Starter quiz
- The ceremony of crowning a king or queen is known as a...
- 'coronation' ✓
- How old was Edward V when his father unexpectedly died?
- 12 ✓
- 14
- 16
- 18
-
- Richard of Gloucester made himself ______ of England until Edward V was old enough to rule.
- 'Protector' ✓
- Write the missing name: Edward V and his younger brother ______ were both held in the Tower of London.
- 'Richard' ✓
- What most likely happened to the princes in the tower?
- they were smuggled out of England to live in France
- they decided to live as commoners in England
- they escaped and started a rebellion against their uncle
- they were murdered ✓
-
- Put these events into the correct order.
- 1⇔Edward IV died
- 2⇔Edward V travelled to London for his coronation
- 3⇔Richard of Gloucester stopped Edward V and made himself Protector
- 4⇔Richard delayed Edward V's coronation and eventually was crowned Richard III
- 5⇔The princes in the Tower went missing and were never seen again
Exit quiz
- Write the missing number. The Wars of the Roses helps to explain why England was so unstable in the ______th century.
- '15' ✓
- Henry VI's reign shows that a medieval king needed to be strong and a brave ______ in battle.
- 'warrior' ✓
- Which group of people did Edward IV fail to control effectively during his unstable first reign?
- the commoners
- the clergy
- the nobility ✓
- the knights
-
- Which of the following were features of Plantagenet rule?
- betrayal ✓
- murder ✓
- peace
- rebellion ✓
- stability
-
- At which battle in 1485 did Henry Tudor kill Richard III?
- the Battle of Barnet
- the Battle of Bosworth Field ✓
- the Battle of Towton
- the Battle of Tewkesbury
-
- Match the following keywords to their correct definitions.
- rebellion⇔resistance to the government, often an armed uprising ✓
- power⇔control or influence over others ✓
- Plantagenet⇔royal house of England, which reigned from 1154-1485 ✓
- Tudor⇔royal house of England, which reigned from 1485-1603 ✓
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- The Wars of the Roses can tell us a lot about why England became unstable in the 15th century.
- Henry VI’s reign shows how important having a strong, warrior king who could control the nobility was.
- Despite his qualities, Edward IV’s inability to control his nobility led to further instability and conflict.
- The Wars of the Roses show how actions by dissatisfied, powerful nobles like Warwick often led to further instability.
- Richard III’s actions show how England was still an unstable place when arguments about who should rule broke out.
Common misconception
Students may think the Wars of the Roses ended with the victory of Henry VII at Bosworth and that all historians agree with this interpretation.
Explain that Henry VII also faced rebellions at the start of his reign and, although the Tudors are well-known for their rule of England, few expected them to last long as a result of the rebellions and the prior decades of instability.
Keywords
Rebellion - resistance to the government, often an armed uprising
Power - control or influence over others
Plantagenet - royal house of England, which reigned from 1154-1485
Tudor - royal house of England, which reigned from 1485-1603
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