Hello, thank you for joining me today for another Oak Academy history lesson.

My name is Mrs. Knox.

Today I'll be guiding you through the resources and materials needed in this lesson.

So let's begin.

The lesson today is part of the AQA GCSE historic environment topic of Norman England.

Today's lesson will focus on William de Warenne, and by the end of the lesson, you'll be able to explain why William de Warenne had Castle Acre Priory constructed.

Now our lesson today, we'll use some key words, so let's take a look at those now.

The first word we'll use in the lesson is pilgrimage, which is a religious journey to a holy place.

We'll also use the word relic, which is the remains of a holy person.

We'll also use the word shrine, which is a holy place linked to a holy person.

And finally, we'll use the word Cluniac.

Cluniac refers to an order of monks which focus on prayer and reflection.

Now, our lesson today will come in three sections, so we'll get started out on section one, which will look at the background to William de Warenne.

William de Warenne was a knight who had fought alongside William of Normandy at the Battle of Hastings.

In return for his support, the king rewarded his ally with large amounts of land.

According to the Doomsday Book, by 1086, his land stretched over 13 counties and covered an area from Conisbrough in Yorkshire to Lewes in Sussex.

de Warenne's lands included the former Saxon Village of Acre in Norfolk, and in the early 1070's, it became the headquarters of the de Warenne family.

The amount of land held by William de Warenne made him one of the highest ranking nobleman in England, only King William's half brothers, Odo and Robert and another of the king's allies, Robert de Montgomery had more wealth than de Warenne.

In 1067, he was one of four influential Normans appointed to govern England while the king returned to Normandy, he helped the king to deal with Anglo-Saxon opposition to his rule, and was a military commander for over 20 years.

Around the time of the Norman Conquest, de Warenne married a Flemish noble woman called Gundreda, possibly a distant cousin of the King's wife.

They had three children together, two sons and a daughter, including their eldest son William, who would go on to succeed his father as the Earl of Surrey.

Here's a quick check now of your understanding so far.

Why did William de Warenne become one of the highest ranking noblemen in England? Was it because A, he was an ally of the king and was rewarded with land for fighting alongside him at Hastings.

B, he was an enemy of the king and fought against King William the First for control over land in the north or C, he was the brother of King William the First of England, and so was rewarded with land.

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

You should have said that the correct answer was A, William de Warenne became one of the highest ranking noblemen in England because he was an ally of the king and was rewarded with land for fighting alongside him at Hastings.

Here's another quick question for you.

In which region did William de Warenne establish his family headquarters in the early 1070s? Was it A, Essex, B, Suffolk, or C, Norfolk? Press pause and then press play to hear the correct answer.

You should have said the correct answer was C, Norfolk.

Finally, in this section, I would like you to complete this task.

You need to rewrite and improve the statement by adding specific factual details to support it.

Here's the statement, de Warenne was loyal to William the First, and as a result was able to have considerable power and influence in Norman England.

Press pause now to add your details and then press play to see what you could have added.

Welcome back.

Let's have a look at what you might have written.

de Warenne showed his loyalty to William the First by fighting alongside him at the Battle of Hastings.

As a result, he was rewarded with large amounts of land stretching across 13 counties, and he was one of the Norman Lords selected to help govern England during the King's absence in 1067.

Being an ally of William I gained de Warenne considerable power and influence in Norman England.

We're ready to move on now to the second section of the lesson today.

This section will look at William de Warenne's pilgrimage.

William de Warenne and his wife Gundreda had a reputation for piety, meaning they were deeply religious, as had become popular in the 11th century.

Between 1081 and 1083, the couple went on a pilgrimage to Rome.

Pilgrimages were an important part of Christian life in the Mediaeval period, and even poor people could attempt to go on a pilgrimage by relying on the charity of others.

Pilgrims would travel long distances to visit holy sites to order to deepen their connection with God.

The belief that holy objects called relics and holy places called shrines could bring people closer to God had a long history in Christian tradition, the journey to Rome was often referred to as the pilgrimage to the threshold of the apostles due to Rome's association with Christ's apostles, Peter and Paul, an apostle was like a missionary or messenger for Christianity.

