Starter quiz
- A castelry is an area of land controlled by a castle which supplied the castle with...
- 'resources' ✓
- Colonisation means settling on land that already had people living there, and taking away control from the ______ owners.
- 'original' ✓
- The Normans constructed more than ______ castles in Wales before 1215, with 100 built along the Welsh Marches.
- '300' ✓
- Which of these sentences best describes the function of Norman castles?
- They were military ✓
- They were domestic
- They were religious
- They were symbolic ✓
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- ______ Castle in north Wales was the beginning point of a chain of castles built along the north Wales coast by the end of the 11th century.
- 'Rhuddlan' ✓
- Which statement best describes the economic impact of castle building in Wales?
- It created new trade networks ✓
- It suppressed economic activity
- It devastated local economies
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Exit quiz
- Who were the vassals in the feudal system?
- The king's advisors
- People who swore allegiance to their overlord and received land in return for ✓
- Local farmers who worked the land independently
- Religious leaders who controlled church lands
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- Which castle was built by William FitzOsbern along the border of Herefordshire?
- Windsor Castle
- Chepstow Castle ✓
- Dover Castle
- Edinburgh Castle
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- After the death of William FitzOsbern, his son Roger of Breteuil led a failed revolt against the king in ______, which led to his imprisonment and the loss of his lands.
- '1075' ✓
- Which Norman baron built a motte-and-bailey castle at Caerleon within the remains of a Roman fort?
- William FitzOsbern
- Roger of Montgomery
- Turstin FitzRolf ✓
- Robert of Rhuddlan
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- The Anglo-Norman chronicler ______ Vitalis provides historians with valuable information about the Marcher earldom of Shrewsbury.
- 'Orderic' ✓
- Which Norman baron expanded control in north Wales by taking advantage of a power struggle in 1075, and built a castle at Deganwy?
- Warin the Bald
- Roger de Pitres
- Robert of Rhuddlan ✓
- Hugh d’Avranches
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Vassals were people who swore allegiance to their overlord and received land from him in return for service.
- The Marcher earls often relied on vassals to defend the border and expand Norman control in Wales.
- Norman barons exploited weaknesses in Welsh resistance during power struggles between Welsh rulers.
- Norman barons such as Robert of Rhuddlan used brutal tactics to take control of parts of Wales.
Common misconception
Students may think that the Marcher earls governed their earldoms themselves.
In fact, the Marcher earls were busy men with important matters to deal with in Normandy and England. They appointed deputies, including sheriffs, to govern their earldoms in their absence.
Keywords
Baron - an important local landholder in Norman England
Vassal - landholders who received land from their overlord in return for service
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