The Anglo-Saxon army | History | Quizalize & Oak National Academy

Starter quiz

Match the claimant to their title.

Harold Godwinson

⇔

King of England ✓

William

⇔

Duke of Normandy ✓

Harald Hardrada

⇔

King of Norway ✓
Starting with the earliest, place these events into chronological order.

1

⇔

Harold Godwinson visits Normandy

2

⇔

Edward the Confessor dies

3

⇔

Harold Godwinson is crowned King of England

4

⇔

The Battle of Stamford Bridge

5

⇔

The Battle of Hastings
______ Godwinson fought alongside Harald Hardrada at the Battle of Stamford Bridge.

'Tostig' ✓
Which of these battles was a victory for the Anglo-Saxons?

Gate Fulford

Stamford Bridge ✓

Hastings
When he invaded England, William of Normandy landed at ...

'Pevensey' ✓
Where in England was King Harold when he heard the news that William of Normandy had invaded?

Yorkshire ✓

Wessex

East Anglia

Sussex

Exit quiz

Match the word to its definition.

thegns

⇔

men who held at least five hides of land from the king or another lord ✓

fyrd

⇔

a way of calling up men from the general population into an army ✓

housecarls

⇔

an elite unit of the Anglo-Saxon army ✓
Anglo-Saxon England did not have a ______ army.

'standing' ✓
Professional soldiers who fight for money are called ...

'mercenaries' ✓
Which of these best describes a thegn?

poorly equipped and rode their horses to battle, but did not fight on horseback

well equipped and rode their horses to battle, but did not fight on horseback ✓

poorly equipped and had no horse on which to ride, or fight on in battle

well equipped and had no horse on which to ride, or fight on in battle
For how long could the fyrd be called?

30 days

60 days ✓

90 days

120 days
The standard formation for Anglo-Saxon armies was the ______ wall.

'shield' ✓

Worksheet

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Lesson Details

Key learning points

The Anglo-Saxons did not have a standing army.
The elite Anglo-Saxon soldiers were known as housecarls.
The fyrd made up the majority of an Anglo-Saxon army.
Historians talk about a 'select fyrd' and a 'general fyrd'.
The fyrd had advantages and disadvantages in the Battle of Hastings.

Common misconception

The fyrd had low military value because it was made up of untrained peasants.

The general fyrd had a lower military value in some contexts (though guarding a coastline might not have been one of them), but the select fyrd meant Anglo-Saxon fyrd armies could include trained and well-equipped men as well.

Keywords

Thegn - a thegn was a member of the Anglo-Saxon aristocracy: men who held at least five hides of land from the king or another lord
Fyrd - the Anglo-Saxon fyrd was a way of calling up men from the general population into an army for a set period of time
Housecarl - a housecarl was an elite unit of the Anglo-Saxon army: a well-trained and well-equipped soldier
Mercenary - a mercenary is a professional soldier who is hired to fight in an army for money