Hello, and thanks for joining me today for another Oak Academy history lesson.

My name is Mrs. Knox, and today I'll be helping to take you through all of the resources that you need to be successful with this lesson.

So let's get started.

Today's lesson is part of the GCSE AQA historic environment topic on Norman England.

In our lesson today, we'll be focusing on the Norfolk location of Castle Acre Priory.

By the end of the lesson, you'll be able to describe Norfolk before and after the Norman Conquest.

Our lesson today, we'll use a couple of keywords.

Let's have a look at those now.

The first word that we'll use is revolt, which is an armed uprising against a ruler.

Secondly, we'll use the word trade, which is the exchange of goods.

Today's lesson will be in three parts, so we'll get started now with part one on Norfolk before the Normans Castle Acre Priory is located in Norfolk, in East Anglia in the East of England.

Norfolk is probably named after the North folk or North people, making Suffolk the region of the South folk.

But the name might also come from Norse folk.

Norse was a word used to refer to the Vikings, and this part of East Anglia was extensively settled in by Viking migrants in the 10th century.

Norfolk had been a prosperous farming region in Anglo-Saxon England, with strong trading links across the North Sea.

The Anglo-Saxons positioned forts along the coastline to protect Norfolk from attack, especially Viking raids.

Vikings proved too strong for these defences however.

In 840, a Viking army known at the time as the Great Heathen Army landed in Norfolk.

And rather than returning home after raiding Norfolk, spent the winter in Fairford.

Then in 841, launched a decades-long campaign to conquer all of England, killing the king of East Anglia in the process.

When the Viking advance was finally ended in 1865.

East Anglia became part of the Danelaw.

All right, it's time to have a check now of your understanding.

What did Norfolk become part of in 865? Was it A, the Celtic Fringe; B, the Danelaw; or C, the Roman Empire? Press pause and then when you're ready to hear the answer, press play.

Well done if you said the correct answer was B, the Danelaw.

Before the Vikings, Norfolk had been settled first by the Romans after the Roman invasion of Britain in 43 ECE, and then by the Anglo-Saxons after the end of Roman rule in Britain in 410 CE.

Before the Romans, this area was under the control of the Iceni tribe who were Celts.

The queen of the Iceni, Boudica, led a rebellion against the Romans in 60 CE, which succeeded in taking over important Roman towns, including Camulodunum, which is Colchester; Verulamium, which is St.

Albans; and Londinium, which is London.

The Romans gathered an army and defeated the Iceni.

Then they set up forts at strategic locations across Norfolk, such as river crossings and crossroads to ensure there was no further local resistance.

Here's another quick question now.

In what year was Boudica defeated by the Romans? Was it A, 40 CE; B 60 CE; or C, 80 CE? Press pause now and then press play when you're ready to hear the correct answer.

The correct answer was B, the year was 60 CE.

Finally, in this section, I'd like you to put what you've learned into practise.

I'd like you to put the events on the left hand side of the screen into chronological order, starting with the earliest first.

Press pause now to complete the task and then press play to see the correct order.

Welcome back.

This is the order you should have placed the events in.

Norfolk was under the control of the Iceni tribe.

Then the Romans controlled Norfolk.

Then the Anglo-Saxons ruled over Norfolk, and then the Vikings made Norfolk part of the Danelaw.

Finally, I'd like you to complete this question.

Read Jacob's description of Norfolk before the Normans and correct his mistakes.

Press pause to complete the task and then press play for the correct answers.

Welcome back.

Let's see how you got on.

Jacob's answer should have read, "Norfolk is probably named after the North folk.

Before the Romans, it was under the control of the Iceni tribe led by Boudica.

Under the Anglo-Saxons, Norfolk was a poor farming region.

The Anglo-Saxons built forts to protect Norfolk from attack.

Nevertheless, the Vikings invaded in 840 and the area became part of the Danelaw." We're ready now to move on to section two of today's lesson.

This section will look at Norman Norfolk.

When the Normans took control of Norfolk, they, like the Romans, set up fortifications at strategic locations, one of which was at Castle Acre.

The settlement was along a main road, the Peddars Way, which was a Roman road and trade route for travelling merchants.

It was also on the River Nar, which was navigable in the 11th century, meaning that boats could travel up and down it.

It is a tributary of the great ooze, one of England's longest rivers and a key trade route in the early mediaeval period.

The Norman builders of Castle Acre rerouted the Peddars Way so that it ran through the new settlement.

And this, together with the communication route along the river, made it a good location for a Norman stronghold and administrative centre.

Time for another check of your understanding.

Castle Acre was in a remote location and difficult to access.

Is that true or false? Press pause now and then press play to hear the correct answer.

You should have said that the correct answer is false.

I'd like you to pause the video again now and write an explanation of why the answer is false.

You could have written that the reason the answer is false is that Castle Acre was on a main road called Peddars Way, which was a Roman road and ancient trade route.

It was also next to the River Nar, which meant it could be accessed by boat.

30 miles from Castle Acre, which was about a day's ride in Norman England, is Norwich, which became one of the largest and wealthiest cities in mediaeval England.

Norwich was substantially rebuilt by the Normans with a matte-and-bailey castle constructed in and around 1067 or 1068 and later rebuilt in stone perhaps by 1094.

Work on a new cathedral, bishop's palace, and monastic complex began in 1096, which involved clearing a big area of the town.

Dissatisfied with local building materials, the Normans imported thousands of blocks of stone for the cathedral from Caen in Normandy, which provided jobs for stone masons and craftsmen.

The cathedral controlled a large area of surrounding land.

In fact, about 10% of Norwich's entire land area was taken up by the cathedral.

The cathedral also owned a lot of land outside of Norwich, which made it a very wealthy institution.

