Lesson video

Hello there my fellow historians and welcome to this first lesson on the unit of the Great Fire of London.

My name is Mr. Pedroza and as you can probably tell, I'm very excited.

Now you might ask, Mr. Pedroza, why are you so excited? Well, there are two reasons.

Reason number one is because I get to teach you, yes, you.

I'm so excited to have that opportunity.

The second reason is that when I was in school, a long, long time ago as you can tell by my many wrinkles, is that this was one of my favourite units of history that I learnt.

I find it really fascinating, I find it really interesting and therefore, I can't wait to share everything that I know about it with you, but also maybe learn some new things along the way.

So let's begin, are you ready for lesson one? I can tell that you are ready.

So let's have a look at what we are going to do in this lesson.

So in this lesson, we're going to tackle the following question, so what was life like in the 17th century? So we're going to travel back around 400 years into the past and we're going to see what life was like in the UK, but also focusing on London in the 17th century.

And in this lesson, this is how it's going to work, so this is the structure.

So we're going to begin with the star words.

I'll share some key vocabulary, then I'm going to tell you who was in charge of the country at the time.

Then we're going to explore how people lived in the 17th century.

We're going to have a look at some jobs in the 17th century.

And then finally, we'll do our end of lesson quiz.

And the end of lesson quiz is something that's going to happen in every single lesson and it's just going to recap and summarise all of the key information that you would have learnt in that lesson.

That's a really important component of every single lesson that we do, so don't forget to do it.

So before we begin, make sure that you have your exercise book or paper where you can make some notes.

You'll need a pencil or a pen and then you need a ruler to underline some things, underline some key things and so on.

So if you haven't got those things, go and get them now, go.

Guys, that was really quick, that only took you eight seconds.

Can you do it in seven seconds for the next lesson? I know that you can.

So let's have a look at the star words, so we got six star words.

I'll read them out to you and I'll tell you the definition.

So let's begin with reign, my turn then you turn.

Reign, reign, good job.

And the reign is a period of time marked by the rule of a king or a queen.

So a period of time marked by the rule of a king or queen is called reign.

Next one, we've got conspiracy.

Your turn, conspiracy, good job.

And a conspiracy is a secret agreement among two or more people to do something wrong or illegal.

So a secret agreement among two or more people to do something wrong or illegal is called a conspiracy, good job.

Next one, we've got parliament and a parliament is a group of people who make the laws for a country.

So a group of people who make the laws for a country are called a parliament.

Next one, we've got tyranny and tyranny is a government in which a single person rules absolutely and in a really cruel way.

So a government in which a single person rules absolutely and in a really cruel way is called a tyranny, good job.

Next one, we've got a monarchy and a monarchy is a nation or government which is ruled by or in the name of a king or queen.

So a nation or government ruled by or in the name of a king or queen is called a monarchy, good job.

And then last one, we've got a civil war.

And a civil war is a war within a country between different groups or areas.

So a war within a country between different groups or areas is called a civil war, excellent job guys.

Give yourselves a pat on the back.

Now let's begin by looking at who was in charge.

So beginning in 1601 and ending in 1700, the 17th century was a time of huge upheaval and huge changes in the England and the United Kingdom as a whole.

And in 1603, Queen Elizabeth who was the daughter of King Henry VIII, passed away after a reign of 44 years.

Now Queen Elizabeth doesn't have any children who could succeed her.

So the throne passed on to King James VI of Scotland who when he took up the throne in England, he became King James I.

And James ruled England, Scotland and Ireland for 22 years until his death in 1625.

So Queen Elizabeth, she ruled for 44 years, she passed away in 1603, she didn't have any children, she wasn't married, so the throne passed on to King James VI of Scotland.

He became King James I of England and he ruled for 22 years.

So let's have a look at my first question and my first question is, when did Queen Elizabeth I die? So did she die in 603 CE? Did she die in 1558 CE? Did she die in 1625 CE? Or did she die in 1603 CE? A, B, C, or D, have a think, have a go.

Okay, let's have a look and see if you got it right.

I know that you got it right because it's the first question.

Ready, so when did Queen Elizabeth I die? So Queen Elizabeth I died in D, good job, 1603 CE.

Awesome job, well done.

Remember that she reigned from 1558 until 1603, so she had a reign of 44 years.

Now let's keep looking at who was in charge.

So King James I, the reason why he became king, remember he was King James VI of Scotland and then he took up the throne in England, and he became King James I.

And the reason why he became king was because he was distantly related to Queen Elizabeth.

And as Elizabeth became older and it was known that she wasn't going to have any children, she wasn't going to marry, so preparations were made for King James VI to succeed her.

