Hi there, I'm Mr. Roberts and thanks for joining me for today's history lesson, where my job will be to guide you through our history resources.

I'll be making sure that by the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to securely meet our lesson objective.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to explain the role of London in the events of 1066.

There are two key terms which we need to make sure we're comfortable with before embarking on our learning journey today.

A burh refers to an Anglo-Saxon fortified settlement, and to submit is to agree to be ruled by someone superior.

Our lesson on London and the events of 1066 is separated into three learning phases and the first part centres on London and the Battle of Hastings.

London played an important supporting role in the Battle of Hastings.

King Harold II raced north from London in September 1066 to fight off the invasion of Harold Hardrada and Harold's brother Tostig Godwinson.

He then returned to London, also at speed, having heard the terrible news that William of Normandy had landed at Pevensey on the 28th of September and was building castles and pillaging and burning the surrounding countryside.

Harold was in London for six days, calling up levies from the fyrd.

Anglo-Saxon sources say he left London before all the levies for the fyrd had arrived, perhaps with only half the intended number of levies.

Norman sources report that Harold's mother and brothers tried to persuade him to wait because his housecarls were exhausted from the fight against the Viking invasion in the north.

Similarly, London was a well-defended burh, and so Harold could have waited for William there.

However, Harold must have been confident about launching another surprise attack, and on the 13th of October, he set off south to the muster point outside Hastings with only half of his levies.

Despite his confidence, Harold lost the Battle of Hastings to William and was killed in the process.

Next, I'd like you to attempt the following true or false question.

True or false, London was not involved in the events leading up to the Battle of Hastings.

Pause the video while you come to a decision on what you think is the correct answer and then press play to continue.

Welcome back, and well done if you said the answer is false.

Now I'd like you to think about why that answer is false based upon what we've just been learning about.

Pause the video while you do this and then press play when you're ready for the justification.

Hello again, and well done if you said that, actually, King Harold II raced north from London in September 1066 to fight off the Viking invasion of Harold Hardrada.

He then returned to London, also at speed, having heard the terrible news that William of Normandy had invaded.

He raised fyrd levies in London, but left for Hastings when only half had arrived.

After the Battle of Hastings, William waited in vain for the English to submit to him.

He moved his troops to Dover and stayed there for a week or more.

During this time, many of his troops and William himself became ill.

Meanwhile, London was full of troops, Harold's missing fyrd levies, and survivors from the Battle of Hastings.

Earls Edwin and Morcar arrived from the north, and far from submitting to the victor of the Battle of Hastings, the Anglo-Saxon elite in London chose a new king, Edgar the Aetheling.

Before we move on, it's time for another brief learning check to make sure we're securing key information.

Let's have a go at this multiple choice question.

Who did the Anglo-Saxon elite elect as their new king instead of submitting to William: A, Earl Edwin, B, Earl Morcar, or C, Edgar the Aetheling? Pause the video while you have a think about the right answer and then press play when you've made a decision.

Welcome back, and well done if you selected C.

Edgar the Aetheling was the man that the Anglo-Saxon elite elected as their new king instead of submitting to William.

London was a burh that was fortified by six-meter-high, three-meter-thick Roman walls that, having been repaired by previous Anglo-Saxon kings, surrounded the city.

Perhaps the security of these walls meant the new king and his witan thought they could afford to wait and see what happened next.

Perhaps the shock of defeat at Hastings stunned the remaining Anglo-Saxon nobles, or they were too busy thinking of ways to make the new situation work for them.

Whatever the situation, the new king and his witan took no action and missed the opportunity to consolidate power against the Normans.

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for 1066 reported the following.

"The Normans won their victory at the place of slaughter, as God wished it because of the nation's sins.

Archbishop Ealdred and the citizens of London chose Edgar the Aethling for their king, as was his right by birth, and Edwin and Morcar promised they would fight for him.

But every time some initiative should have been shown, there was delay from day to day until matters went from bad to worse." Next, for our first written task, I'd like you to describe London's role in the run-up to, and in the aftermath of, the Battle of Hastings.

You could write one paragraph on the run-up, what happened before, and one on the aftermath, what happened after the Battle of Hastings.

Pause the video while you complete this task and then press play when you're done and are ready for some feedback in the form of a model answer.

Welcome back.

I asked you to describe Roman London's role in the run-up to, and in the aftermath of, the Battle of Hastings.

It's worth mentioning at this point that everyone will have written something slightly different in their answer to this task, but well done if you managed to include any of the following in your answer.

