Anglo-Saxon kingdoms
I can describe how early Anglo-Saxon Britain was made up of different kingdoms.
Anglo-Saxon kingdoms
I can describe how early Anglo-Saxon Britain was made up of different kingdoms.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- In places where the Anglo-Saxons defeated the Britons, they built their own villages and established new kingdoms.
- No single king ruled over all the Anglo-Saxons.
- The Angles, Saxons and Jutes took over and settled in different areas.
- The Anglo-Saxons established seven kingdoms – Northumbria, Mercia, East Anglia, Essex, Kent, Sussex and Wessex.
- These kingdoms waxed and waned in their power over one another.
Keywords
Settlement - a settlement is a place where people choose to begin a community
Establish - to establish something means to set it up to last a very long time
Kingdom - a kingdom is a country or area ruled by a king or queen
Common misconception
Some pupils may believe the kingdoms were part of one united kingdom of England.
The Anglo-Saxon kingdoms had their own ruler and England was not a united kingdom or nation at this point.
To help you plan your year 5 history lesson on: Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 5 history lesson on: Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 history lessons from the Britain's settlement by Anglo-Saxons: what changed after the Romans left? unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended