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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. In this lesson, we will learn about the experiences of Saxon noblewomen during the Norman conquest. We will learn about what a noble was, and then look at what the story of Gytha can tell us about the experiences of Saxon noblewomen during the Norman conquest.

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This content is made available by Oak National Academy Limited and its partners and licensed under Oak’s terms & conditions (Collection 1), except where otherwise stated.

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5 Questions

Q1.
How many Normans did William bring with him to England in 1066?
Correct answer: 10,000
7,000
8,000
9,000
Q2.
Why did William need to establish control over the population? (Tick 2 boxes)
He didn't, he had already conquered it.
Correct answer: He had killed their popular King.
The Anglo-Saxons didn't have a hierarchy in place.
Correct answer: The Normans were outnumbered.
Q3.
What is the correct order of the Feudal System, from MOST important to LEAST important?
King, Knights, Nobles, Peasants.
Correct answer: King, Nobles, Knights, Peasants.
Nobles, King, Peasants, Knights.
Peasants, Nobles, Knights, King.
Q4.
What roles did the Knights perform on the Feudal System? (Tick 2 boxes)
Farmed the land.
Gave land to the nobles.
Correct answer: Protected peasants.
Correct answer: Served in William's army.
Q5.
In what ways was the Feudal System different to the previous Anglo-Saxon hierarchy? (Tick 2 boxes)
Correct answer: Knights were used to keep the peace and control the peasants.
Peasants farmed the land and paid taxes to the King.
The King was at the top and controlled all of the land in England.
Correct answer: The land was owned and controlled by mostly Norman nobility.

5 Questions

Q1.
What is the definition of a widow?
A woman who had lost their child.
Correct answer: A woman who Had lost their husband.
A woman who had lost their land.
A woman who had married a Norman.
Q2.
Why were Saxon noblewomen widows vulnerable?
Correct answer: They could be pressured to be re-married because people wanted their land.
They could have their money stolen from them.
They might not be able to have more children.
William wanted to kill all Saxons.
Q3.
What did William make Saxon noblewomen do?
Give him their children.
Give him their money.
Leave the country.
Correct answer: Marry Norman nobles.
Q4.
What did Anglo-Saxon women help to preserve?
Inheritance laws.
Rules on arranging marriages.
Saxon control of the land.
Correct answer: The English language.
Q5.
Why did lots of Anglo-Saxon noblewomen obey William's orders even if they didn't want to? (Tick 2 boxes)
He paid them to
Correct answer: They didn't want to become nuns
Correct answer: They wanted to still have a safe place to live
They wanted to surprise him when they rebelled later