EARLY MEDIEVAL ENGLAND

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1 Andrew Holland Nicholas Fellows OCR A LEVEL EARLY MEDIEVAL ENGLAND Alfred the Great The Making of England Anglo-Saxon England and the Norman Conquest Norman England This is an OCR endorsed resource

2 Contents Introduction 1 Gateway to Alfred and the Making of England Enquiry topic: Alfred the Great 6 Chapter 1 Alfred and the Vikings 7 What was Alfred s position in 871? 9 How was the defence of Wessex organised before 871? 11 How serious a threat was the Great Heathen Army (865 78)? 14 What was the significance of Alfred s refuge at Athelney? 18 Why was Alfred able to defeat the Great Heathen Army? 20 What were the terms of peace made with the Vikings? 22 Why, how and with what effect did Alfred capture London in 886? 26 Why and to what extent was Alfred successful in gaining military success against the Vikings? 29 Why and with what consequences did the Vikings return in the 890s? 32 Study Skills: Understanding and interpreting sources 35 Chapter 2 Alfred and the Governance of England 38 What administrative reforms did Alfred make and how did he help establish unity in England? 39 What were the origins, functions and consequences of the establishment of burhs? 42 What is the importance of the Burghal Hidage? 46 With reference to Oxford, Winchester, Chichester and Wareham, how and why did burhs grow? 49 How did burhs impact on local economies? 55 What was the importance of Alfred s law code? 57 What was the state of England at the time of Alfred s death? 58 How appropriate was the term King of the English when applied to Alfred by the time of his death? 60 Study Skills: Evaluating sources using source content and own knowledge 63 Chapter 3 The revival of literacy and learning: the Alfredian Renaissance 66 Why and how did Alfred implement a programme for learning and how important were court intellectuals in the development of the programme? 67 How important was Alfred s understanding of the connection between learning, religion and the defeat of the Vikings? 74 How important were the writings and translations in creating the Alfredian Renaissance? 75 Why was Asser so central to the Alfredian Renaissance? 82 How significant was Latin education for priests? 84 How far was literature used as propaganda during Alfred s rule? 84 Study Skills: Assessing and evaluating a set of sources 87 iii

3 British Period Study: The Making of England Chapter 4 Edward the Elder How effectively did Edward deal with dynastic issues? 91 To what extent did Scandinavian settlement and migration from Denmark pose a threat to Edward the Elder? 96 Why were Edward the Elder and Aethelflaed successful in conquering most of the Danelaw? 99 How did Edward the Elder gain the submission of the Welsh kings and Scottish king? 104 To what extent did the Norwegians from Ireland, especially Raegnald, pose a threat to Edward the Elder? 107 Historical debate: What was the extent of Edward s power in 924? 108 Study Skills: Understanding the wording of the question and planning an answer 111 Chapter 5 Aethelstan How important was the capture of York in 927? 115 How effectively did Aethelstan deal with the challenge of the Scottish? 118 How effectively did Aethelstan deal with the challenge of the Vikings? 121 How, why and with what consequences did Aethelstan develop closer links with the Continent? 124 To what extent did Aethelstan reform the government and administration of England? 128 Why and with what effect did Aethelstan introduce a new set of legal code? 132 Historical debate: What was the significance of the Battle of Brunanburh? 137 Study Skills: Writing an introduction and avoiding irrelevance 140 Chapter 6 Edmund , Eadred and Edgar How effectively did Edmund deal with challenges he faced? 143 How effectively did Eadred deal with the renewed challenge from the Vikings? 148 How successful were Edgar s reforms to government and administration? 150 Why and how did Edgar reform monasticism? 155 Why was Edgar s coronation as King of all England in 973 so important? 159 Historical debate: How did Edgar become king? 160 Study Skills: Avoiding descriptive answers, writing analytically, the crucial opening sentence of each paragraph 162 Chapter 7 Aethelred Why was there a crisis over the new monasticism from the start of Aethelred s reign? 165 Why was the murder of Edward the Martyr (978) so important? 169 Why did Aethelred fail to deal with the return of the Vikings? 169 To what extent did the legislation of Aethelred improve the governance and administration of England? 178 To what extent was there a cultural revolution during Aethelred II s reign? 182 Historical debate: Who murdered Edward the Martyr? 186 Study Skills: Writing a conclusion and overall essay writing for AS and A level 189 iv

4 Gateway to Anglo-Saxon England and the Norman Conquest British Period Study: Anglo-Saxon England and the Norman Conquest Chapter 8 Anglo-Saxon England How stable was England in the period from 1035 to 1042? 193 How important was Norman influence in England under Edward the Confessor? 196 Why were the Godwin family so important and how effectively did Edward the Confessor deal with them? 198 How effective was Edward the Confessor as king of England? 202 Historical debate: How should we view Edward the Confessor? 206 Why was there a succession crisis in 1066? 207 Study Skills: Understanding the wording of the question and planning an answer for AS and A Level 211 Chapter 9 William of Normandy s invasion and the Battle of Hastings How secure was Harold s position as king of England? 214 How effectively did William prepare for the invasion? 217 What was the impact of Hardrada s invasion on Harold s position? 219 Why did the Battle of Hastings last so long? 222 Why did William win the Battle of Hastings? 224 Historical debate: Was there a feigned retreat? 227 How did William establish himself on the throne of England by the end of 1066? 228 Study Skills: Writing an introduction and avoiding irrelevance 232 Chapter 10 William I and the consolidation of power 234 What was the significance of William s departure for Normandy in 1067? 235 How serious were the revolts that William faced in the period from 1067 to 1071? 237 What was the impact of the harrying of the north? 242 What were the consequences of the unrest in England? 243 How important were castles and churches in the maintenance of order in England? 245 Why did William establish a new elite and how serious a threat was it to his position? 248 How effectively did William deal with the threats from Scotland and Scandinavia? 250 Historical debate: How brutal was William I s rule? 252 Study Skills: Avoiding descriptive answers, writing analytically, the crucial opening sentence of each paragraph 254 Chapter 11 William I and the government and administration of England 257 How much did government and administration change during the reign of William I? 258 When and why did the Anglo-Saxon earls decline in importance? 262 How important were the Norman barons? 263 How important were knights? 266 How was England organised militarily? 267 What was the impact of the Norman Conquest on the English Church? 268 To what extent did the Conquest bring about change in urban and rural areas? 271 What was the purpose of Domesday Book? 273 Historical debate: What was the purpose of Domesday Book? 276 Study Skills: Writing a conclusion and overall essay writing for AS and A level 280 v

5 Enquiry topic: Norman England Chapter 12 William II Rufus and the consolidation of power and government Study Skills: Understanding and interpreting sources Chapter 13 William II Rufus and the Church Study Skills: Evaluating sources using source content and own knowledge Chapter 14 The death of William II Rufus and the succession of Henry 1107 Study Skills: Assessing and evaluating a set of sources Revise, Review, Reflect: Early Medieval England Glossary 283 Index vi

History programmes of study: key stage 3

History programmes of study: key stage 3 National curriculum in England Purpose of study A high-quality history education will help pupils gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain s past