In the run-up to the Battle of Hastings, London played a crucial supporting role.

In September 1066, King Harold II hurried north from London to repel Harold Hardrada's invasion, only to return rapidly upon hearing that William of Normandy had landed at Pevensey on the 28th of September, building castles and ravaging the English countryside.

Harold spent six days in London assembling the fyrd levies, but he departed before all had arrived, likely with only half the forces.

Despite pleas from his family to wait in London, a strongly defended burh, with his housecarls exhausted from the previous battle, Harold set out on the 13th of October for Hastings, perhaps aiming to launch a surprise attack.

In the aftermath of the battle, London also played an important role.

After his victory, William waited for the English nobles to submit, but this did not happen.

He moved his troops to Dover, where many, including himself, fell ill.

Meanwhile, London was full of Harold's remaining fyrd levies and battle survivors.

Earls Edwin and Morcar arrived, and instead of submitting to William, the Anglo-Saxon elite chose Edgar the Aethling as king.

London, a burh fortified by its robust Roman walls, perhaps gave the new king and his council a false sense of security, leading to inaction.

Despite initial support for Edgar, delays and lack of initiative allowed the situation to deteriorate, resulting in a missed opportunity to consolidate power against the Normans.

Really well done there.

With that task done, we're ready to move on to the second part of our lesson today on London and the events of 1066 where we'll be learning about William's march on London.

Once he and his army had recovered, William set out with two main objectives, London and Winchester.

Winchester was the location of the royal treasury and a group of Norman troops successfully secured the town.

London, though, was well-defended and its citizens were loyal to the Anglo-Saxon cause.

A direct assault on the city would be costly for William and his surviving troops.

Instead of attacking London directly, William embarked on a strategic march around the southeast of England, designed to cut off supplies and isolate the city as well as intimidate London's population, many of whom were from the surrounding shires.

As they marched around London, William ordered his army to harry the countryside.

By devastating the land and securing key locations, he weakened the resolve of London's defenders and reduced the possibility of coordinated resistance.

William's terrifying harrying of the area around London seems to have convinced the English leadership to submit to him, together perhaps with promises from William of roles for the Anglo-Saxon elite under his rule.

Next, I'd like you to attempt the following true or false question.

True or false, instead of attacking London directly, William embarked on a strategic march around the southeast of England.

Pause the video while you come to a decision on what you think is the correct answer and then press play to continue.

Welcome back, and well done if you said the answer is true.

Now I'd like you to think about why the answer is true based upon what we've just been learning about.

Pause the video while you do this and then press play when you're ready for the justification.

Welcome back, and well done if you said that this was designed to cut off supplies and isolate the city as well as intimidate London's population.

By devastating the land and securing key locations, he weakened the resolve of London's defenders.

It convinced the English leadership to submit to him.

Edgar the Aethling and his supporters, Archbishop Ealdred, Earls Edgar and Morcar, and "all the best men from London," as they were described in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, submitted to William at Berkhamsted, around 30 miles from London.

In return for their promises to obey his rule and the hostages they gave William as insurance that they would keep their word, William promised to be a good king to them.

Now I'd like you to complete the sentence on the screen using the correct name.

Pause the video while you do this and then press play when you're ready for the answer to be revealed.

Hello again, and well done if your sentence now looks like this.

Edgar the Aethling and his supporters, Archbishop Ealdred, Earls Edgar and Morcar, and all the best men from London submitted to William at Berkhamsted, around 30 miles from London.

And for our second task today, I'd like you, using your learning so far, to explain to your partner why William did not attack London and describe what he did instead.

As ever, pause the video while you complete this task and then press play for some feedback in the form of a suggested discussion.

Hello again.

I asked you to explain to your partner why William did not attack London and describe what he did instead.

Once again, everyone will have talked about something different, but well done if your discussion sounded anything like this.

After the Battle of Hastings, William waited for the English to submit.

He moved his troops to Dover when this did not happen, staying there for over a week, during which time many of his men, including himself, fell ill.

Meanwhile, London was full of Harold's remaining troops and survivors from Hastings, who declared Edgar the Aethling king.

William decided against pursuing a costly direct assault on the well-defended burh of London, where citizens remained loyal to the Anglo-Saxon cause.

Instead, he strategically marched around southeast England to cut off supplies and isolate the city, harrying the countryside to intimidate London's population and weaken its defenders' resolve.

This devastation, along with promises of roles under his rule, convinced the English leadership to submit.

