Page 38 - Year 7 Knowledge Organiser

History: The Norman Conquest: 1 of 2

Timeline Supporting information:

1065 Edward the Confessor, King of
England, dies leaving no heir
1066 Duke William of Normany defeated
Harold Godwinson at the Battle of
One of the main sources of evidence about the Norman Conquest of England comes from an embroidered cloth which was made to
Hastings. record the events surrounding the battle. It still survives today – over 950 years later. It is called the Bayeaux Tapestry and is over 70
1086 Domesday Book was written. metres long and shows more than 70 scenes surrounding the Norman Conquest. Here you can see the invasion fleet.
1095-99 The First Crusade. In order to control the land of England, William had to use a new
1170 Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of piece of building technology called the Motte and Bailey castle. The
Canterbury, murdered. keep was a fortified tower on top of an earth hill called a motte.
Linked to this was a bailey which was a fortified hamlet containing
1187 Muslim forces recapture Jerusalem buildings to store animals, weapons and food and allow soldiers to
The Third Crusade. sleep in safety. The soldiers could ride out and dominate the land
1192 King John signed the Magna Carta within a day’s ride – about 15 miles in all directions.
1215 stating that the king had to obey the Core Questions:
laws. Q1. Who were the main threats to Harold in January 1066? A1. Harald Hardrada the King of Norway and William Duke of
King Henry II agreed to meetings Q2. What periods were the Middle Ages between? Normandy.
1250 called parliaments. A2. After the Ancient Greeks and Romans but before the
Q3. What was the population of England in the 1060s? Renaissance of the 16 and 17 Century.
th
th
Edward I conquered Wales and built Q4. What did the Saxons build rather than castles? A3. 2 million.
1280s & 1290s castles to control it. Q5. What made collecting taxes easier? A4. Burghs or fortified towns.
A5. Dividing the country into Shires (equal to modern counties).
English defeated by the Scottish at
Q6. Who made up the Saxon army? A6. 3,000 housecarls together with a Fyrd from each Shire
1314 The Battle of Bannockburn. which were groups of untrained farmers.
Famine afflicted England due to bad Q7. Where did Saxons worship? A7. Saxons were Christian and gathered around stone crosses
1316-22 harvests. or in small wooden churches.
Q8. Who were the Earls in Saxon England? A8. The Earls were powerful men who owned huge areas of
First recorded use of gunpowder in
land in England before 1066.
1327 battle in England. Q9. What happened at Stamford Bridge? A9. Harald Hardrada and his Viking army were defeated by
The Black Death struck England. Harold Godwinson and the Saxons in North East England.
1348 The Peasants Revolt. A10. William ordered the burning and destruction of villages
Q10. How did William force Harold to move quickly into a around Hastings.
1381 French defeated at the Battle of battle? A11. They had marched south very quickly from the earlier
1415 Agincourt. Q11. Why were the Saxons tired before the Battle of battle at Stamford Bridge.
Hastings?