Was King John really a bad king?
In this lesson, we will learn about why some historians claim that John was a bad king. We will also learn more about King John and what characteristics constitute a good king.
Unit Overview: Why did Kings struggle to rule England?
National Curriculum
For next step we recommend the unit: What can the life of Eleanor of Aquitaine tell us about who held power in the Middle Ages?.
Lessons:
6 lessons
The First Barons' War and Magna Carta
In this lesson, we will learn about the consequences of John's actions in losing the support of his barons and how he ultimately had his power reduced with Magna Carta
Did Henry III learn from John on how to rule?
In this lesson, we will learn about the struggle Henry III faced in trying to rule England whilst increase his power at the cost of Magna Carta
How did the barons reduce royal power under Henry III?
In this lesson, we will learn about the Second Barons' War and the creation of parliament.
How did Edward I restore royal power?
In this lesson, we will learn about how Edward I made a new way to rule with his parliament. We will also learn about Edward's desire to restore royal power in England, Wales and Scotland.
Why did Kings struggle to rule England?
In this lesson, we will bring together all the examples we have looked at to see what made ruling England difficult. We will look at barons, the church, parliament and war before writing about what made England difficult to rule.
Units in History
- How "dark" were the Dark Ages?
- Why has Alfred been called "Alfred the Great"?
- How powerful was the Pope?
- How did a Norman become King of England?
- How much did England change during the Norman Conquest?
- Which sources reveal the most about medieval peasants?
- How was Baghdad connected to the wider world?
- Why did Europeans join the Crusades?
- Who lived in Crusader states?
- What can the life of Eleanor of Aquitaine tell us about who held power in the Middle Ages?
- Why did Kings struggle to rule England?
- How did the Mongols create a world Empire?
- How far did the Black Death change the medieval World?
- How big a threat was the Peasants' Revolt to the power of monarchs
- What can we learn about the medieval World from the book of Margery Kempe?
- What does the life of Mansa Musa reveal about medieval Mali?
- Who held power in medieval towns?
- How far did fear allow the Aztecs to control an Empire?
- Why have historians described 1492 as a turning point in world history?
- What was Luther trying to achieve?
- Why did Henry VIII make the break with Rome?
- In what ways did the Reformation matter to ordinary people?
- Why was the world opening up to Elizabeth I and her people?
- Why did the Civil War break out in 1642?
- In what ways was Britain turned upside down in the seventeenth century?
- How revolutionary was the Glorious Revolution?
- Who lived in 'British' America?
- Did the Enlightenment fuel the American Revolution?
- How Enlightened was the French Revolution?
- What did the French Revolution mean to Britons?
- How successful were efforts to abolish slavery in the nineteenth century?
- How far did working conditions improve over the nineteenth century?
- Why are different stories told about Britain's journey to democracy?
- Why does it matter what we call the 1857 conflict in India?
- What did British colonialism look like in the nineteenth century?
- How do we uncover the lived experience of those ruled by Empire in Africa?
- Did tensions over Africa make a European war more likely?
- How far did the assassination cause the First World War?
- What do the stories of the 'often forgotten armies' reveal about the Western Front?
- Why did WWI end in November 1918?
- What kind of peace was made in 1919?
- What were the Bolsheviks trying to achieve?
- Why did fascists gain support?
- How were people controlled in totalitarian states?
- Why did the League of Nations fail?
- When was the turning point during the Second World War?
- What was the holocaust?
- How did Jewish people resist during the holocaust?
- How did India achieve independence in 1947?
- What kind of stories can be told about the sixties?
- Who 'decolonised' in the twentieth century?
- Why has Alfred been called "Alfred the Great"?
- What did British colonialism look like in the nineteenth century?
- How did India achieve independence in 1947?
- Why did Kings struggle to rule England?
- Why did the Civil War break out in 1642?
- Why are different stories told about Britain's journey to democracy?
- How Enlightened was the French Revolution?
- How big a threat was the Peasants' Revolt to the power of monarchs
- How revolutionary was the Glorious Revolution?
- How were people controlled in totalitarian states?
- How much did England change during the Norman Conquest?
- Why did Henry VIII make the break with Rome?
- Why did fascists gain support?
- Who 'decolonised' in the twentieth century?