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Year 10
AQA

The Marcher earls

I can explain the role of the Marcher earls.

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Year 10
AQA

The Marcher earls

I can explain the role of the Marcher earls.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Wales was not a threat to Norman England, but the border situation helped those resisting Norman control.
  2. In 1067 and 1069, Eadric the Wild attacked Hereford and Shrewsbury with help from Wales.
  3. William I responded by creating the Marcher earldoms in Chester, Shrewsbury and Hereford.
  4. Marcher earls were granted special privileges to help them control and colonise the Marches.
  5. While there was no systematic plan to conquer Wales, the Marcher earls encouraged land grabs of Welsh territory.

Keywords

  • Marcher - connected to the Marches, the borderlands between Wales and England

  • Earldom - the territory controlled by an earl

Common misconception

The Marcher earls were completely independent of the king.

Although the Marcher earls had a lot of independence and special privileges, they were still vassals of the king and swore to obey him. Their feudal duties included providing the king with knights.


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

Students could start the lesson by recapping the rebellions against William from 1067 to 1070: who was involved and what were the outcomes?
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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.
Which word describes being banned from living in your native country, usually for acting against those in charge?
Correct Answer: exile
Q2.
Complete the sentence: Gruffydd ap Llywelyn’s ambitions were not restricted to Wales - the borderlands of the Welsh were also an area where he hoped to expand his territory.
Correct Answer: Marches
Q3.
By the middle of the 11th century, who was the most powerful figure in Wales?
Ralph the Timid
Edward the Confessor
Correct answer: Gruffydd ap Llywelyn
Robert of Jumieges
Q4.
How far was Hereford from the border of Wales?
10 miles
Correct answer: 20 miles
50 miles
100 miles
Q5.
Put the following events in chronological order.
1 - Ralph the Timid was made the Earl of Hereford.
2 - Ralph added to the defences of Hereford with innovations from Normandy.
3 - Aelfgar, Earl of Mercia allied with Gruffydd ap Llywelyn to invade Hereford.
4 - Ralph’s army was defeated and he fled from Hereford.
5 - Harold Godwinson refortified the city and pursued the attackers into Wales.
6 - Gruffydd kept the new territories he had taken over along the border.
Q6.
Put the following events in chronological order.
1 - Aelfgar died and was succeeded as Earl of Mercia by his son, Edwin.
2 - Gruffydd raided Worcestershire in Mercia.
3 - Harold Godwinson launched a surprise attack on Gruffydd.
4 - Harold attacked the south of Wales whilst Tostig attacked the north.
5 - Gruffydd was killed and his head sent to Harold as proof.
6 - Wales was separated back into a number of smaller kingdoms.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which word describes a person connected to the Marches?
Correct Answer: Marcher, a Marcher
Q2.
Which word describes the territory controlled by an earl?
Correct Answer: earldom
Q3.
Who attacked Hereford in 1067?
Correct answer: Rhiwallon ap Cynfyn
Correct answer: Bleddyn ap Cynfyn
William FitzOsbern
Correct answer: Eadric the Wild
Gruffydd ap Llywelyn
Q4.
Why did the borderlands of the Welsh Marches provide problems for William the Conqueror?
Correct answer: They offered hiding places for those planning resistance.
They were controlled by one very powerful Welsh king.
Correct answer: They were not fully under either Welsh or English control.
The people who lived there frequently raided England and Welsh kingdoms.
Q5.
Who did William appoint as the first Marcher earls?
Bleddyn ap Cynfyn
Roger de Breteuil
Correct answer: Roger of Montgomery
Correct answer: Hugh d'Avranches
Correct answer: William FitzOsbern
Q6.
Which Marcher earl achieved the biggest expansion of their territory in Wales?
Bleddyn ap Cynfyn
Roger de Breteuil
Roger of Montgomery
Hugh d'Avranches
Correct answer: William FitzOsbern

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