It was believed that if you prayed at these holy shrines, you would be forgiven for your sins and would have a better chance of reaching heaven.

Pilgrims also wanted to see relics such as bones and teeth and objects like shoes and combs belonging to important saints, as many pilgrims believed that praying to these relics would help cure illnesses or grant the prayer of the pilgrim.

Other common relics were nails and pieces of wood that were claimed to come from the cross used to crucify Christ.

Okay, it's time to have a check again of your understanding.

Which of the following students is correctly explaining why William de Warenne went on a pilgrimage? Let's have a look at what the students have to say.

Sofia says, de Warenne was very important in England, so he went on a pilgrimage to gain connections abroad, Andeep says, de Warenne was very adventurous, so he went on a pilgrimage to see the world and to learn new languages, and Alex says, de Warenne was very pious, so he went on a pilgrimage to deepen his connection to God and to secure his place in heaven.

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

You should have said that the student who was correctly explaining a pilgrimage was Alex.

De Warenne was very pious and so went on a pilgrimage to deepen his connection to God and to secure his place in heaven.

A pilgrimage was a dangerous undertaking and could result in injury, sickness or even death.

Unfortunately, William de Warenne and his wife's pilgrimage had to end in Burgundy due to war in Italy, so they did not reach Rome, de Warenne and his wife took shelter at Cluny Abbey in Burgundy where they were looked after by the order of Cluniac monks who lived there.

de Warenne was amazed by what he saw at Cluny.

The beautiful surroundings along with the elaborate services and the fact the monks were totally devoted to their faith were so inspiring that de Warenne decided to found his own Cluniac priory back in England.

To do this, he had to gain the approval of the Abbott of Cluny.

The Abbott was persuaded to grant de Warenne's request to send monks to establish a monastery at the centre of de Warenne's lands in Lewes, Sussex.

This became the first Cluniac priory in England.

Time for another question, true or false? William de Warenne was impressed by Cluny Abbey.

Press pause and then press play when you're ready to hear the correct answer.

You should have said that the answer is true.

I'd like you to pause the video once more and write an explanation of why the answer is true.

You could have said that William de Warenne was inspired by the beautiful surroundings, the elaborate services, and by the clear devotion the monks had to God.

He was so inspired that he decided to found his own Cluniac priory back in England.

Finally, in this section, I'd like you to complete this task.

This is an incorrect statement.

You need to correct it by rewriting it using your learning so far.

Press pause now and then when you're ready to see what you should have written, the press play.

Let's have a look now at what you could have written.

Pilgrimages were an important part of Christian life in the mediaeval period, as most people were deeply pious and wanted to feel a closer connection to God, they went to pray beside holy relics and the shrines of saints to be forgiven for their sins.

They also went to have a better chance of reaching heaven and to be healed from various ailments and illnesses.

Let's go on now to the final section of today's lesson.

This section will look at the reasons for the building of Castle Acre Priory.

De Warren decided to establish a second Cluniac priory on his family's lands at Castle Acre in Norfolk around 1085, a small community of monks were brought from Lewes to Castle Acre to establish a small priory there.

De Warenne died in 1088 at the siege of Pevensey Castle during the rebellion by Bishop Odo and the others against William Rufuss before the construction of a new building for the monks could begin.

However, the task was taken up by de Warenne's son, William II de Warenne and construction began in 1090.

de Warenne II's ambition was to create a religious house that would rival the size and opulence of Cluny Abbey.

A large church was planned and would go on to be embellished with intricate stone carvings and a beautiful rose window.

This impressive building was a way of consolidating the de Warenne's position as one of the most powerful noble families in England.

Castle Acre Prairie was built in close proximity to Castle Acre Castle, linking the family's religious and military authority.

Norfolk was the power base of the de Warenne family thanks to the large amounts of land that King had granted William de Warenne after the Battle of Hastings.

