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Year 10
AQA

Anglo-Saxon preparations for invasion in 1066

I can explain how Anglo-Saxon England prepared for invasion in 1066.

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Year 10
AQA

Anglo-Saxon preparations for invasion in 1066

I can explain how Anglo-Saxon England prepared for invasion in 1066.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. King Harold made careful preparations against William of Normandy's invasion.
  2. The invasion by Hardrada and Tostig had not been expected, but the north had defences.
  3. Different factors contributed to Harold's defeat of the Viking invasion.
  4. Norman plundering of Wessex may have been designed to provoke Harold to battle William.
  5. Harold was advised to spend longer preparing for the Battle of Hastings than he did.

Keywords

  • Invasion - an invasion is when an army or country uses force to go into and take control of another country

  • Fyrd - the Anglo-Saxon fyrd was a way of calling up men from the general population into an army for a set period of time

Common misconception

The English were unprepared for William's invasion.

Harold led detailed preparations for the invasion, with those preparations delivering an army for the Battle of Hastings despite the disbanding of the southern fyrd and the previous formation of two fyrd armies to combat the earlier Viking invasion.


To help you plan your year 10 history lesson on: Anglo-Saxon preparations for invasion in 1066, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Interspersing explanations with clips from recent documentaries about the events of 1066 really help to bring the extraordinary nature of these events to life.
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Content guidance

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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.
Identify which of the following are tactics and which are strategies.
Correct Answer:a direct attack on the shield wall,tactic
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tactic

Correct Answer:to defend until reinforcements arrive,strategy
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strategy

Correct Answer:a feigned retreat,tactic
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tactic

Correct Answer:to take the offensive,strategy
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strategy

Q2.
Identify the weapons used by Norman knights in this scene from the Bayeux Tapestry.
An image in a quiz
battle axe
crossbow
cudgel (or club)
Correct answer: lances
Correct answer: sword
Q3.
What is the technical term for the suit of chainmail worn by Norman knights and some Norman infantry?
couch
Correct answer: hauberk
onesie
nasal
Q4.
William's army at the Battle of Hastings was divided into three: match the divisions with the troops who were positioned there.
Correct Answer:left,French allies
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French allies

Correct Answer:centre,Breton allies
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Breton allies

Correct Answer:right,Normans
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Normans

Q5.
Where had Normans previously used feigned retreat tactics in battle?
Constantinople
Spain
Correct answer: Sicily
Wales
Q6.
Which of these points best supports the argument that the Bayeux Tapestry underplays the importance of Norman archers in the Battle of Hastings?
The Tapestry shows Harold being killed or injured by an arrow.
Few of the Norman archers are shown wearing armour.
Norman archers are shown with bows instead of crossbows.
Correct answer: Norman archers are usually in the margins of the Tapestry.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these is the best definition of the fyrd?
a group of trained warriors who protected their lord in battle
a place where an army could cross a river or area of marshy land
a tax on every five hides that was used to equip one soldier for battle
Correct answer: a way of calling up men from the general population into an army for a period
Q2.
When did Harold first call up the fyrd to defend the southern coast from an expected Norman invasion?
January 1066
Correct answer: May 1066
September 1066
October 1066
Q3.
Put these events in chronological order.
1 - Harold learns William is preparing an invasion fleet.
2 - Fyrd defences are set up along the southern coast.
3 - Harold is forced to disband the southern fyrd.
4 - Hardrada invades the northeast coast.
5 - Edwin and Morcar lead the English forces in the Battle of Gate Fulford.
Q4.
Which of the following suggest that Hardrada and Tostig's invasion might have found support in the north?
Edwin and Morcar survived the Battle of Gate Fulford.
People remembered Tostig's time as earl of Northumbria.
Correct answer: The city of York struck a deal with Hardrada and Tostig.
The Vikings returned to Norway after the Battle of Stamford Bridge
Q5.
Complete the missing number: Harold and his troops made the 185-mile journey to Tadcaster in just days.
Correct Answer: four, 4, Four
Q6.
Who advised Harold to wait in London until all fyrd troops had been assembled, according to Norman sources?
Archbishop Stigand
Edwin and Morcar
Correct answer: His mother and brothers
The Witan