William I: Submission of the Earls

Active learning works for this topic because students need to weigh military strategy, political pressure, and cultural adaptation to grasp why the Norman Conquest succeeded. Role-plays and mapping make abstract events concrete, while debates and card sorts help students distinguish between propaganda and reality in 1066 England.

• Year 10
• History
• 4 activities
• 35 min–50 min

Learning Objectives

1. Explain the strategic reasons behind William I's decision to bypass London and march around it.
2. Analyze the motivations of the Anglo-Saxon earls in submitting to William at Berkhamsted.
3. Compare the rewards given to Norman followers with the treatment of the English nobility.
4. Evaluate the extent to which William's coronation represented a peaceful transition of power.

Role Play

⏱ 50 min·Small Groups

Role-Play: Berkhamsted Negotiations

Assign roles to William, earls, and Edgar Aetheling. Groups prepare 2-minute speeches on reasons to submit or resist, then convene for a class negotiation watched by observers who note key arguments. Conclude with a vote on submission outcome and debrief on historical accuracy.

Prepare & details

Explain why the English Earls submitted to William at Berkhamsted.

Facilitation Tip: During the Berkhamsted Negotiations role-play, assign roles with clear objectives so students debate the pressures Edgar Aetheling faced before submission.

Setup: Open space or rearranged desks for scenario staging

Materials: Character cards with backstory and goals, Scenario briefing sheet

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Role Play

⏱ 35 min·Pairs

Map Activity: Securing London March

Provide blank maps of southern England. Pairs plot William's route post-Hastings, mark devastated areas, and Berkhamsted using sources. Add annotations on strategic choices, then share with class via gallery walk.

Prepare & details

Analyze how William rewarded his Norman followers while keeping the English calm.

Facilitation Tip: For the Securing London March map activity, have students annotate the route with weather conditions or seasonal harvests to explain why burning villages impacted morale.

Setup: Open space or rearranged desks for scenario staging

Materials: Character cards with backstory and goals, Scenario briefing sheet

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Role Play

⏱ 40 min·Small Groups

Card Sort: Rewards and Calm

Prepare cards with land grants, earl retentions, and revolts. Small groups sort into 'rewarding Normans' or 'keeping English calm' piles, justify with evidence, then debate overlaps in a whole-class discussion.

Prepare & details

Evaluate if William's coronation was a peaceful transition of power.

Facilitation Tip: When using the Card Sort: Rewards and Calm, ask students to justify each placement by linking it to William’s goal of stability or control.

Setup: Open space or rearranged desks for scenario staging

Materials: Character cards with backstory and goals, Scenario briefing sheet

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Formal Debate

⏱ 45 min·Whole Class

Formal Debate: Peaceful Coronation?

Divide class into two teams: one argues peaceful transition, other tense compromise, using coronation sources. Each side presents 3 points, rebuttals follow, and class votes with rationale.

Prepare & details

Explain why the English Earls submitted to William at Berkhamsted.

Facilitation Tip: In the Peaceful Coronation? debate, provide a mix of primary and secondary sources so students compare Norman accounts with English eyewitness testimonies.

Setup: Two teams facing each other, audience seating for the rest

Materials: Debate proposition card, Research brief for each side, Judging rubric for audience, Timer

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Teaching This Topic

Experienced teachers approach this topic by emphasizing cause and effect, avoiding oversimplifications like ‘William was ruthless’ or ‘the English welcomed him.’ They use role-plays to humanize historical figures and mapping to show how geography shaped decisions. Avoid lectures that frame 1066 as a clear victory; instead, highlight uncertainty and negotiation. Research suggests students retain more when they analyze primary sources and debate conflicting accounts, so prioritize those over passive reading.

What to Expect

Successful learning looks like students explaining why submission at Berkhamsted was a pragmatic choice, not loyalty, and identifying how William balanced coercion with rewards. They should use evidence from maps, negotiations, and eyewitness accounts to support their claims about power and control.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During the Berkhamsted Negotiations role-play, watch for students assuming Edgar Aetheling and the earls submitted out of loyalty.

What to Teach Instead

Use the role-play to have students examine the pressures Edgar faced, such as William’s devastation of the countryside and internal divisions among the earls. Ask them to weigh alternatives like continued resistance versus submission.

Common Misconception

During the Securing London March map activity, watch for students believing William replaced all English earls immediately after Berkhamsted.

What to Teach Instead

Have students analyze the map for regions where English earls retained power initially, then use the card sort to categorize rewards given to Normans versus continued Anglo-Saxon leadership.

Common Misconception

During the Peaceful Coronation? debate, watch for students assuming the coronation was a peaceful event.

What to Teach Instead

Use the debate to contrast eyewitness accounts from Norman and English sources. Ask students to explain why riots occurred and how William’s actions afterward revealed ongoing tension.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

After the Berkhamsted Negotiations role-play, ask students to write two sentences explaining why the Anglo-Saxon earls submitted at Berkhamsted and one sentence describing a reward William gave to his Norman followers.

Discussion Prompt

After the Peaceful Coronation? debate, pose the question: ‘Was William’s coronation a true sign of peace or a tense compromise?’ Ask students to support their answers with evidence from the Berkhamsted submission and subsequent Norman actions.

Quick Check

During the Card Sort: Rewards and Calm, have students categorize actions William took after Hastings as either acts of coercion or acts of reward/consolidation, then discuss their reasoning as a class.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge: Ask students to write a diary entry from Edgar Aetheling’s perspective, describing the pressures leading to submission at Berkhamsted and imagining his hopes for the future.
• Scaffolding: Provide sentence starters for the Berkhamsted Negotiations role-play, such as ‘I submit because...’ or ‘I refuse because...’ to guide reluctant participants.
• Deeper: Have students research and present on a lesser-known earl who resisted William after Berkhamsted, explaining how their actions reflect the ongoing tension in England.

Key Vocabulary

Submission	The act of yielding to the authority or power of another. In this context, it refers to the Anglo-Saxon earls accepting William as their king.
Coronation	A formal ceremony marking the act of crowning a monarch. William's coronation took place at Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day 1066.
Coercion	The practice of persuading someone to do something by using force or threats. William used military pressure and destruction of property to achieve submission.
Nobility	The group of people belonging to the noble class in a country, especially those with a hereditary or official title. This includes both Anglo-Saxon earls and Norman lords.