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Year 7

Matilda's claim and campaign

I can explain how Matilda took advantage of Stephen's weakened position to advance her claim and lead a campaign against Stephen.

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Year 7

Matilda's claim and campaign

I can explain how Matilda took advantage of Stephen's weakened position to advance her claim and lead a campaign against Stephen.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Matilda regarded Stephen as a usurper.
  2. Matilda sought to secure the pope's backing for her claim.
  3. Matilda raised an army in England to fight against Stephen.
  4. Matilda gained the support of some leading English barons.
  5. Historians can learn about the role of elite women in the Middle Ages from Matilda's campaign.

Keywords

  • Usurper - a usurper is somebody who takes something by force without the right to do so

  • Anarchy - anarchy is an absence of government in society; political or social disorder

  • Civil war - a civil war is a war between citizens of the same country

Common misconception

Women in England were not allowed to fight in wars.

We have many examples of women leading the defence of castles throughout English history, and occasionally leading the attack on enemy territory as well. It was uncommon, but not unheard of.


To help you plan your year 7 history lesson on: Matilda's claim and campaign, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Encourage students to create a glossary of key individuals so that they can keep track of who is who - this is especially useful when studying events in the medieval period, when many people shared the same names.
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  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
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Adult supervision recommended

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This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the keywords to the correct definitions.
Correct Answer:legitimate,to be born of parents legally married to each other
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to be born of parents legally married to each other

Correct Answer:baron,a great lord or landholder in a kingdom
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a great lord or landholder in a kingdom

Correct Answer:succession crisis,a situation in which there is no clear heir to a position
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a situation in which there is no clear heir to a position

Correct Answer:empire,a group of countries or provinces ruled from the centre by one person
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a group of countries or provinces ruled from the centre by one person

Q2.
What keyword describes a person legally entitled to the property or rank of another person upon that person’s death?
Correct Answer: Heir, heir
Q3.
What happened to William Adelin in 1120?
He died on the Black Ship.
Correct answer: He died on the White Ship.
He married Matilda.
He inherited the throne from Henry I.
Q4.
Why did Henry I make Matilda his next in line to the throne?
She had told Henry I that she had always wanted to rule England.
Correct answer: She was his only surviving legitimate child.
Correct answer: She had experience ruling an empire.
Her brother had suggested her for the role before he died.
Q5.
Why was the timing of Henry I's death unfortunate for Matilda?
Correct answer: She was pregnant with her third child and could not travel far from Anjou.
She did not like spending time in England so did not want to leave Anjou.
Her husband, Geoffrey Plantagenet of Anjou, would not let her travel to England.
Q6.
Why was Stephen of Blois able to have himself crowned king of England and Normandy?
The Church accepted him because his father was an important Churchman.
Correct answer: He was was incredibly rich and well-liked by the Anglo-Norman barons.
Correct answer: He was able to quickly set sail for England, unlike Matilda.
He had the official support of Henry I.
Correct answer: He he promised Londoners profitable trade agreements with his port of Boulogne.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What keyword describes somebody who takes something by force without the right to do so?
Correct Answer: usurper, Usurper
Q2.
Complete the following sentence with the missing word: Matilda sought to secure the backing for her claim.
Correct Answer: pope's, Pope's, popes, Popes
Q3.
Why was Stephen's position looking increasingly fragile by 1138?
Matilda had convinced the people London to rebel against Stephen.
Correct answer: The treasury had run dry and he had no money left.
Correct answer: The Church and barons felt that he had not given them the land that he promised.
Matilda's husband, Geoffrey Plantagenet, won a battle against Stephen.
Q4.
Which castle did Stephen surprisingly allow Matilda to safely leave and journey to Bristol?
Durham Castle
Dover Castle
Cardiff Castle
Correct answer: Arundel Castle
Q5.
Where did Matilda set up her court in Robert's lands?
Winchester
Yorkshire
Correct answer: Gloucester
London
Q6.
What keyword describes a war between citizens of the same country?
Correct Answer: civil war, Civil war, A civil war, a civil war

Additional material

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