New
New
Year 10
Edexcel

The Northern and East Anglian rebellions

I can explain the key events of the Northern and East Anglian rebellions.

New
New
Year 10
Edexcel

The Northern and East Anglian rebellions

I can explain the key events of the Northern and East Anglian rebellions.

warning

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. At first, William wanted to include Anglo-Saxons in the government of his new kingdom, including Edwin and Morcar.
  2. When William reduced their wealth, power and status, Edwin and Morcar rebelled against William.
  3. Edgar Aethling and the Danish king joined the rebellions, which was dangerous for Norman control of the North.
  4. William used different tactics to put down rebellions, one of which was the brutal ‘Harrying of the North’ in 1069-70.
  5. A rebellion in East Anglia 1070-71 saw William repeat his successful tactics to defeat the last Anglo-Saxon rebellion.

Keywords

  • Revolt - a revolt is when a large number refuse to be controlled or ruled, and take action against authority, often violent action

  • Harrying - harrying is persistently harassing or carrying out attacks on an enemy or an enemy's territory

Common misconception

William always used violence to control England.

Although violence was a recurring tactic of William's, he also allowed some Anglo-Saxons to keep some of their land and was willing to negotiate and pay the Danes to leave England.

To avoid confusion about the various rebellions, have students create a timeline detailing the sequence of rebellions from 1068 to 1071, highlighting the causes and outcomes of each rebellion.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
  • 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

Loading...

6 Questions

Q1.
Most Norman castles were variations of what type of castle design?
concentric
Correct answer: motte-and bailey
stone keep
Q2.
Norman castles had a impact on the Anglo-Saxons by terrifying the local population and dominating the landscape.
Correct Answer: psychological, Psychological
Q3.
Within 20 years, it is estimated that the Normans built around castles.
Correct Answer: 500, five hundred
Q4.
Which part of a Norman castle was the strong main tower which acted as a watchtower?
Motte
Bailey
Correct answer: Keep
Palisade
Q5.
What was a burh?
Correct answer: An Anglo-Saxon fortified town
A division of land in Anglo-Saxon England
A group of 10 households in Anglo-Saxon England
An important landowner in Anglo Saxon England
Q6.
Norman castles were often rebuilt using __________ sometime after they were first constructed.
earth
wood
Correct answer: stone
metal

6 Questions

Q1.
The Anglo-Saxon earls Edwin and Morcar...
Correct answer: had not fought at the Battle of Hastings
Correct answer: had been allowed to keep their earldoms by William.
had fought at the Battle of Hastings
had not been allowed to keep their earldoms by William.
Q2.
After Edwin and Morcar's rebellion in 1068, what happened to them?
Edwin was executed
Correct answer: Edwin was taken prisoner
Morcar was executed
Correct answer: Morcar was taken prisoner
Q3.
To which earldom did William appoint Robert Cumin as earl?
Wessex
Correct answer: Northumbria
Mercia
Kent
Q4.
During the uprising in January 1069, rebels attacked both Durham and...
Correct Answer: York, york
Q5.
In 1070, a thegn called Hereward the Wake, together with Danish invaders, attacked which cathedral city?
Ely
Correct answer: Peterborough
Lincoln
York
Q6.
From where did Hereward the Wake organise his rebellion against the Normans?
Correct answer: Ely
Durham
York
Exeter

Additional material

Download additional material
We're sorry, but preview is not currently available. Download to see additional material.