Conquers and conquerors

Question 1

What religion were the vikings?

Answer 1

Heathen non chrisitan

Question 2

What religion is the anglo saxons?

Answer 2

Christian

Question 3

What unified the anglo saxons?

Answer 3

christianity

Question 4

How did the vikings rule?

Answer 4

Through danelaw

Question 5

What did normans introduce in terms of Ideas?

Answer 5

Chivalry and Feudalism

Question 6

What did the vikings develop in terms of technology?

Answer 6

Viking longships with better technology for exploration and transportation.

Question 7

What was the domesday book?

Answer 7

The Domesday Book is a detailed survey and record of land, property, and resources in England, commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086 to assess taxes and resources.

Question 8

When was the first Viking attack on the island?

Answer 8

793 at Lindisfarne

Question 9

What was the main reason for Viking invasion?

Answer 9

Economic resources- They wanted to gain wealth

Question 10

Why did vikings invade monasteries?

Answer 10

They had large donations of gold and precious objects and monks could be sold as slaves as they did not fight back.

Question 11

What was one other reason why it was easy for vikings to attack England?

Answer 11

It was politically divided and some areas became easier to attack. The Saxons weren’t united so it was harder for them to win against the saxons.

Question 12

Why did the reason for Viking invasion change after 865?

Answer 12

They wanted to actually colonise England and to expand trading routes and to settle and farm in England which was more fertile than scandinavia.

Question 13

Where do the Vikings come from?

Answer 13

Scandinavia

Question 14

What was the base for viking attack in England?

Answer 14

York(Jorvik)

Question 15

What was Danegeld?

Answer 15

Danegeld was a tax paid by Anglo-Saxon kingdoms to Viking invaders as a form of protection money to prevent raids and attacks.

Question 16

Explain the significance of viking invasion on Britain? (8marks)

Answer 16

The Vikings invasions had a significant impact on Britain. Their initial aim was to gain wealth and
prestige. The first Viking attack was in 793 at Lindisfarne in Northumbria at the monastery which was
a shrine to St. Cuthbert. Vikings then began to spread terror along the coast and inland as they
invaded looking for more riches to plunder. Most British people were terrified of the fierce Vikings
who did not seem afraid of death. Militarily, England was an easy target because it was politically
divided. If one area was well defended, the Vikings just attacked another looking for gold and people
to enslave. Monasteries and churches contained many riches as many religious objects were made
from gold. Rich and powerful English people would leave large donations of gold and precious
objects at monasteries and the monks would pray for their souls in return. Monasteries were easy to
attack because they were undefended. Vikings also enslaved people, trafficked them in their
longships and sold them. Monks were highly valued - they were well educated, easy to capture as
they did not fight back. This was significant because British people were deeply Christian so they
resented the attacks on their religion.
In the longer term, the Viking raids were significant because, after 865, the reason for Viking
invasions changed and they wanted to conquer and colonise England to expand their trading routes,
gain the prestige of an Empire and settle and farm in the fertile country. They made York their
capital and established Dublin as their main trading centre for those they enslaved. Anglo-Saxons
who lived in the Danelaw were not forced to change their religion and remained Christian. After a
while Danes and Anglo-Saxons lived together peacefully in Danelaw. There was intermarriage and a
merging of Anglo-Dane cultures, laws, food and language. Common English words such as
Wednesday, Thursday, skin and sky are Norse. This was very significant for British people as it meant
they were living among ‘foreigners’ who brought new ideas and customs.

Question 17

What was the region of Britain with more Danish customs and migrants?

Answer 17

The danelaw

Question 18

What was the last saxon kingdom standing?

Answer 18

Kingdom of Wessex

Question 19

Who was the danish King in 878

Answer 19

Guthrum

Question 20

Who was the english king in 878

Answer 20

Alfred the Great

Question 21

What happened at the battle of Edington?

Answer 21

The Battle of Edington, fought in 878, was a decisive clash between the Anglo-Saxon King Alfred the Great of Wessex and the Viking Great Heathen Army, led by Guthrum. Alfred’s forces defeated the Vikings, forcing Guthrum to retreat and later agree to the Treaty of Wedmore, which established a boundary between Wessex and the Danelaw and required Guthrum to convert to Christianity.

Question 22

What did Alfred do to prevent further Viking Invasion?

Answer 22

Created many fortresses known as burhs, reorganise the english army and create the english navy.

