
Q2.
Complete the sentence: William and his increased the area classed as forest until a third of England was covered by Forest law.
Correct Answer: successors, successor
Q3.
Which Norman king grew the area of forest to its largest extent?
William I
William II
Henry I
Stephen
Q4.
Match the words to their correct definitions.
Correct Answer:venison,red deer, roe deer, fallow deer and wild boar

red deer, roe deer, fallow deer and wild boar

Correct Answer:vert,the trees and undergrowth

the trees and undergrowth

Q5.
Which of the following rights allowed tenants to hunt rabbits, hares and other small animals?
rights of ‘free venison'
Correct answer: rights of ‘free warren’
rights of ‘free vert’
rights of ‘free burrow’
Q6.
What was 'the Charter of the Forest'?
It gave exemptions to Forest law to members of the nobility.
It extended the area of forest to one third of England.
Correct answer: It re-established rights to access to royal forest for freemen.
It gave exemptions to Forest law to members of the Church.

6 Questions

Q1.
Which word describes a system of landholding in which land is exchanged for service and loyalty?
Correct Answer: feudal system, feudalism
Q2.
Which word describes differences in wealth, opportunity or status in society?
Correct Answer: inequality, inequalities
Q3.
Match the examples of Norman England to whether they show change or continuity from Anglo-Saxon England.
Correct Answer:change,England’s built environment

England’s built environment

Correct Answer:continuity,farming practices and types of crops

farming practices and types of crops

Correct Answer:change,Forest law

Forest law

Correct Answer:continuity,village life

village life

Correct Answer:change,trade patterns

trade patterns

Correct Answer:continuity,occupations of craftspeople

occupations of craftspeople

Q4.
How did the use of enslaved people change in Norman England?
increased
stayed the same
Correct answer: decreased
Q5.
How did the Normans change the Church in England?
rebuilt monasteries and cathedrals in the Gothic style
Correct answer: built churches and cathedrals in the Romanesque style
Correct answer: introduced Church reforms to bring the English Church more in line with Rome
stopped following the pope as the head of the Church
Q6.
Which of the following caused significant regional differences in Norman England?
Correct answer: the Harrying of the North
the Harrying of the South
the Harrying of the West
the Harrying of the East

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