Imagine you’re William of Normandy preparing to invade England in 1066. You have a lot to organise! See if you could have planned a successful invasion of England with our fun quiz...
1. You need enough men to not only win a battle but also to conquer the whole country. How many do you think you’ll need?
A) The entire Norman population
B) Around 7,000 troops
C) Just a few of your toughest cousins
2. To fight King Harold, your army will have to travel across the sea to get to England. How will you manage this?
A) Just ask Harold to come and fight you in France
B) 700–800 Viking longboats
C) A very long bridge
3. There are nowhere near enough ships available for your invasion. What do you do?
A) Spend a few years stealing them
B) Teach your army how to swim
C) Get everyone in Normandy to make ships
4. Your tactics in battle rely on you being fast and mobile. What will you need to make sure you are victorious?
A) 3,000 bicycles
B) 2,000 horses
C) Train your men in cross-country running
5. What are the most important supplies you need to take with you?
A) A white flag to surrender
B) Games for entertainment
C) Food, drink and horse feed
6. The men are last to go on board. Why shouldn’t they wear their armour while sailing?
A) If they fall overboard they’ll drown
B) The men will mess around and fight each other
C) It will get rusty in the sea air
7. All the men, horses and supplies are on board. What last thing do you need?
A) A favourable wind
B) Seasickness medicine
C) The Wi-Fi to be working
Results: how many did you get right?
1–2 correct: Perhaps invasions aren't your thing
3–5 correct: Time to come up with a new invasion plan
6–7 correct: Well done, you're a top invader!
Norman know-how
Now try these challenges to see if you could succeed in other aspects of Norman life...
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Feudal life
One king owned all the land. Imagine he split that land between 10 barons, who each gave 100 knights a piece of their land, and each knight split his land up for hundreds of peasants to work on it. Draw a diagram of how many people were in each tier. What shape does it make? Is it a fair system?
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Good knights
Norman knights lived by a set of rules, called the code of chivalry. It was meant to make sure they were good Christians, behaved themselves, looked after ordinary people and were brave warriors. Write down your own code of chivalry, with five things that you think people should live by today.
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Name calling
There were different types of surname, which could be based on what your job was, where you were from, what your dad’s name was, what you looked like, what your personality was, and funny nicknames. Give yourself and your family Norman names such as Oliver Tall, Sam the Poet or Elaine Fearless.
Discover Norman England
Congratulations on completing the quiz! Now that you know whether you could plan the Norman invasion, read Kids Rule! magazine online to learn more about the Norman conquest of England.
The Kids Rule! magazine series follows the history of England. Discover the past through fun facts, illustrated stories, games, puzzles and more.
Read Kids Rule! online