Edward the Confessor and the House of Godwin
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain why the Godwin family was so powerful in Anglo-Saxon England.
Key learning points
- After years in exile in Normandy, Edward the Confessor's position as king was weak; he relied on Earl Godwin's support.
- In 1051 the Godwins were exiled after tensions over Edward's Norman advisers.
- After threatening to invade, the Godwins returned to positions of power.
- Edward relied more and more on the Godwins, whose power increased.
- In a trip to Normandy in 1064, Harold Godwin made promises to William, Duke of Normandy.
Keywords
Exile - exile is when someone is sent away from your home country
Adviser - an Anglo-Saxon adviser was a high-ranking noble who gave advice to the monarch, such as an earl or bishop
Successor - a successor is a person expected to inherit the throne after the monarch has died
House - a House refers to a dynasty, a group of leaders or rulers from the same family
Chronicler - a chronicler is someone who writes a record of historical events
Common misconception
An Anglo-Saxon monarch held all the power in their kingdom.
In fact, Anglo-Saxon nobles could force their monarchs to do things they did not want to do. For example, King Edward was forced to allow the House of Godwin back from exile and restore them to their earldoms.
Teacher tip
Have students create a timeline of the events from Edward's time in Normandy to Harold's promise to William.
Licence
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What distinguished local Anglo-Saxon priests from those influenced by European Church reforms?
Q2.What word means living in a way that is devoted to religion?
Q3.Which church was rebuilt, making it was the biggest in Britain by the time of the death of Edward the Confessor?
Q4.Which of the following statements describes the original use of the burh?
Q5.Which one statement best describes the impact of farming villages moving closer together?
Q6.Why was a burh a safe places for people to trade?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the words with their definitions. Write the correct letter in each box.
a high-ranking noble who gave advice to the monarch
a person expected to inherit the throne after the monarch has died.
someone who writes a record of historical events
Q2.Upon which earl's support was Edward the Confessor reliant after years of exile in Normandy?
Q3.Which keyword is when someone is sent away from their home country?
Q4.Why did the the House of Godwin flee into exile in the summer of 1051?
Q5.Why was Edward forced to forgive Godwin and return him and his sons to their former earldoms?
Q6.Which of the following three reasons explain why the House of Godwin was so powerful?
To help you plan your 10 history lesson on: Edward the Confessor and the House of Godwin, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 history lesson on: Edward the Confessor and the House of Godwin, 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: Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, c1060–88 unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.