The Battle of Hastings
I can describe features of the Battle of Hastings.
The Battle of Hastings
I can describe features of the Battle of Hastings.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- William of Normandy invaded England after Harold had fought the Battle of Stamford Bridge.
- Harold's army consisted of an elite of housecarls with the majority being the untrained peasant conscripts of the fyrd.
- Harold held the high ground on Senlac Hill with a shield wall.
- William’s army mainly consisted of professional soldiers using a mix of archers and cavalry charges.
- William's tactics brought him victory while Harold and many Anglo-Saxon nobles were killed.
Keywords
Fyrd - the Anglo-Saxon fyrd was an army made up of mostly untrained conscripts from England’s peasant population
Housecarl - the housecarl was an elite unit of the Anglo-Saxon army: a well-trained and well-equipped soldier
Knight - the knight was the elite unit of the Norman army: a soldier who fought on horseback, riding a specially-trained war horse
Shield wall - a shield wall is a military tactic where soldiers stood in a long line overlapping their shields to form a wall of shields
Feigned retreat - a feigned retreat is when soldiers pretend to retreat in order to lure the enemy into a more vulnerable position
Common misconception
The shield wall was not a very sophisticated or effective military tactic.
In fact, the shield wall proved effective in holding off the Norman attacks for many hours.
To help you plan your year 10 history lesson on: The Battle of Hastings, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 10 history lesson on: The Battle of Hastings, 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: why did the Normans conquer England in 1066? 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 recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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