Question 23

Explain the significance of Alfred the Great to Anglo-Saxon England (8 marks)

Answer 23

Alfred the Great was very significant to Anglo-Saxon England because his actions led to stopping the
Viking advance on Wessex after defeating the Danish King Guthrum at the Battle of Edington in 878,
a surprising feat as two-thirds of England was under the Danelaw. This inspired Anglo Saxons, who
realised that the expansion of the Danish empire could be stopped. Alfred installed confidence and
security with burhs built in the 880s for defence and encouraging the training of soldiers and an
English navy. He also introduced, a new law code, written in English, schools to train priests and
encouraged nobles to study as well as fight. Alfred was a cultured academic who learnt from the
Anglo-Saxon Chronicles and encouraged a sense of English identity.
Furthermore, Alfred also defended Wessex from the Vikings, through religion. He was a very
committed Christian, which earned him the title as the ‘defender’ of all Christian Anglo-Saxons, and
his push for Christianity boosted the unification of the country because all of the regions could relate
to this. He proved his alliance to the church by ultimately converting the Danish King Guthrum to
Christianity after England won the Battle of Edington in 878. Even more, the Danish empire seemed
to be halted, once again showing Alfred’s strength and significance to England. Overall, King Alfred
the Great was clearly significant to Anglo-Saxon England because he established the use of an
English law code, developed a national navy and inspired others to unite and fight for their
liberation.

Question 24

Who is Athelstan?

Answer 24

Alfred’s grandson that became the first king to rule all of England who defeated the danes in the large final battle of Brunannburh in 937

Question 25

Who was Eric Bloodaxe

Answer 25

Danish king of Northumbria until he died in 954 after which all danish warriors left England

Question 26

What happened in 991?

Answer 26

King Aethelred the Unready of England started paying large amounts of Danegeld as the vikings came to return to attack.

Question 27

What were the norsemen doing in France?

Answer 27

They had taken over The north part of france known as normandy.

Question 28

Why did Aethelred marry Emma of Normandy?

Answer 28

Since the early 900s the Danes had ruled Normandy and used Normandy as a base to raid
England. Emma was the sister of Normandy’s ruler, Duke Richard II so Aethelred and his
advisors secured a STRATEGIC marriage with Emma in spring 1002 to try and stop invasions
on England from Normandy.

Question 29

What was St Brice’s day Massacre

Answer 29

In 1002 Aethelred ordered a massacre of all Danes living in English Territory.

Question 30

Was the St Brice’s Day Massacre a success or a failure? Explain why.

Answer 30

Failure – in revenge, Sweyn led Viking attacks on England. By 1013 Aethelred and his sons had fled
the country and Sweyn became King of England. Sweyn died and was succeeded by Cnut.

Question 31

Who was Cnut?

Answer 31

Sweyn Forkbeard’s Son who became king of England in 1016 when aethelred died for good.

Question 32

Who was Edmund Ironside?

Answer 32

A leader of the english who fought with Cnut who died in 1016

Question 33

Give examples on how Cnut ruled as king?

Answer 33

After a 3-year fight for Kingship, Cnut ruled England for 19 years. It was generally a time of
peace and prosperity.
* Cnut’s law code was issued in 1020 – as a result Viking pillaging stopped, and Danish
warriors were sent back to Denmark by 1020.
* To cement his rule, Cnut married Emma of Normandy.
* Cnut organised the country well and established EARLDOMS which he asked reliable Anglo-Saxons to control.
* Cnut was also very careful to treat Church leaders well and had good relations with the Pope
in Rome. Cnut rebuilt and repaired all churches that were damaged by the Vikings.
* Cnut believed in the Danelaw, the authority of the Church and the divine right to rule
*Cnut also became King of Denmark and Norway in 1028 establishing the North sea empire of England Denmark and Norway which increased trade between Scandinavia and England leading to prosperity

Question 34

How was Emma of Normandy influential

Answer 34

• Queen of England and Denmark and Norway
  -Played an active role with ruling with Cnut
  -strongly committed to the church and had connections with priests
  -Son with Cnut(Harthacnut) became king after Cnut’s first wife son (harold harefoot)
  -Her son with Aethelred, Edward the confessor became king of England until 1066

Question 35

What did William the conqueror of Normandy do?

