Starter quiz
- When did William begin his campaign to become king of England?
- 28th August 1066
- 28th September 1066 ✓
- 28th October 1066
- 28th November 1066
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- Complete the sentence: The land that Pevensey Castle sits on was a ______ jutting out into the English Channel, with only a narrow spit connecting it to the mainland.
- 'peninsula' ✓
- How did Pevensey provide William with effective protection?
- Sussex was located directly north of William’s Duchy of Normandy
- Sussex held abundant farmland for William’s troops to forage food from
- the marshland adjoining the coast slowed any potential attackers ✓
- Beachy Head to the west and the South Downs to the north were natural barriers ✓
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- Complete the sentence: Sussex was a very ______ part of England in the medieval period.
- 'arable' ✓
- Where did William take up residency when he landed in Pevensey?
- Pevensey Cathedral
- Pevensey Castle ✓
- Pevensey Abbey
- Pevensey Priory
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- Why were Sussex's wealthy towns and villages helpful to William when he first landed in 1066?
- they provided food ✓
- they provided extra soldiers
- they provided taxes
- they provided access to government
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Exit quiz
- Which word means the territory governed by an earl?
- 'earldom' ✓
- Which word describes a building used for public Christian worship?
- 'church' ✓
- Why was it hard for people to live in the Weald area of Sussex before 1066?
- They had to deal with Viking attacks
- The woodland and heath was very dense ✓
- There were too many people living there
- There was frequent flooding
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- What was the situation like on the Sussex coastline before the Norman Conquest?
- The coastline had little trade and only a small fishing industry.
- The coastline was mostly farm land with not much urban development.
- The coastline had lots of trade and was connected with Europe. ✓
- The coastline had few people living there and few industries.
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- Before the Norman Conquest, who controlled Sussex?
- The kingdom of Wessex ✓
- The kingdom of Mercia
- The kingdom of Northumbria
- The kingdom of East Anglia
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- Why was Harold Godwinson's control over Wessex important for his power?
- It allowed him to build a large fleet of ships.
- It gave him the ability to travel quickly across Europe.
- It meant he could make new laws without approval.
- It helped him generate wealth. ✓
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Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Sussex was a mixture of rich coastal areas and poor heavily-forested areas.
- Sussex was home to important religious centres.
- Sussex had established trade links with Europe.
- Sussex formed a part of the earldom of Wessex.
- Sussex was one of the Godwin family's bases.
Common misconception
There were no real areas of wilderness left in England by the time of the Norman Conquest.
The population of England in 1066 is generally estimated to have been about two million. The people of England were not evenly spread around the country however, and large parts of the land had no human habitation at all.
Keywords
Earldom - the territory governed by an earl
Church - a building used for public Christian worship
Trade - the exchange of goods
Earl - a powerful English landholder
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