Migration and Empire - Part One

Question 1

Who invaded England once Romans left?

Answer 1

Tribes from Denmark and Northern Germany known as Angles, Saxons and Jutes.

Question 2

How did Anglo-Saxons rule over England?

Answer 2

There were different kingdoms, led by lords and chieftains.

Question 3

What religion were the Anglo-Saxons by AD 800?

Answer 3

Christian.

Question 4

Who were the Vikings?

Answer 4

People from Scandinavia.

Question 5

How did the vikings attack England?

Answer 5

Around AD 790, Vikings raided monasteries and villages near the coast.
They also sailed up rivers and attacked further inland and set up camps.

Question 6

Why did the vikings invade Britain?

Answer 6

-They knew of how wealthy some Anglo-Saxon kingdoms had become.
-Better farming land - Scandinavia had little arable land.
-Opportunities for younger brothers who didn’t inherit land in Scandinavia.
-Scandinavia was becoming overpopulated.

Question 7

What happened in 871AD to Alfred?

Answer 7

Alfred, 22 year old son of Aethelred of Wessex became king after his father’s death. He would become known as Alfred the Great and would become king. He fought the Vikingd and helped bring peace to the country.

Question 8

What did the vikings do in 876AD?

Answer 8

After conquering Northumbria, East Anglia and most of Mercia, the vikings now turned to Wessex and began a series of attacks. After some early success, King Alfred and his army were driven back and forced to hide on the Isle of Athelney in the Somerset marshes.

Question 9

What did King Alfred do in May 878AD?

Answer 9

He beat the vikings at the Battle of Edington in Wiltshire and the two sides discussed peace.

Question 10

How did the vikings and Alfred agree to peace?

Answer 10

-The viking leader Guthrum had to become Christian and agree never to attack Wessex again.
-A boundary was created between Anglo-Saxon and Viking territory. The vikings were to live in the north and east of the country in the Danelaw.

Question 11

What happened after the peace was signed between Alfred and Guthrum?

Answer 11

-During Alfred’s reign (871-899), there were still Viking raids on Anglo-Saxon territory.
-However, Alfred strengthened defences across the country.
-Many vikings in the Danelaw settled and lived fairly peacefully.
-People travelled and traded between Wessex and the Danelaw and there was intermarriage between Vikings and Anglo-Saxons.
-Other kingdoms in England acknowledged him to be the overlord.
-After Alfred died, his descendants recaptured parts of the Danelaw.
-By Alfred’s great-grandson (Edgar the Peaceful) became king in 959AD, the country was settled as it had been for generations.

Question 12

What kingdoms were there before Viking raids?

Answer 12

Northumbria in the north, Mercia in the midlands, East Anglia, Essex and Kent in the South-East, Sussex in the south, Wessex in the South-West.

Question 13

What happened in 991 during King Aethelred’s reign?

Answer 13

A huge Viking army led by Sven Forkbeard and Olaf Tryggvason arrived at Folkestone in a fleet of over 90 ships.

Question 14

How was King Aethelred defeated in 991?

Answer 14

At the Battle of Maldon in 991, Aethelred was defeated by the Vikings.

Question 15

What was the Danegeld?

Answer 15

Money that Aethelred paid the Danish to stop raids, costing a fortune of taxpayer money, making the English population angry.

Question 16

How did Aethelred stop paying the Danegeld?

Answer 16

He made a deal with the Normans stating that they would support themselves against their enemies. This meant Vikings would not be able to use Normandy as a base to launch attacks on England. This did not stop Viking attempts to conquer them.

Question 17

What happened in November 1002?

Answer 17

Aethelred carried out a mass killing of all Viking men, women and children south of the Danelaw. This became known as the St Brice’s Day Massacre.

Question 18

How did Sven Forkbeard react in 1013?

Answer 18

The King of Denmark is angered (his sister was murdered) so he summons a large army and conquers England. Aethelred fled.

Question 19

What happened to Forkbeard in 1014? What were the consequences?

Answer 19

Forkbeard died. His son, Cnut, succeeded him. Aethelred returned to England and forces Cnut back to Denmark. Aethelred is now back on the throne.

Question 20

What happened in England between 1014-16?

Answer 20

Cnut’s supporters in England rebel against Aethelred.

Question 21

What happened in April 1016?

