HistoryThe Norman Conquest, 1066–108738 min★★ difficulty

Lesson 4: Resistance and the Harrying

Revolts, rival claimants and Danish intervention made northern England difficult for William to control.

Part of your national curriculum

Historical enquiry: Understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims
Britain 1066-1901: Understand the impact through time of the Norman Conquest on society and the establishment of feudal government

Lesson overview

What you'll learn in this lesson

Understand the impact through time of the Norman Conquest on society and the establishment of feudal government

Key learning points

• Rebellion
• The Harrying

This lesson at a glance

38 minutes
24 parts to scroll through
3 quick checks
Marked quiz at the end
Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses

Words to know

impactnormanconquestsocietyestablishment

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Lesson 4: Resistance and the Harrying illustration

Archive-led lesson

Historical enquiry

Lesson 4: Resistance and the Harrying

Revolts, rival claimants and Danish intervention made northern England difficult for William to control.

In a nutshell

Understand the impact through time of the Norman Conquest on society and the establishment of feudal government

What you already know

Part 2 of 24

Before we start

What you already know

You should already know that castles helped the Normans hold territory, and that English earls and Danish rulers still had power and ambitions after 1066.

Recap: Lesson 3: Conquest by castle

Key words

Part 3 of 24

Key words

Words you'll need today

Harrying: Deliberate destruction of land, food and settlements to break resistance.
Chronicle: A year-by-year written account, often kept by monks.
Revolt: An organised rising against a ruler.
Waste: The word Domesday uses for land recorded as producing no value.

Reset break

Part 4 of 24

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Your lesson plan

Part 5 of 24

Lesson brief

Why was the North devastated?

By the end, you will be able to

• Place events accurately in the conquest chronology
• Explain causes and consequences rather than list them
• Use the named evidence with attention to provenance

Resources

• The Norman Conquest and resistance (1066–1071)
• Domesday Book (1086)
• Lesson notes and marked knowledge check

4 minRecall the chronology and frame the enquiry

15 minRead the textbook explanation and build the argument

11 minInterrogate the archive evidence in context

8 minAnswer the checks and write a supported conclusion

Learning cycle

Part 6 of 24

Learning cycle 1 of 2

Resistance to Norman rule

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

Explore the idea

Part 7 of 24

Learn

Rebellion

Resistance continued after 1066. William answered with campaigns, castles and replacement of English elites.

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Part 8 of 24

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Quick check

Part 9 of 24

Quick check

The Harrying occurred mainly in…

Give me a hint

Quick check

Part 10 of 24

Quick check

Why compare chronicles and Domesday?

Give me a hint

Learning cycle

Part 11 of 24

Learning cycle 2 of 2

The Harrying and its evidence

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

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Part 12 of 24

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Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.

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Explore the idea

Part 13 of 24

Learn

The Harrying

In 1069–70 forces destroyed food, settlements and livestock. Later chroniclers described famine; scale and language require critical comparison.

Quick check

Part 14 of 24

Quick check

A consequence was…

Give me a hint

Investigate evidence

Part 15 of 24

Evidence 1 of 2

map

The Norman Conquest and resistance

Modern historical reconstruction from chronicles and archaeology, 1066–1071

The mapped sequence links Hastings, coronation, castle-building, rebellions and the Harrying of the North.

This is a modern interpretation, not a medieval object. Its value lies in making distance and sequence visible; its choices must still be questioned.

Think like a historian

How does geography help explain where resistance lasted longest?

Source: English Heritage, History of the Norman Conquest

View the archive record ↗

Reset break

Part 16 of 24

Pause

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Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.

Stop here for now

Investigate evidence

Part 17 of 24

Evidence 2 of 2

primary

Domesday Book

William I's royal commissioners, 1086

The survey records landholders, resources and values before and after the Conquest for most of England.

It was made for Norman government and taxation. It is exceptionally detailed about property, but records people through categories useful to rulers.

Think like a historian

What could a ruler learn from this record, and whose life is hardest to see?

Source: The National Archives, Domesday Book education resource

View the archive record ↗

Common mix-ups

Part 18 of 24

Common mix-ups

Things people often get wrong

People often think resistance ended in 1066. Revolts continued for years, especially in the north.
People often take chronicle numbers literally. Writers used strong language for effect, so figures must be compared with other records.

Challenge round

Part 19 of 24

Game · Sort it

Which of these are true?

Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.

True

Not true

Reset break

Part 20 of 24

Pause

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Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.

Stop here for now

Challenge round

Part 21 of 24

Game · Recall cards

Why did families send children to work?

Card 1 of 4

Exit quiz

Part 22 of 24

Exit quiz

Show what you've learned

6 questions, marked together at the end. Nothing is timed.

1. The Harrying of 1069–70 took place mainly in…
2. William responded to revolt with…
3. Why compare chronicles with Domesday?
4. Danish intervention mattered because it…
5. A consequence of the Harrying was…
6. 'Waste' in Domesday entries suggests…

Mastery quiz

Part 23 of 24

Marked quiz

End of lesson quiz: Lesson 4: Resistance and the Harrying

4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.

1. Why did families send children to work?
2. How should historians treat Sadler Committee testimony?
3. Which question best tests a source's usefulness?
4. What did miasma theory claim caused disease?

Lesson round-up

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Lesson round-up

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Understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims
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Understand the impact through time of the Norman Conquest on society and the establishment of feudal government