Starter quiz
- The Normans successfully invaded England in the year ______.
- '1066' ✓
- Starting with the most important, place these medieval social groups into a hierarchy.
- 1⇔King
- 2⇔Nobles and bishops
- 3⇔Knights
- 4⇔Peasants
- In exchange for land, nobles had to promise obedience and swear an oath of ______ to their king.
- 'fealty' ✓
- When a king died without a clear heir, it could create a ______ crisis.
- 'succession' ✓
- The Normans typically made their eldest ______ their successor.
- 'son' ✓
- Following William the Conqueror's coronation, for several hundred years kings of England typically controlled land in both England and _______.
- Ireland
- Scotland
- France ✓
-
Exit quiz
- Matilda was the daughter of __________.
- William I
- William II
- Henry I ✓
- Robert of Normandy
-
- At the age of ______, Matilda was betrothed to the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry V.
- '8' ✓
- The people of the Holy Roman Empire referred to Matilda as 'the __________ Matilda'.
- great
- beautiful
- pious
- good ✓
-
- When some of Henry V's subjects rebelled, Matilda stayed in ______ to manage his land there.
- 'Italy' ✓
- What did Matilda do with her lands in the Holy Roman Empire when she returned to her father in England?
- Sold them ✓
- Kept them
- Gave them away
-
- What oath did Henry I have his barons swear upon Matilda's return?
- That they would defend her honour
- That they would accept her as Henry's successor ✓
- That they would agree which of them would marry her
-
Worksheet
Loading worksheet ...
Presentation
Loading presentation ...
Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Matilda married the Holy Roman Emperor when she was only 12 years old.
- Matilda spent much of her early life in Germany.
- Matilda took an active role in the government of the Holy Roman Empire.
- Matilda's husband died and she was married again to Geoffrey Plantagenet.
- Matilda expected to inherit her father's throne.
Common misconception
It has always been illegal for children to get married.
Throughout history, royal children were regularly betrothed at a young age in order to secure alliances between nations. Marriage followed later when the children had grown up, although they regularly still married younger than we do today.
Keywords
Empress - an empress is the wife of an emperor, the ruler of an empire
Empire - an empire is a group of countries or provinces ruled from the centre by one person or group of people
+