Edgar the Aethling and his supporters submitted to William at Berkhamsted, exchanging their loyalty and hostages for William's promise to be a good king.

Well done once again.

And now with that learning phase complete, we can move on to the final part of the lesson today, where we'll be examining William's coronation.

Although Winchester was the ancestral, religious, and financial capital of Anglo-Saxon England, William chose to be crowned in London, and this was probably due to several factors.

But before we move on, let's just check that.

Where did William the conqueror choose to be coronated? A, London, B, Winchester, or C, Hastings? Pause the video while you consider the options and press play when you're ready for an answer.

Welcome back, and well done if you said that William chose to be coronated in A, London.

One reason that William chose to be coronated in London was the importance of Westminster to Edward the Confessor.

William wanted to portray himself as the legitimate heir of King Edward, and he did everything he could to stress the continuity between himself and King Edward.

Westminster Abbey was Edward's cathedral in London, and it had only just been finished in 1065, and it was where he was buried, so it sent a strong message of continuity that William was crowned there, anointed by Archbishop Ealdred of York with holy oil on Christmas Day 1066.

The congregation was asked in English to confirm with a shout that William was their rightful king.

Unfortunately, the Norman guards outside thought their king was being attacked and set fire to the buildings around the Abbey in response.

Another factor, though, for William's choice of London for his coronation was his recognition of its economic importance.

The Norman Conquest was very much focused on getting control over the great wealth of Anglo-Saxon England.

William acted quickly to reassure the wealth creators of London that nothing would change in terms of the laws and customs that helped them do business and make money.

For three months in his new kingdom, William returned to Normandy.

Before he left, however, he ordered the construction of a castle to guard London, what was to become the White Tower.

Next, I'd like you to complete the sentences on the screen using the name of a well-known duchy in France and the name of a historic environment.

Pause the video while you work out the correct missing words and then press play to check your answers against mine.

Welcome back, and well done if your sentences now look like this.

After three months in his new kingdom, William returned to Normandy.

Before he left, however, he ordered the construction of a castle to guard London, what was to become the White Tower.

And that brings us to our final task today, for which I would like you now to consider the following statement.

William's main concern before leaving for Normandy was showing continuity between Edward the Confessor and himself.

I'd like you to write one paragraph to agree with this view and then one paragraph to disagree with this view.

Pause the video while you complete this task and then come back to this video when you're ready for some feedback.

Welcome back.

In agreeing with the idea that William's main concern before leaving for Normandy was showing continuity between Edward the Confessor and himself, you might have written the following.

William's main concern before leaving for Normandy was showing continuity between Edward the Confessor and himself.

For example, his decision to be crowned in Westminster Abbey, the cathedral where Edward was buried and which Edward had built, was a strategic move to stress legitimacy and continuity.

William's coronation on Christmas Day 1066 with Archbishop Ealdred of York anointing him and the congregation confirming his right to the throne in English further emphasised this connection.

This act symbolically linked William to Edward's legacy, reinforcing his claim as the rightful heir and ensuring a smooth transition of power.

Next, in disagreeing with the statement, you might have written the following.

Another main concern for William, though, was establishing control over England's economic and strategic matters before leaving for Normandy.

His choice of London for the coronation was also influenced by its economic significance and the need to reassure the city's wealth creators of stability under his rule.

Furthermore, William's order to construct a castle in London, the future White Tower, highlights his focus on securing military dominance and safeguarding the city, reflecting a pragmatic approach to consolidating power and protecting his new kingdom's wealth and strategic interests.

Therefore, William had multiple concerns which he addressed before leaving for Normandy.

Really well done there, because with that task complete, we've arrived at the end of our lesson today, and all that's left for us to do is to summarise the key learning points, and it would be great if you could remember these going forward.

Firstly, London played an important role in events both before the Battle of Hastings and after it.

Harold's preparations for the battle were made in London, and it was in London where the Anglo-Saxon elites chose a new king after Harold's defeat.

Secondly, William took his army on a march around London, harrying as he went, in a display of strength and strategy that convinced the Anglo-Saxon elite to submit to him.

And lastly, William chose to be crowned in London to show continuation with Edward the Confessor's rule.

Shortly afterwards, he ordered the construction of a castle to guard London's military and economic interests.

Thank you so much for joining me for our lesson today.

It's been a real pleasure to guide you through our history learning resources, and I very much look forward to seeing you again in the future where we'll be looking at the site of the White Tower.