Hundred Years' War: Causes and Early Battles

Active learning works for this topic because Magna Carta’s clauses and the political maneuvering around it are complex ideas that become clearer when students interact with the text directly. By sorting clauses, debating negotiations, and analyzing failures, students move from passive reception to active construction of meaning, which helps them grasp both the document’s intent and its limits.

• Year 7
• History
• 3 activities
• 20 min–45 min

Learning Objectives

1. Explain the primary dynastic and feudal claims that led to the Hundred Years' War.
2. Analyze the tactical advantages provided by the English longbow in early battles of the war.
3. Compare and contrast the military strategies used by English and French forces at the Battles of Crécy and Poitiers.
4. Identify key figures and their roles in the early stages of the Hundred Years' War.

Inquiry Circle

⏱ 35 min·Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Clause Sort

Groups are given 10 simplified clauses from Magna Carta. They must categorise them into 'Good for Barons', 'Good for Merchants', and 'Good for Ordinary People'. They then rank them from 'Most Important' to 'Least Important' and justify their top choice.

Prepare & details

Explain the dynastic claims that sparked the Hundred Years' War.

Facilitation Tip: During the Clause Sort, assign heterogeneous groups so students with varied reading skills can debate the language of the clauses together.

Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials

Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Role Play

⏱ 45 min·Whole Class

Role Play: The Runnymede Negotiation

The class is divided into the King's party and the Rebel Barons. They must negotiate three key points: taxes, the right to a fair trial, and the 'Council of 25'. Students must try to reach an agreement that both sides can live with, experiencing the tension of the actual event.

Prepare & details

Analyze the military innovations, such as the longbow, that gave England an early advantage.

Facilitation Tip: For the Runnymede Negotiation role play, give students 5 minutes to review their roles' key arguments before entering character to keep the tension realistic.

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

Think-Pair-Share

⏱ 20 min·Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Why did it fail?

Students read that the Pope declared Magna Carta 'null and void' just weeks after it was signed. They discuss in pairs: 'If you were John, why would you break your word?' and 'If you were a Baron, what would you do next?'

Prepare & details

Compare the strategies employed by English and French forces in early battles.

Facilitation Tip: In the Think-Pair-Share on failure, have pairs record their ideas on scrap paper first so quieter students can contribute before whole-class sharing.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Teaching This Topic

Teachers approach this topic by treating Magna Carta as a living legal text rather than a static event. Focus on how reissues and enforcement shaped its legacy over decades, not just 1215. Avoid overstating its democratic impact; emphasize its baronial and legal context to prevent misconceptions about universal rights. Research shows that students best understand medieval documents when they connect clauses to real political stakes and see how documents evolve with time.

What to Expect

Successful learning looks like students identifying who Magna Carta protected and why it mattered, not just recalling its date or famous opening words. They should articulate how its reissues changed its impact over time and explain why early failures did not stop its legacy from growing.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During the Clause Sort, watch for students who assume the document applies broadly to all people.

What to Teach Instead

After groups sort clauses, ask each to categorize which social groups (barons, freemen, villeins) benefit from each clause, using the language in the charter itself to clarify the limited scope.

Common Misconception

During the Runnymede Negotiation role play, watch for students who describe King John signing the document with a pen.

What to Teach Instead

Prompt students to describe the symbolic act of attaching the seal during the negotiation, then have them research medieval seals to explain how authority was conveyed without written signatures.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

After the Clause Sort, project the sorted categories and ask students to label one territory on a map that connects to the baronial grievances shown in the clauses, explaining the link in one sentence.

Discussion Prompt

After the Think-Pair-Share on failure, use the prompt: 'Was the First Barons' War a failure of the charter or a continuation of the negotiation? Provide one example from the clauses or events to support your view.'

Exit Ticket

During the Runnymede Negotiation role play, collect each student’s role card and one sentence they wrote explaining why their character’s argument mattered, to assess their grasp of political stakes.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge early finishers to draft a modern press release explaining Magna Carta’s significance to 21st-century citizens, using at least three clauses they identified in the Sort.
• Scaffolding for struggling students: Provide a simplified clause bank with modern paraphrases to help them identify key protections before sorting the original text.
• Deeper exploration: Have students compare clauses from the 1215 version with those in the 1225 reissue, noting which protections were strengthened and why.

Key Vocabulary

Dynastic Claim	A claim to a throne or title based on hereditary succession, often involving complex family relationships and disputed lines of descent.
Feudalism	A social and political system where land is held in exchange for loyalty and military service, a key element in the territorial disputes between England and France.
Longbow	A tall, powerful bow, typically made of yew, used by English and Welsh archers, which proved devastatingly effective against French knights.
Siege Warfare	Military operations involving the surrounding and blockading of a town or fortress with the intent of capturing it, a common tactic during the war.
Chevauchée	A large-scale raid or military expedition, typically carried out by English forces, designed to damage the enemy's territory and morale rather than capture territory.