Answer 21

Aethelred died and his son, Edmund, became king.

Question 22

What happened in October 1016?

Answer 22

Cnut finally beats King Edmund and beat him at the Battle of Assandun in Essex.

Question 23

How did Cnut and Edmund agree to terms after Cnut’s victory?

Answer 23

-Wessex will belong to Edmund.
-The rest of the country will be run by Cnut.
-When one dies, the other inherits the land.

Question 24

What happened about a month after Edmund and Cnut’s agreement?

Answer 24

King Edmund died and his territory in Wessex was inherited by Cnut and he became king of all of England.

Question 25

How was Britain treated under Cnut’s rule?

Answer 25

Despite conquering England, he saw it as his main domain, rather than part of the Danish Empire as it was his richest kingdom.

Cnut soon inherited Denmark, Norway and some of Sweden. This became known as Cnut’s North Sea Empire.

Question 26

What were the positives of Cnut’s rule for England?

Answer 26

-Trustworthy English nobles were left to rule over their areas.
-Peaceful time, free from viking raids.
-Brought back popular laws of Edgar the Peaceful.
-Saw Britain as his main domain, not a colony.

Question 27

What were the negatives of Cnut’s rule for England?

Answer 27

-Hostile takeover.
-He was tough on Anglo-Saxons he thought might rebel againsg him.
-Ordered the execution of many powerful Anglo-Saxons.
-Transferred riches back to Denmark.
-Danish nobles were given land.

Question 28

Who was Emma of Normandy?

Answer 28

Sister of the Duke of Normandy, she first married Aethelred then Cnut. She helped unite Anglo-Saxons and Vikings. Her marriage to Cnut helped expand his North Sea Empire. She was a strong leader who commanded respect in her territories. She also improved relations with the Church and helped bring peace to England. She was also good with money. Two of her children - Edward (with Aethelred) and Harthacnut (with Cnut) became kings of England.

Question 29

Who were the claimants to the throne after Edward the Confessor’s death?

Answer 29

-William Duke of Normandy - claimed both Edward and Harold Godwinson agreed he should take the throne.

-Harold Godwinson - most powerful man in England - the Witan supported his claim to the throne.

-Harald Hardrada - Viking ruler of Denmark stated Vikings had conquered England for many years.

Question 30

How did William become King?

Answer 30

After Edward’s death, the Witan elected Harold Godwinson as King. They crowned him immediately.

-September 1066: Harald Hardrada was defeated by King Harold at the Battle of Stamford Bridge.

-14th October 1066: King Harold was defeated by William, Duke of Normandy.

-Christmas Day 1066: William, Duke of Normandy was crowned king.

Question 31

How did King William control the English?

Answer 31

William faced rebellions which he put down fiercely. He kept control by:

-Giving Normans land in return for loyalty and support.
-Each norman baron and lord had his own knights and soldiers to keep the peace.
-Giving supporters top jobs in the Church.
-Encouraging Norman barons to build castles to control the whole of England.

Question 32

How did England change under the Normans?

Answer 32

-French customs were introduced.
-French became the language of those in power.
-Normans built hundreds of new churches, cathedrals and monasteries.

Question 33

How did power in England change after William the Conqueror?

Answer 33

William died in 1087 and his possessions were divided up between his two eldest sons. Henry got nothing until one of his brothers died and he became King. He then defeated his brother and William’s possessions were now under his control, Henry I.

Question 34

How did power in England change after Henry I?

Answer 34

-Henry wanted his daughter, Matilda, to rule when he died. He married her to a powerful French lord, Geoffrey of Anjou.

-When Henry died, a powerful noble named Stephen seized the throne. Many people felt he had a claim to the throne.

-For the next 19 years there was a series of battles as Matilda fought back.

-In 1153, an agreement was reached that Matilda’s son, Henry, would become king when Stephen died.

-In October 1154, King Stephen died and Matilda’s son became King Henry II of England.

Question 35

What were Henry II and his brothers referred to?

Answer 35

The Angevins.

Question 36

What did the Angevins become known as?

Answer 36

Plantagenets.

Question 37

What land did Henry II inherit?

Answer 37

As well as being King of England, he was:

Duke of Normandy
Count of Anjou
Count of Maine

He also married Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1152 before becoming King, inheriting much of France.

Question 38

How did Henry II come to control much of Ireland?

