British History of 1066 - Question and Answers

1.       Who was the first king in 1066 ?

·         Edward the confessor

2.       Why was there a problem when the king died?

·         There was no heir to the throne

3.       Who were the three main candidates for the throne in 1066?

·         Harold Godwinson, Harald Hardrada, William Duke of Normandy

4.       Who became the second king in 1066?

·         Harold Godwinson

5.       Who invaded England first?

·         Harald Hardrada

6.       How many ships were there when he left for England.

·         300 ships

7.       Where did the lone axe-man stand?

·         Stamford Bridge

8.       How long did he hold off this place for?

·         2 hours

9.       Why was this a fatal downfall for the Saxons?

·         Because it was the only way to get to Hardrada's army for the Saxons

10.   How was the axe-man killed?

·         A sneaky Saxon floated under the bridge in a barrel and thrust a spear through the planks of the bridge

11.   Where was this stated?

·         In the 'Anglo-Saxon Chronicles'

12.   Who won the battle of Stamford Bridge?

·         Harold Godwinson

13.   Which close relative of the Harald died?

·         His brother

14.   Why did William leave for England so late?

·         The winds were going in the opposing direction to England from France

15.   Where was the next battle of 1066?

·         Hastings

16.   How many miles did Harald have to march to get there?

·         180 miles

17.   How many days did he do it in?

·         4 days

18.   Who won the battle?

·         William Duke of Normandy

19.   How did he win?

·         With a mixture of Luck, Good Leadership and Good preparation. Especially his tactics and the retreat trick

20.   What was the feudal system?

·         It was how William run the country. He gave land to the Barons. The Barons gave smaller land to Knights. Knights gave even smaller land to Villeins. The Villeins worked the land and gave a share of it to the Knights. The Knights provided 40 days of working per year to the Barons. The Barons provided Knights for 40 days per year to the William.

21.   What was the domesday book?

·         It was a book holding records of everything there was in England and how much it was worth

22.   Why could the king read it?

·         Because he was unable to read

23.   How did the king die?

·         He split his bladder open when horse-riding and died of blood loss