Medieval Britain · 1277-1295

Castles: Edward I and the conquest of Wales

Between 1277 and 1295 King Edward I rings north Wales with some of the mightiest castles ever built. Students see how castles grew from earth and timber mounds into stone fortresses, and look at the conquest through Welsh as well as English eyes.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
50 minutes
Ages
11–14
On the map
3 steps, AD 1279 to AD 1066
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

Between 1277 and 1295 King Edward I rings north Wales with some of the mightiest castles ever built. Students see how castles grew from earth and timber mounds into stone fortresses, and look at the conquest through Welsh as well as English eyes.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Describe how castle design changed from motte-and-bailey to stone and concentric castles.
  • Explain why Edward I built his castles where he did in north Wales.
  • Describe the conquest of Gwynedd from the Welsh point of view, including the fate of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd.
2

Explore the map

15 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 1279

Mountain fortress

Open the map in 1279 and zoom in on north Wales. Find the mountains of Snowdonia, the heart of the kingdom of Gwynedd. Why was this land so hard for an invader to conquer?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 1279

Castles by the sea

Follow the coast from Conwy to Caernarfon and Harlech. Edward built his castles where ships could reach them. Why would that help an army in hostile country?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 1066

From wood to stone

Set the year to 1066, zoom out to England and turn on Historical Events (Cultural Milestones). Find the Tower of London. Why did the Normans start to build in stone instead of wood?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

15 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. A motte-and-bailey castle could be built in weeks; a great stone castle took years. Why build either kind?
  2. Edward spent huge sums on his Welsh castles. What does that tell you about how he saw the Welsh?
  3. English settlers were given homes in the new walled towns, while the Welsh were often kept outside. How might the Welsh have felt?
  4. Edward gave his son the title Prince of Wales in 1301. Why might a conqueror take over the title of the defeated ruler?
  5. Today the castles are a World Heritage Site and a tourist attraction. Should they be seen as symbols of conquest or of shared heritage?
4

Game round

10 min

Play Rule History as Genghis Khan, who conquered many peoples a few decades earlier. Afterwards, compare: Edward I used castles and walled towns to hold a conquered land. What did each conqueror do to keep control?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

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