The priory like the castle, would be a permanent reminder of their strength and its beauty would symbolise God's approval of England's Norman rulers.

It is unsurprising that a nobleman like de Warenne II chose to found Castle Acre priory as in addition to the prestige and power it added to his lands, it was a way of proving his religious devotion.

The monks of Castle Acre Priory would pray for his soul and assure him his place in heaven.

It was also common for Norman Knights to found monasteries to atone for the deaths of Anglo-Saxons they had slain on the battlefield.

Their creation also provided jobs for their younger sons and daughters who would often develop successful careers within the church.

The farms, mills and fisheries, which grew around monasteries also provided employment for the local population, bringing economic benefits to the local area.

The priory could also serve as a stopping point for royalty and a refuge for pilgrims. Therefore, founding a priory was a popular choice amongst the Norman elite.

Time for another check of your understanding again, true or false? Castle Acre priory was built to secure de Warenne the second's position as one of England's most powerful Earls.

Press pause and then press play for the answer.

You should have said the correct answer was true, but why is the answer true? Press pause to write an explanation.

Welcome back, you could have said as your explanation that the priory was designed to impress the local people.

It was constructed next to their castle at the Norfolk headquarters of the de Warenne family and served as a symbol of their power and authority in the region.

The de Warenne family knew that the scale and ambition of Castle Acre Priory meant that it would take many years to complete.

The founding monks were able to move from their temporary location in the Castle Bailey to the east end of the newly completed church in about 1100, but it took another 50 years for the rest of the site to be constructed.

Throughout that time, the priory continued to grow in size and splendour, bringing many religious, political, and economic benefits to the de Warenne family.

Here's another question now, true or false, the de Warennes had no religious reasons for building monasteries like Castle Acre Priory.

Press pause and then press play for the answer.

you should have said the answer is false.

Press pause again to write an explanation of why the answer is false.

For your explanation, you could have said that rich Normans wanted to atone for spilling the blood of Anglo-Saxons on the battlefield, which they believed was a sin that God would punish.

They believed that founding monasteries would show their devotion to God, who would in return forgive their sins.

Finally, in today's lesson, I'd like you to complete this task.

I'd like you to read Alex's opinion and decide whether you agree with it.

You will need to explain your answer.

Let's read Alex's opinion.

He says, "The desire for power rather than religious devotion was the main reason for the de Warenne family's decision to build Castle Acre priory." Press pause now to write your answer and then press play to see what you could have written.

Welcome back, you might have said, I mostly agree with Alex's view about the reasons why the de Warenne's built Castle Acre priory because it was constructed next to their castle, which linked both their military and religious authority in the minds of the local people.

The priory was built at the Norfolk base of the family to tell the local Anglo-Saxons that God was on the side of the Norman de Warenne's.

It was deliberately constructed to rival the scale and beauty of Cluny Abbey, so it would show off the family's wealth and power.

However, you might have decided to disagree with Alex.

If you did, you might have said something like this.

I disagree with Alex's view that the building of Castle Acre Priory was all about power and believe religion was also an important factor.

The de Warenne were deeply pious, as confirmed by William de Warenne and Gundreda's attempted pilgrimage to Rome.

This would've been a dangerous undertaking, but Knights such as de Warenne felt they had to atone for killing their enemies in battle in order to secure their place in heaven.

The committed approach of the Cluniac monks appealed to de Warenne who went on to invest huge sums in the construction of the priorities at Lewes and at Castle Acre, showing his strong religious beliefs.

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

William de Warenne was a powerful Norman nobleman and close ally of King William the First.

He was deeply religious and went on an attempted pilgrimage to Rome with his wife, Gundreda.

They were forced to seek shelter in Cluny Abbey in Burgundy, where they encountered the Cluniac monks.

Inspired by his visit, de Warenne decided to found a Cluniac priory in Lewes and a second at Castle Acre in Norfolk, the base of the de Warenne family, both priorities afforded the family many religious, political and economic benefits.

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

I hope you feel confident that you've met your learning objective and I look forward to you joining me in a future history lesson from Oak Academy.