And one of the most significant events of James' I rule was the Gunpowder Plot in 1605 AD.

And at the time, there was huge tension between Catholic and Protestant forms of Christianity.

And James I, he was a Protestant.

James I was a Protestant, good job.

And although he was considered to be accepting and tolerant of the Catholic faith, his own mother had been a Catholic, it was perceived that many Catholics were not being treated fairly, it was perceived that many of them had lost powerful jobs in the government.

And at times, Catholics had to practise their religion in secret.

So as a result, a man named Guy Fawkes led a group of Catholics to form the Gunpowder Plot.

And the plan was to blow up the Houses of Parliament while James I was there.

However the plot was unsuccessful as the plans were discovered and all the plotters were captured and some of them, most of them, executed.

So true or false, so King James I was a Catholic, is that true or is that false? And then question number two is, the Gunpowder Plot was successful, is that true or is that false? Have a think and then have a go.

Okay, let's have a look, you ready? So number one, King James was Catholic, is that true or is that false? That is false, remember, King James I, he was a Protestant, his mother was a Catholic though.

Now number two, the Gunpowder Plot was successful, is that true, is that false? It is false, remember, that this plot which was formed by a group of Catholics led by Guy Fawkes was unsuccessful because their plans were discovered, all the plotters were captured and most of them were executed.

So awesome job, guys, well done.

I'm going to leave the answers there for you to check.

Okay, so let's have a look and see whether those statements are true or false, are you ready? So King James I was a Catholic, is that true or is that false? Number two was the Gunpowder Plot was successful, is that true or is that false? Number one, it is false.

So King James I, he was a Protestant.

He was not a Catholic, his mother was a Catholic.

Number two, the Gunpowder Plot was successful, is that true, is that false? That is false, remember that the Gunpowder Plot which was formed by a group of Catholics led by Guy Fawkes was unsuccessful because the plans were discovered beforehand and all of the plotters were captured and most of them were executed.

So those are the answers to those two segments.

I'm going to leave them up for you to check.

Okay, let's continue and see who else was in charge.

Now King James I, he passed away in 1625 and he was succeeded by his son, Charles I.

And like his father, Charles I, he believed that his authority came directly from God and therefore, his ideas and his opinions and his rules, his laws, should not be challenged.

And therefore, this created a little bit of a problem because members of Parliament, who were also tasked with creating the rules of the country, particularly pertaining to tax, money, the money collected by the government, they frequently clashed with the king and his idea that his authority came directly from God.

And King Charles I, he was increasingly seen as being tyrannical and he attempted to rule without the advice and the consent of Parliament.

And this eventually led to a war.

And this war was known as the English Civil War and it was fought between the supporters of King Charles I who was known as the Cavaliers and the supporters of Parliament, who were known as the Roundheads.

Now in this war, Charles I, he lost, and he ended up on trial and he was executed.

And England was declared a republic, which means a country with no monarchy, no king or no queen.

And Oliver Cromwell, a member of Parliament, was put in charge and he was known as the Lord Protector.

And he ruled between 1653 and 1658 AD.

Now this republic, so this country with no king, was really short-lived and the monarchy was restored in 1660 and King Charles I's son, Charles II, came to power.

And he ruled until his death in 1685.

And therefore, King Charles II who was the son of King Charles I, he was the monarch at the time of the Great Fire of London.

So King James I, he dies in 1625, he passes on the throne to King Charles I, his son.

Charles I, he was seen as tyrannical because he believed that his rule came directly from God, his authority came from God, he disagreed with Parliament, clash, this led to the English Civil War, Parliament won, Charles was executed and Oliver Cromwell was made the Protector of the country.

This republic was short-lived and King Charles II came to power as the monarchy was restored.

So guys, I have a task for you and this task is quite a fun task.

What I want you to do is I want you to create a timeline of 17th century rulers that we have covered so far.

So we're going to begin, I'm going to give you the first one.

We're going to begin with the death of Queen Elizabeth in 1603 and remember, she ruled for 44 years from 1558 to 1603.

And so what I want you to do is I want you to put all of these monarchs according to when they ruled.

So we got Charles II, we got Oliver Cromwell, we got James I and we got Charles I.

Remember that Oliver Cromwell, he was not a king.

Oliver Cromwell was known as the Lord Protector because during his time England had become a republic which means a country with no monarchy.

So Oliver Cromwell is not a king, he was not a king.

But Charles II, James I and Charles I were.

So what I want you to do, put these rulers according to when they ruled.

And then when you come back, we'll check it, good luck.

