New
New
Year 2

John and the 'Lionheart'

I can describe the relationship between John and Richard I.

New
New
Year 2

John and the 'Lionheart'

I can describe the relationship between John and Richard I.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. John was the youngest son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, the King and Queen of England.
  2. When Henry II died, John's older brother Richard became the King of England.
  3. Richard I was called the 'Lionheart' because he was a brave warrior who was often away from England fighting.
  4. One time, when Richard I was fighting on a crusade, John began to rule the country as if he was the king.
  5. This made Richard I angry, and John was exiled for two years; but returned to be named Richard's heir.

Common misconception

Some may think that John's sisters would be in line to the throne before him.

Explain that this is the case today in the UK - Princess Charlotte became the first female royal to benefit from The Succession to the Crown Act in 2013. The Act stated that girls born into the Royal Family will not be overtaken by younger brothers.

Keywords

  • Heir - the heir to the throne is the person who will become the next king or queen when the current one dies

  • Crusade - a crusade was a war fought between different religious groups

  • Exiled - if someone is exiled, they are forced to leave a place and cannot return

You could encourage students to draw their own family trees to better understand how they work and the links between the royal family.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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6 Questions

Q1.
Who did Constantine defeat?
Ancient Romans
Correct answer: Vikings
Ancient Greeks
Q2.
In which modern day country was the kingdom of Alba?
Wales
Ireland
Correct answer: Scotland
England
Q3.
Choose the correct statement about mormaers.
They were Viking soldiers.
Correct answer: They were Scottish leaders.
The king did not like them.
Q4.
Constantine changed the to make it more like the one in Ireland.
Correct Answer: church
Q5.
Constantine battled with a king from …
Correct Answer: England
Q6.
Constantine won the battle against the king from England.
True
Correct answer: False

6 Questions

Q1.
What was King Richard's nickname?
Correct answer: Lionheart
Elephantheart
Tigerheart
Giraffeheart
Q2.
Match the keyword to the correct definition.
Correct Answer:exiled ,when someone is forced to leave a place and cannot return

when someone is forced to leave a place and cannot return

Correct Answer:crusade ,a war fought between different religious groups

a war fought between different religious groups

Correct Answer:heir ,the person who will become the next king or queen

the person who will become the next king or queen

Q3.
John's older sisters were in line to the throne before him.
true
Correct answer: false
Q4.
Who became the new King of England after King Henry II died?
Correct Answer: Richard , Richard I, King Richard
Q5.
John tried to take over as King of England when Richard was away fighting in a …
Correct Answer: crusade
Q6.
As a punishment, John was from England.
Correct Answer: exiled

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