And by the 14th century, the cathedral was earning roughly 2,200 pounds per year, which is over one and a half million pounds into today's money.

The cathedral was the main buyer of goods in the city and was also the largest employer of Norwich's workers.

The monks also gave out food as charity to Norwich's poor.

This happened at the gates of the cathedral so that monks did not have to go out into the city.

Norman Norwich, like most Norman cities, was therefore dominated by its castle and its cathedral with both serving as a constant reminder of Norman power and control.

Here's another quick question now.

Which two buildings were at the centre of government and religious belief in Norman Norwich? Was it A, the castle and the cathedral; B, the town walls and the market stalls; or C, the mines and the farm buildings? Press pause now and then press play to hear the correct answer.

You should have said the correct answer is A, the castle and the cathedral dominated Norman Norwich.

Finally, in this section, I'd like you to answer this question.

Explain how Norwich's Castle and Cathedral contributed to the city's economic growth.

Try to include specific details in your answer.

Press pause to complete the task, and then press play to see what you could have written.

Welcome back.

Let's see how you got on.

Your answer might have included some of the following.

Norwich's castle and Cathedral contributed to the city's economic growth in numerous ways.

For example, the construction of both sites created the need for skilled stone masons and craftspeople.

This provided jobs for the local population.

In fact, the cathedral was the largest employer of Norwich's workers.

The Cathedral also supported businesses as it was the main buyer of goods in the city.

The cathedral owned a lot of land and its wealth boosted the local economy, as well as helping the poor as its monks provided charity to those in need.

We've now reached the final section of today's lesson.

This section will focus on Norfolk and the Revolt of the Earls.

Despite the history of rebellion in Norfolk, there was no recorded resistance to the Normans after 1066 there.

East Anglia was an earldom belonging to the House of Godwin and all lands belonging to the Anglo-Saxon King Harold I and his family were forfeited to the Normans.

William I made Ralph the Staller Earl of East Anglia.

Ralph was probably originally from Britain, but he had been in England for some time and had been made a staller, a royal official by Edward the Confessor.

In 1069, Ralph died and a Viking attack and occupation of Norwich was defeated by his son, Ralph de Gael, who had fought with William at the Battle of Hastings.

William rewarded Ralph de Gael by making him Earl of East Anglia.

Here's another quick question now.

Which Earl defeated a Viking attack on Norwich in 1069? A, Ralph the Staller; B, Ralph de Warenne; or C, Ralph de Gael.

Press pause now and then press play to hear the correct answer.

You should have said the correct answer was C.

Ralph de Gael defeated a Viking attack on Norwich in 1069.

It was Ralph de Gael who rebelled against William I, together with Roger de Breteuil and Waltheof in the Revolt of the Earls in 1075.

This was a last ditch rebellion of three earls against William I.

Defeated by the forces led by William de Warenne and Richard de Clare, Ralph de Gael retreated to Norwich Castle, then left it under the command of his wife, Emma, who is the daughter of William Fitz-Osbern while he escaped to Denmark to try to gather forces for a counter attack without success.

The siege of Norwich Castle lasted for three months before terms of surrender were agreed, during which time a large part of Norwich was burnt down.

Emma was allowed to make her way to Brittany, where she and Ralph had large estates and a strong castle.

Ralph forfeited his Norfolk estates, and these were transferred by William to Roger Bigod, who William I also appointed as sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk.

Here's another true or false question now.

Ralph de Gael successfully overthrew William I in the Revolt of the Earls in 1075.

Press pause now, and when you're ready to hear the answer, press play.

You should have said that the correct answer is false.

I'd like you to press pause and write an explanation of why the answer is false.

You could have said the forces of the three Earls were defeated, and Ralph de Gael was forced to forfeit his Norfolk estates.

William I strengthened his rule by appointing Roger Bigod as Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk.

Finally, today, I'd like you to answer this question.

Explain two reasons why the Normans were able to control Norfolk effectively.

There are some sentence starters on the screen that you can use to help you to structure your answer.

So press pause now to complete your answer and then press play to see what you could have written.

Welcome back.

Let's see how you got on.

One reason why the Normans were able to control Norfolk effectively was because they set up fortifications at strategic locations.

For example, Castle Acre was built next to the river and a main road ran through it, making it a good location for trade and for a Norman stronghold and administrative centre.

Other fortifications included the matte-and-bailey castle, the new cathedral and bishops palace in Norwich, which was the most important sediment in Norfolk, which dominated the city, symbolising the power and control the Normans had over the region.

A second reason was because William I was able to crush the Revolt of the Earls as William's regent and loyal followers managed to swiftly defeat the three leaders and stop the revolt from spreading.

Although Ralph de Gael's wife, Emma, survived a three-month siege at Norwich Castle, showing the strength of its defences during which much of Norwich was destroyed, she eventually surrendered in return for safe passage to Brittany.

William's ruthless approach to putting down revolts was an important factor in the Norman's ability to maintain control in Norfolk.

We've now reached the end of today's lesson, so let's have a quick summary of everything you should have learned today.

Norfolk was a region of Roman Britain and an Iceni rebellion against Roman rule there was brutally put down in 60 CE.

Anglo-Saxon Norfolk was a target for Viking raids, and following a Viking invasion, became part of the Danelaw in 1865 CE.

Castle Acre was built on key communication and trade routes.

A castle and Norwich Cathedral were also constructed in Norman Norwich.

This is evidence of Norman control in Norfolk.

The Normans were able to keep control of Norfolk and crush the Revolt of the Earls in 1075, although rebels held out for three months during the siege of the castle before surrendering.

Many thanks for all of your hard work in our lesson today.

I hope you feel confident that you've met your learning objective, and I hope that you'll join me for a future Oak Academy history lesson.