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Year 10
AQA

The geography of Norman Wales

I can describe the geography of Norman Wales.

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New
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Year 10
AQA

The geography of Norman Wales

I can describe the geography of Norman Wales.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Wales' mountainous regions tended to isolate communities.
  2. Wales' long coastline has always been important for communication and trade.
  3. The major centres of Roman power in Wales were Caerleon in the south and Carmarthen in the west.
  4. By the 11th century, Wales had five major kingdoms and several minor kingdoms.
  5. Monasteries were important in 11th century Wales.

Keywords

  • Mountainous - having many mountains

  • Fertile - capable of producing crops

  • Kingdom - a country or area ruled by a king

Common misconception

Wales was isolated because of the mountains between Wales and England.

In fact, Wales' extensive coastline meant it had excellent communications with other countries in Europe, especially Ireland.


To help you plan your year 10 history lesson on: The geography of Norman Wales, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Students could have a homework task before starting this historic environment of putting together a pronunciation guide for names for people and places.
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Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
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Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

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Licence

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.
Which word means an army made up of mostly untrained conscripts from England’s peasant population?
housecarl
Correct answer: fyrd
knight
Q2.
Which term describes when soldiers pretend to retreat in order to lure the enemy into a more vulnerable position?
Correct Answer: feigned retreat, fake retreat
Q3.
Complete the sentence: A is a military tactic where soldiers stood in a long line overlapping their shields to form a wall of shields.
Correct Answer: shield wall
Q4.
Put the following events in chronological order.
1 - William intended to sail from Normandy but bad weather prevented him.
2 - Harold sent the southern fyrd home.
3 - Harold fought the Battle of Stamford Bridge.
4 - William set sail for England.
5 - Harold quickly rode south with his housecarls.
6 - The Normans constructed a castle and raided Wessex.
7 - Harold decided to leave London before the whole fyrd had arrived.
Q5.
Put the following events in chronological order.
1 - Harold positioned his forces at the top of Senlac Hill.
2 - Trumpets signalled the start of the battle.
3 - The Norman knights charged up the hill but failed to break the English defence.
4 - A section of the Norman army began to retreat.
5 - William tipped back his helmet to show he was still alive.
6 - The shield wall weakened and the Norman knights rode through.
7 - Harold was killed.
Q6.
The Normans' successful breaking of the Anglo-Saxons' shield wall can be described as a what?
master plan
tactic
Correct answer: turning point
harrying

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which word describes being capable of producing crops?
Correct Answer: fertile
Q2.
Which word describes a country or area ruled by a king?
Correct Answer: kingdom
Q3.
Where were the major centres of Roman power in Wales?
Correct answer: Caerleon
Caerwent
Correct answer: Carmarthen
Dolaucothi
Q4.
Match the geographical feature of Norman Wales to its location within Wales.
Correct Answer:North and Central Wales,dominated by mountains and valleys
tick

dominated by mountains and valleys

Correct Answer:East Wales,border of England and Wales known as the Welsh Marches
tick

border of England and Wales known as the Welsh Marches

Correct Answer:South Wales,flatter and more fertile land
tick

flatter and more fertile land

Correct Answer:West Wales,coastline facing the Irish Sea
tick

coastline facing the Irish Sea

Q5.
Which religion was followed in Roman Wales?
Correct answer: Christianity
Islam
Buddhism
Atheism
Q6.
Put the following events in chronological order.
1 - Hunter-gatherers were active in the south and west of Wales.
2 - Some societies began to make use of Wales’ rugged mountainous regions.
3 - The Romans arrived in Wales.
4 - Departure of the Romans in Wales.
5 - Existence of five main kingdoms in Wales.
6 - The Normans arrived in Wales.

Additional material

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