The Harrying of the North
I can describe the features of the Harrying of the North and explain its causes and impacts.
The Harrying of the North
I can describe the features of the Harrying of the North and explain its causes and impacts.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- William’s control of the North was threatened by rebellions.
- William aimed to destroy the spirit of rebellion and ensure that no future rebellion could support itself in the North.
- Norman soldiers systematically killed rebels and destroyed food across Yorkshire – later known as ‘Harrying the North’.
- The resulting famine caused as many as 100 000 people to vanish from the records.
- There were no further uprisings in the North, but William was criticised for excessive brutality.
Keywords
Systematically - when something is done systematically it is done in a way that is done according to an agreed set of methods or organised plan
Scorched-earth - a scorched-earth policy is the act of an army destroying everything in an area such as food, buildings, or equipment that could be useful to an enemy
Famine - a famine is a situation in which there is not enough food for a great number of people, causing illness and death, or a particular period when this happens
Refugee - a refugee is a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution or natural disaster
Common misconception
In the medieval period it was expected that rulers would be ruthless in killing anyone who opposed them.
Rulers were expected to be just and merciful in the medieval period, and Willian faced criticism across Europe for his brutality in crushing opposition in the North of England.
To help you plan your year 10 history lesson on: The Harrying of the North, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 10 history lesson on: The Harrying of the North, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 history lessons from the Anglo-Saxon and Norman England: how did Anglo-Saxons resist Norman rule? unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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