Starter quiz
- How many Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were there around 600 CE?
- 5
- 6
- 7 ✓
- 8
-
- What was Augustine sent to Britain to do by the Pope in 597 CE?
- attack Britain to bring it back under Roman control
- convert the pagan Anglo-Saxons to Christianity ✓
- meet with St Columbanus
- see what the Anglo-Saxons had built
-
- What is the name of the tribe that arrived in Britain from Ireland around the early 400s CE?
- 'The Scots' ✓
- Match the Anglo-Saxon god or goddess with the day of the week named after them.
- Tiw⇔Tuesday ✓
- Woden⇔Wednesday ✓
- Thor⇔Thursday ✓
- Frig⇔Friday ✓
- What three things did the Roman Christians and Celtic Christians disagree on?
- the dates of Easter ✓
- what language church services should be in ✓
- whether they should celebrate Christmas or not
- how monks should shave their hair ✓
- where the next church should be built
-
- What was the name given to the meeting between the Celtic and Roman Christians to decide what type of Christianity should be used in Britain?
- The Holy Meeting
- The Christian Conference
- Hilda's Great Meeting
- The Synod of Whitby ✓
-
Exit quiz
- Which two of the following were considered to be the most powerful Anglo-Saxon kingdoms by 750 CE?
- Kent
- Sussex
- Mercia ✓
- Northumbria ✓
- Essex
-
- Who was the King of Mercia from 757 to 796 CE?
- Offa ✓
- Aethelbert
- Aethelbald
- Coenwulf
-
- Match the word with its definition.
- kingdom⇔a country or area ruled by a king or queen ✓
- barrier⇔a fence or obstacle that prevents movement or access ✓
- supremacy⇔having more power than anyone else ✓
- bretwalda⇔an Anglo-Saxon word meaning the ruler of all of Britain ✓
- Starting with the earliest, sort these events into chronological order.
- 1⇔The Anglo-Saxons arrived in Britain.
- 2⇔Seven distinct Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were established in Britain.
- 3⇔Offa became King of Mercia.
- 4⇔Mercia became the most powerful kingdom.
- 5⇔Offa built a barrier between Mercia and the Welsh tribes.
- 6⇔Offa died and his reign ended.
- What was the name of the large barrier that was built between Mercia and Wales?
- 'Offa's Dyke' ✓
- Pick the reasons why Offa was such a powerful Anglo-Saxon king.
- He did not like the Welsh kingdoms.
- He established friendships across Britain through marriage. ✓
- His armies defeated many other kingdoms across Britain. ✓
- His name meant 'wolf' and wolves are powerful.
-
Worksheet
Loading worksheet ...
Presentation
Loading presentation ...
Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- By 750 CE the kingdoms of Mercia, Wessex, Northumberland and East Anglia were the most powerful.
- By the second half of the 8th century, Mercia was ruled by King Offa and his Frankish queen, Cynethryth.
- Sometimes the most powerful Anglo-Saxon kings would claim to be the 'bretwalda', the ruler of all of Britain.
- Having won many battles against other Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, Offa called himself ‘bretwalda’.
- Offa was unable to defeat the Welsh; he built a barrier on his western borders to protect his kingdom against them.
Common misconception
King Offa was solely responsible for Mercian supremacy.
Although it was mostly King Offa, the supremacy of Mercia was already beginning before his reign and continued for a short while afterwards.
Keywords
Northumbria - Northumbria was a former Anglo-Saxon kingdom in north-east England in modern-day Northumberland
Mercia - Mercia was a major Anglo-Saxon kingdom in the central part of England
Supremacy - having supremacy is having more power than anyone else
Barrier - a barrier is a fence or obstacle that prevents movement or access
+