Okay, let's see how you did, are you ready? Let's check it together.

So obviously we begin with Elizabeth I and she ruled between 1558 and 1603.

And then you have James I, so he succeeded Elizabeth I.

Remember he was a distant relative of Elizabeth I.

And so he ruled between 1603 to 1625 AD, give it a tick if you got that right.

After that it was Charles I, he was James' I son and he ruled between 1625 and 1649 AD.

Remember, he was seen as being a tyrannical ruler because he thought that his power came from God, his authority came from God, this led to the English Civil War in which Parliament won and Oliver Cromwell became the Lord Protector of the country between 1653 and 1658 AD.

After that the monarchy was restored.

So the king and queen, the system of a king or queen govern were restored and Charles II, Charles I's son, he was brought to the throne.

And he ruled between 1660 and 1685 AD.

So that is the correct timeline.

So have a check, make sure that you got all of those in the right place and then when you come back, we'll continue with the lesson.

Right, great job my friends.

Now, let's have a look at how people used to live in the 17th century.

So during the 17th century, England became steadily richer, became wealthier through trade.

And as a result, merchants, people who were traders, they became increasingly powerful and more influential.

But most political power and influence was held by rich landowners.

And at the top of 17th century society were the monarchs, so the kings or queens.

Below the monarchs, you had their nobility.

Below them were the gentry and the gentry were gentlemen who were not quite as rich but they were certainly well-off.

And below the gentry, you had the yeomen and the yeomen were farmers who owned their land and they tended to work alongside their workers.

And that's different to the gentry because the gentry would never do that.

The yeomen, they would certainly help out the workers, the gentry, they would never do that.

And below them, at the very bottom of society, so these were the least powerful, the least influential, the least wealthy people in society, were the craftsmen, the tenant farmers who tended to work on land owned by rich landowners, but they didn't hold land by themselves, they didn't own any land and then you have the labourers.

So at the very top you have the monarchs, then you have the nobility, then you have the gentry, then you have the yeomen, and at the very bottom of society, you have the craftsmen, the tenant farmers and the labourers.

So guys, as a way to remember that we're going to have a go at this activity.

So in this activity, what I want you to do is I want you to fill in the missing social classes.

So you've got the gentry, you've got the yeomen, you've got the monarch, you've got the nobility.

I have jumbled them up, so they're all in the incorrect order and at the very bottom, to help you out, I put the craftsmen, the tenant farmers and the labourers.

And remember that those were the least powerful and influential members of society.

So can you fill in the missing social classes? Remember, at the very top is the most powerful and wealthy people, so have a go and then when you come back we'll check it together, good luck.

Okay, let's have a look, are you ready? I know that you're ready.

Number one, at the very top, you've got the monarch, good job, they were the most powerful and influential people in the country.

Below them you had the nobility, I nearly said gentry, nobility, good job.

Then you had the gentry, so rich gentleman who were well-off, but they were not as well-off as the nobility.

The nobility were members born into rich families.

And then you got the yeomen and the yeomen, they were farmers who owned their land.

And then at the very bottom, the least powerful and wealthy people in society, the craftsmen, tenant farmers and the labourers.

So well done if you got all those right, give them a tick.

If you haven't got it quite right, this is your chance to edit your work.

So I'm going to put it up for you to check.

Awesome job, now let me tell you a little bit about how people used to live in 17th century London.

One, what was life like in 17th century London? Well, for the majority of people it was really, really tough.

And at that time, most of London was divided into a wealthy west and a working class east.

And London's rich, they deliberately build their homes away from London's working class.

And you can see here that I have a map of London, there's a map of London in the 17th century.

This river, who remembers what this river is? Or who knows what this river is? It's the River Thames, good job.

And so in 17th century London, London was divided pretty much into two sections, the wealthy west and the working class east.

Now most of Londoners, they tended to lack access to clean water because of the expenses involved in getting the water piped into their homes.

London was already really dangerous because there was a lack of lighting, street lighting, and that made the city really dangerous, especially at night.

And it was not until the 1680s when the streets of London were lit for the very first time with oil lamps, marginally improving the situation.

These oil lamps, they didn't provide a lot of light, but it was better than having none at all.

Now the biggest threat to people, in terms of their life, was something known as the plague.

And the Plague was a disease which was spread by fleas and by rats and aided by the cramp and unhygienic conditions in which most Londoners lived, major outbreaks of the plague struck roughly every 20 to 30 years and this tended to kill around 20% of London's population each time.

And the reason why we know this is partly thanks to a series of documents called the bills of mortality.

And these monitored the number of deaths across different areas of London.