Answer 35

Invade England as he believed he had a bloodline claim to the throne in 1066 and defeat harold godwinson at the battle of hastings

Question 36

What did Henry 1 do?

Answer 36

As Henry 1 was one of williams sons and england and normandy was divided at the time so he united them.

Question 37

Who is Matilda?

Answer 37

Henry 1 daughter married to geoffrey of Anjou and when Henry 2 son of Matilda became king in 1154, he established the angevin empire which rules anjou and england.

Question 38

What did Pope adrian do in 1155?

Answer 38

Give Henry 2 permissin to invade Ireland

Question 39

What happened in 1175 in Ireland?

Answer 39

Henry 2 made the High king of Ireland rory o connor sign the treaty of windsor and made him pay homage to him.Henry 2 now owns 3/4 of ireland.

Question 40

Who was Richard the Lionheart?

Answer 40

Henry 2 son that became king and fought mostly in the third crusades

Question 41

Who was John

Answer 41

Brother of Richard the Lionheart, Became King in 1199

Question 42

Why did John sign the magna carta?

Answer 42

Because Barons were fed up of high war taxes and wanted to limit his royal power

Question 43

What did John do wrong?

Answer 43

His actions led to frequent war with france and the loss of normandy to french king Phillip 11

Question 44

Explain why the angevin empire reduced in size under John?

Answer 44

John’s actions led to war with France. He refused to pay homage to Phillip as his overlord and he
married Isabelle of Angouleme who had been promised to a powerful Frenchman who appealed
to Phillip for help. Phillip then inflicted successive defeats on English armies until they were
pushed out of Normandy in 1204.

Question 45

What started the Hundred’s year war?

Answer 45

Phillip VI confiscated Aquitaine in 1337 and expected Edward 3,King of England (Great Great Grandson of King John), to pay homage, Edward chose War.

Question 46

What was the Battle of Crecy 1346?

Answer 46

Edward 3 won a battle in Normandy with only 15000 men against Phillip VI larger army. This meant Calais was secured by the English.

Question 47

What was the battle of Poitiers 1356?

Answer 47

Led by Edward 3 son the black prince, was a humiliating defeat for the french as both King John 2 of france and his son were captured. The english won this as french armour was too heavy and was easy for english infantry to strike them down.

Question 48

What was the battle of Agincourt 1415?

Answer 48

Edward 3 ‘s great grandson ,Henry V was crowned in 1413 at 29 and immediately planned to invade France with 6000 men to reclaim his family’s lands. French forces outnumbered them 4 to 1 but Henry was a great strategist and skilled battlefield commander who used his longbowmen effectively to massacre the French cavalry who got stuck in the mud.

Question 49

What did Henry V do after the battle of Agincourt?

Answer 49

Become ruler of france as he captured paris and he forced the french king to accept him as his lawful heir

Question 50

How long was Henry V’s rule in France?

Answer 50

1415-1422

Question 51

What was the siege of Orleans

Answer 51

Joan of Arc led an army in 1429 which retook the town of Orleans under the French king Charles VII.

Question 52

What was the last battle of the hundred years war?

Answer 52

Battle of Castillon in 1453 where the french mastered new military technology such as cannons and artillery to break the English Charge?

Question 53

Explain the significance of the hundred years war? (8 marks)

Answer 53

The Hundred Years Wars was significant because Edward III introduced new methods of warfare
such as the use of the longbow, which had a major impact against much larger armies at the Battles
of Crecy and Agincourt. Longbows were used by peasants and the lower social classes and winning
‘miraculous’ English victories made it seem that God was on the side of the English – this gave the
English a sense of destiny and played a central role in shaping English identity in centuries to come.
This was significant as the inclusion of all social classes in this military success helped to unify the
country and create a sense of Englishness.
The Hundred Years War was also significant because Henry V’s conquest of Normandy in 1417 to
1419 was an incredible success, which consolidated his claim to the French throne. The capture of
Paris as well as significant parts of France expanded the English Empire on the continent, thereby
bolstering a sense of English supremacy. Furthermore, for the first time since the Norman Conquest,
England was ruled by kings that spoke and wrote in English as their first language, rather than
French. Another result was that the language of law changed from French to English. The
significance of this was that English people could have great pride in their foreign conquests, which
reinforced their sense of Englishness. Although the English were finally defeated by the French at in
1453 at the Battle of Castillon, they now had significant unity and national self-belief that they would
now proceed to look west and conquer North America.