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Year 6

Aethelflaed and Edward

I can explain how the campaigns of Aethelflaed and her brother Edward laid the foundations for the birth of England.

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New
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Year 6

Aethelflaed and Edward

I can explain how the campaigns of Aethelflaed and her brother Edward laid the foundations for the birth of England.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. After her husband’s death in 911, Aethelflaed worked with her brother Edward, King of Wessex to attack the Vikings.
  2. She captured Tamworth, Mercia’s old capital, and used it as a base from which to drive back the Vikings.
  3. At the same time, her brother Edward won numerous victories against the Vikings in East Anglia.
  4. In 917 Aethelflaed launched an assault on the Viking town of Derby, capturing it, followed by Leicester soon after.
  5. On the eve of Aethelflaed's death in 918, only York remained as a Viking stronghold.

Common misconception

Pupils may not understand that it was a combination of factors that led to laying the foundations of England.

Aethelflaed and Edward were able to lay the foundations for England by establishing strongholds to protect their towns and cities, combining their forces and leading campaigns together.

Keywords

  • Formidable - when something is formidable it inspires fear or respect through being impressively large, powerful, or capable

  • Campaign - a campaign is a series of military operations intended to achieve a particular goal

  • Stronghold - a stronghold is a place that has been fortified to protect it against attack

Use a modern map to locate the strongholds so pupils can make connections with the towns and cities across England today.
Teacher tip

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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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the word to its correct definition.
Correct Answer:overlord,a person of great power or authority

a person of great power or authority

Correct Answer:burh,an Anglo-Saxon fortification or fortified settlement

an Anglo-Saxon fortification or fortified settlement

Correct Answer:saint,a holy person who has died and been officially honoured by the Church

a holy person who has died and been officially honoured by the Church

Q2.
Who created the Danelaw?
Guthrum
Correct answer: King Alfred
King Aethelred
Aethelflaed
Q3.
What was the name of King Alfred's daughter?
Correct answer: Aethelflaed
Aethelred
Alfreda
Q4.
Whose remains were taken from his resting place in Bardney Abbey in Lincolnshire to Gloucester to protect them by the Anglo-Saxons?
Saint Patrick
Correct answer: Saint Oswald
Saint George
Saint David
Q5.
What did the Anglo-Saxons build to fortify the Mercian borders whenever they had driven the Vikings further back?
Correct Answer: burhs, Burhs, burh, Burh
Q6.
Put the events in order, starting with the earliest.
1 - agreement reached between the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings to divide Britain
2 - marriage between Aethelred and Aethelflaed
3 - Aethelflaed ruled Mercia alone when Aethelred became ill
4 - Aethelred died and Aethelflaed continued to rule Mercia alone

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
At the time of King Alfred's death, which Anglo-Saxon kingdom remained free from Viking invasion?
Mercia
Danelaw
Correct answer: Wessex
Northumbria
Q2.
Who inherited the throne when King Alfred died in 899 CE?
Aethelflaed
Correct answer: Edward
Aethelred
Guthrum
Q3.
Match the keyword to its correct definition.
Correct Answer:formidable,when something large or powerful inspires fear or respect

when something large or powerful inspires fear or respect

Correct Answer:campaign,a series of military operations intended to achieve a particular goal

a series of military operations intended to achieve a particular goal

Correct Answer:stronghold,a place that has been fortified to protect it against attack

a place that has been fortified to protect it against attack

Q4.
By the time of Aethelflaed's death in 918 CE, only one Viking stronghold remained. What was it called?
Bedford
Leicester
Hertford
Correct answer: York
Q5.
The Viking lands recaptured in the Danelaw highlight the enormous success of Aethelflaed and Edward in laying the for England.
Correct Answer: foundations, Foundations, groundwork, Groundwork
Q6.
By 913 CE, Aethelflaed had captured __________ and was using it as a base from which to drive back the Vikings.
Correct answer: Tamworth
the Five Boroughs of Danelaw
Essex
Northampton

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