Answer 38

King Dermot of Leinster asked Henry II for help against another king.

Henry sent over an army to assist but the knights and barons who went used it as an opportunity to seize land for themselves. By the mid 1170s the English controlled more land than the Irish.

Henry used his control in Ireland to strengthen and build new fortifications and to develop Dublin.

Question 39

Who inherited Henry II’s land? What happened to him?

Answer 39

Richard I became king when Henry died. He spent a long period of his reign in France on crusades. He lost land in France to King Philip II.

Question 40

How did John get into power? What impact did he have on England?

Answer 40

He became king in 1199 when Richard died. He lost the remaining French and only held on to Gascony. He had a terrible military record.

Question 41

What territories did King John lose?

Answer 41

-Brittany
-Anjou
-Normandy
-Maine

Question 42

What happened in 1193-94?

Answer 42

Philip II of France invades Normandy and Anjou.

Question 43

What happened in 1199?

Answer 43

Richard is killed, John becomes king and Arthur of Brittany are in conflict over land in France, Arthur is murdered.

Question 44

What happened in 1202-05?

Answer 44

Philip II conquers Normandy, Anjou, Maine and Brittany.

Question 45

What happened in 1216?

Answer 45

John died and with the loss of Anjou and most of France, the Angevin Empire ends.

Question 46

How did the barons react to John Softsword?

Answer 46

-John’s poor battle record meant the Angevin Empire was reduced to Gascony.
-People in England had to pay high taxes to pay for attempted invasions to get French land back.
-John didn’t listen to the barons.
-The barons raised an army against John and occupied London. John needed their support so he had to agree to their demands.
-In 1215, John signed Magna Carta which promised to respect the rights of the barons and to stop unfair taxes.

Question 47

What happened in 1337?

Answer 47

King Edward III claimed the French throne and declared war on France to protect his economy and power. This started the Hundred Years’ War.

Question 48

What were the economic causes for the Hundred Years’ War?

Answer 48

Edward risked losing taxes as the French threatened the wine rich Gascony and cloth rich Flanders.

Question 49

What were the social causes of the Hundred Years’ War?

Answer 49

-The people of England would lose business such as in the wool trade and have to pay higher taxes.

Question 50

What were the political causes for the Hundred Years’ War?

Answer 50

-Edward thought he had a better claim to the French throne.
-The French had offered to help the Scots who Edward was in conflict with.

Question 51

What happened in Stage 1 of the Hundred Years’ War?(1337-60)

Answer 51

Edward III won important battles at Crecy (1346) and Poltiers (1356) and gained control of Gascony, Calais etc.

Question 52

What happened in Stage 2 of the Hundred Years’ War?(1370)

Answer 52

The French won back some of the land they had lost.

Question 53

What happened in Stage 3 of the Hundred Years’ War? (1413-53)

Answer 53

Henry V became King of England and won at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. The English won despite being outnumbered and tired due to the muddy conditions and their superior longbows.

Henry V then conquered Normandy. After his death, his son took over and he lost most of the territory in France.

The French were inspired by St Joan of Arc’s bravery and beat the English back.

Question 54

How did the Battle of Agincourt begin?

Answer 54

The French and English stood opposite each other in a field near to forests on either side.

Question 55

How did the French lose the Battle of Agincourt?

Answer 55

Henry moved his troops forward and ordered his archers to open fire.
The French tried charging at the English, but the muddy conditions and the superior longbows, they were slowed down.
The French continued to charge but got stuck in the mud. The English slaughtered them.
The Battle was a disaster for the French, the survivors fled.

Question 56

What were the short term impacts of the Hundred Years’ War?

Answer 56

Some areas of France were devastated with buildings, crops and animals destroyed.
Soldiers and civilians on both sides were killed.

Question 57

What were the medium term impacts of the Hundred Years’ War?

Answer 57

-France became unified under one king.
-England lost money because of lost territories.
-Some English people got very rich from stealing from towns and villages.
-The foot soldier became the key element of the army.
-Gunpowder, canons and handguns were used in battle.
-A new and improved system of taxation for France was started.

Question 58

What were the long term impacts of the Hunded Years’ War?

Answer 58

-Increased nationalist feeling in both countries.
-The English identity developed. It also started to distance itself from Europe.
-England went to conquer lands further afield and no longer looked to conquer continental Europe.