Happy Monday and happy first week of December! The winter weather is certainly here with that crispness in the air. We hope you had a wonderful weekend and are ready to get back at it this week. We only have just a couple of school weeks left so let’s make the most of it!
Sarah Shotwell gave us a fantastic presentation last Monday night on what we’ll be covering in Trimester 2. If you missed the training, we highly encourage you to watch the video when it comes available, and read through our comprehensive overview found in the Parent Portal of our website. This document is rich with details and an extremely helpful tool for your home days.
Before we get to our supplemental resources, here’s what we covered last week and where we’re headed…
A quick overview:
We continue our time in England as we follow along with how England, after about 150 years of Viking invasions, finally fell under the Scandinavian rule. Sweyn’s son, Canute, takes over and divides England into 4 earldoms. During Canute’s reign, who also ruled the Viking homelands, he was able to keep the peace for two decades giving the people a much-needed break. When Canute passes away, his sons, who were not strong leaders, did not have any heirs which left the throne to Ethelred’s son, Edward.
Edward, a descendant of Alfred the Great, steps up from Normandy to take up the crown. “He is an Anglo-Scandinavian, half Viking by birth (his mother Emma was of Viking descent, the great-granddaughter of Rollo).” Known for his piety, giving him the name Edward the Confessor, “his most lasting achievement was the construction of Westminster Abbey.”
But whatever happened to those 4 earldoms that Canute started? The 4 earls became so powerful that “no king could stay in power without their assistance.” Godwin, an Anglo-Saxon, was the strongest of them all and he gave his support to Edward. Edward ends up marrying Godwin’s daughter, Edith, and also gave Godwin’s son, Harold, the title of “Earl of East Anglia.”
Edward did not want to be under Godwin’s control so he ended up banishing Godwin and his sons, while his wife, Edith, ended up in a nunnery. While all this was going on, William of Normandy, aka William the Bastard (now known as William the Conqueror), allegedly visited Edward and he was named as his successor (there is no record of this agreement). A year passes and Godwin and his sons return back to England but because Edward did not want a civil war, this forced him to restore Godwin and his sons their earldoms.
Edward leaves most of his power over to Godwin’s son, Harold, and by the end of Edward’s reign, Harold and his brothers held 3 of the 4 earldoms of England with Harold having as much power as the king. When Edward died, Harold Godwinson was chosen to become the next king of England. “Harold II of England – the first monarch crowned in Westminster Abbey and the last king of the Saxons.”
Here, friends, is where we pick up this week. We’ll learn more about who William Duke of Normandy was, the famous battle that changed the course of England’s history, the reign of William I, and the significance of the last successful military invasion of England. We also get to immerse ourselves in new literature and explore part of the Middle East and its beauty.
Happy learning!
Resource Links:
Events that led to the Battle of Hastings | click on the picture then use the arrows button
The Norman Conquest | a summary
Norman Invasion Fleet | can you organize one?
The Bayeux Tapestry | a detailed look on this beautiful piece of embroidered history
Bishop Odo of Bayeux | who is this bishop and what is his role in the Bayeux Tapestry?
More on Odo | find out more about this tyrannical Earl of Kent
House of Wisdom | significance of this Baghdad landmark in the 9th centur
Silk Road | We hear about this road in our literature reading this week, find out more!
Video | overview of the early Silk Road
Science Fair | a vocabulary guide for parents
Video Links:
*Parents, please preview for your students first.
Tower of London | An Introduction
Domesday Book | this is a bit longer but it’s the most recent discussion on the importance of this oldest and most important of all English public records.
Aladdin | Are you excited to see the remake?
SLO Classical Academy is not affiliated with any of the above-mentioned websites, businesses or organizations.
1 thought on “Welcome to the High Middle Ages!”
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I’m definitely enjoying your blog and look forward to new updates.