Now luckily, the last major outbreak of the plague happened in 1665 which was a year before the Great Fire of London.

What I want you to do in this task is, this is a quick summary of the information that I've just given you, but there are some sections that are missing.

So these are the key words that might fit into those blank spaces.

So you could have the word cramped, plague, unhygienic, west, water and east.

You got to use all of these words to make these sentences correct.

So have a read of the sentences, have a look and see, okay, which words are going to fit where and then when you come back, I'll tell you what the answers were.

So have a go, good luck.

Okay, let's have a look, are you ready? So how did people live? So during the 17th century London was divided into a wealthy west and a working class east, good job, guys.

Next bit, most Londoners lacked access to clean water due to the expenses involved.

The cramped and unhygienic conditions in which most people live led to several bouts of the plague which killed large numbers of London's population.

Excellent, job, so we got, west, then east, water, cramped, unhygienic, and then lastly is plague.

Excellent job guys, well done.

Give your brain a kiss like that.

I'm going to leave it up so you can check your work.

Excellent job, now we're going to come to the final part of this lesson.

So let's have a look at some jobs in the 17th century.

Now at the beginning of the 17th century, most people, most of the working population, they tended to work for a master and there was a really good reason for this.

Under a master, a person, a working class person, could reasonably expect to be provided with accommodation, so somewhere to live, food and wages as well.

Now during this time, most people tended to work hand to mouth, meaning that they focus on obtaining enough money in order to buy a meal for the day.

The government, they provided little assistance, they didn't provide much help, so the poor often had to rely on charities and churches if they didn't have a job.

Now people who worked in agriculture had jobs involving all aspects of farming, including milking cows, collecting eggs from chickens, toiling in the fields and so on.

But in the city, these were some of the jobs that you could have.

So the first one is an apothecary, and an apothecary sold remedies which were made from herbs, plants and roots.

The first one is apothecary, your turn, great job, tricky word to say, apothecary.

So they sold remedies made from herbs, plants and roots.

Next one is a chimney sweep and the chimney sweeps, they used to clean chimneys as the name suggests and fireplaces and children, such as yourselves, were often used due to their size because they could easily fit into those space.

Tough job, I might say.

Next one is a fire fighter.

Now this is a job that you might recognise from today.

But the difference is that back then there was no organised fire brigade during most of the 1600s and leather buckets and axes were used to put out fire.

Of course back then, there was no such thing as a fire engine.

So it was a really difficult job to do because there was a lack of training and there was a lack of proper resources to do it.

And lastly, you got a spinster.

And a spinster was a woman who spun wool and linen and she sold that off to support herself.

So we've got the apothecary, we got the chimney sweep, we got the fire fighter, and we got the spinster.

And those are examples of jobs in the 17th century.

Now we got two tasks here, we got questions one and two, you got to circle the correct word that makes the sentence correct.

And then question number three, you've got to answer in a full sentence.

So question number one is at the beginning of the 17th century, most people tend to work for a king or master, which word makes that sentence correct? And then number two, an apothecary, chimney sweep, spinster sold remedies made from herbs, plants and roots, which of those three words makes that sentence correct? So who sold remedies made from herbs, plants and roots.

And then the last one, what equipment did firefighters use during the 1600s? Make sure you are answering in a full sentence.

So for that one you could say, during the 1600s, firefighters used to use.

to put out fires.

So have a go and then when you come back, we'll reveal the answers.

Okay, let's have a look and see what the answers are to the last task.

Okay, so at the beginning of the 17th century, most people tended to work for a master, good job.

Remember, people tended to think it was preferable to work for a master because they were provided with accommodation, so a place to stay, food, and wages.

Number two, an apothecary sold remedies made from herbs, plants and roots.

And then number three, what equipment did firefighters use during the 1600s? So my answer, again answer in a full sentence, during the 1600s, firefighters used leather buckets and axes.

So there you go, those are the answers to one, two and three.

Awesome work, guys, well done.

And now that is the end of our lesson.

So great work today, remember that it's now time to complete your end of lesson quiz.

And I'm going to remind you of that every single lesson at the end.

So make sure you go and do that.

I hope you really enjoyed this lesson.

Remember that if you'd like to, please ask your parent or carer to share your work.

You can do that on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter and you got to tag @OakNational and then you got to say and #LearnwithOak.

So I hope I can see some of your work there.

I hope you had a really lovely lesson.

In our next lesson, we're going to have a look at the origins of London.

We're going to have a look at who first settled that city.

So thank you so much for joining me today.

I hope you had a really lovely lesson and I shall see you in the next one, goodbye my friends.