Recommended websites for First Year (Year 7)

1066

Investigating 1066 - Daily Telegraph Virtual Classroom
A very good site that allows you to investigate the how and why of 1066 and its background.
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TGhistory.htm

Bayeux Tapestry - The Essential Norman Conquest
http://www.essentialnormanconquest.com/bayeux/startpc.dcr
You can scroll the entire tapestry, with translation of the Latin and a lot of extra notes.
Commentary on each scene explains what's going on and then adds very scholarly notes
Fantastic resource: Glossary of People, Places, Events, Details
Takes a bit of time on a slow connection

Channel 4: In the Footsteps of King Harold
http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/history/heads/footnotes/harold.html
Chronology of Harold's life tracks his progress from birth c.1020 through the minefields of pre-Conquest politics to the climax of 1066.
Contains links that will take you to more information about locations that were particularly significant to the last Saxon king:
Bosham | Pevensey | Hereford | Waltham Abbey | Rhuddlan | Caen | Bayeux | Dives-sur-Mer | Stamford Bridge | Battle
Illustrated. Also links to other sites

Osprey EssentialNormanConquest
http://216.168.37.48/FMPro?-DB=osehnc.FP3&-FORMAT=/scribe/osehnc/osehncoct14.html&ReferenceNumber=OSEHNC204&-Max=1&-Find
Very detailed hyperlinked chronology, 28 September - 15 October 1066 [Page on each day]
Again, click on the links to go to further detailed information pages:
Contains animated maps of Harold & William's movements in Sept/Oct 1066 and full scrolling panoramic view of the Battle of Hastings site (needs Quicktime)
Extracts from Beowulf - in Anglo-Saxon & English Translation, Song of Roland in Norman English & English Translation
Also part of this site is:
The Essential Norman Encyclopedia
http://216.168.37.48/scribe/osehnc/osehncencyc.html
"The fully searchable database of everything you need to know about the Norman Invasion and the events surrounding it. The Encyclopedia can be reached from any point in the EssentialNormanConquest.com website — simply click on any highlighted word or phrase for a full explanation of its meaning. Accessible and accurate, the Encyclopedia provides a thorough introduction to the world of 1066, complete with suggested further reading for those who want to find out more. "

Invasion of 1066
A good story, well illustrated
http://www.ibiscom.com/bayeux.htm

Battle of Hastings 1066
A lurid, but extremely comprehensive site
http://battle1066.com/intro2.shtml

The Battle of Hastings: a brief History and a virtual tour http://www.faculty.de.gcsu.edu/%7Edvess/ids/medieval/hastings/hastings.shtml
As it says. Straightforward and competent. Gives before and after as well.
Photographs of the battle site - not easy to interpret!

William of Malmesbury on the Battle of Hastings
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/1066malmesbury.html
Full text of his account - exciting!

Bayeux Tapestry
Unfortunately most sites showing the Bayeux Tapestry complete have gone off-line because of copyright problems. Here is one that is left: http://www.hastings1066.com/
Or this one - less flashy but is very slow loading pictures: http://www.arts.adelaide.edu.au/personal/dhart/responsestowar/art/studyguides/bayeuxtapestry.html

The Bayeux Tapestry - in strips. Click on thumbnail to get the full image
http://www.sjolander.com/viking/museum/bt/bt.htm

Secrets of the Norman Invasion
Began as an investigation into history of the Hastings/Battle area - produced some interesting local information. With links to some Bayeux Tapestry illustrations.
http://www.secretsofthenormaninvasion.com/

1066 game
Replay the Battle of Hastings - together with very useful information on 1066
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/games/hastings/about/hastings.shtml

Norman Conquest
http://www.btinternet.com/~mrfield/Conquest/
An excellent guide: "11556 words, 1389 hyperlinks, 432 files, 198 images, 71 pages and 1 author!"
Comprehensive range - see sections below. Some parts have interactive elements which explain features - e.g. motte and bailey castle.
Includes search engine
Three Kings Two Battles, Comet, Timeline, Sources, Background, Stamford Bridge, Battle of Hastings, Post Hastings, Resistance, Feudalism, Castles, Scottish Borders, Welsh borders, Domesday Book.

Castles

The fullest site is The Castles of Wales:
http://www.castlewales.com/home.html
Lots of examples, very well illustrated - just Welsh, though.

Castles of Britain: Castle Learning Center
http://www.castles-of-britain.com/castle6.htm
Excellent for aspects of castle design and life in a castle. Good examples too.

Castles on the Web: Useful for looking up examples and words:.
http://www.castlesontheweb.com/search/Castle_Tours/
http://www.castlesontheweb.com/glossary.html

Castles of the World
England: http://www.castles.org/Resources/index.php?catstr=31
Scotland: http://www.castles.org/Resources/index.php?catstr=56
Wales: http://www.castles.org/Resources/index.php?catstr=67
Links to sites of general interest and - particularly - individual castles. Designed for tourists so best for pictures and general histories of each castle.
There are also pages for other countries of the world.

Castles and Fortifications of England and Wales
http://www.ecastles.co.uk/index.html
Comprehensive listing, easy to navigate, but limited information - photo or two, v.brief description & where to find it for each one.

Tower of London - multimedia site with virtual tour!
http://www.tower-of-london.com/

100 Years War - Graham Day:
http://www.graham.day.dsl.pipex.com/100war02.htm
"tries to cover as much on this subject as possible, but at the same time trying to keep it simple" - successfully.
Good for narratives and personalities.
Sections on: Photographs, Introduction, What was the reason for the Hundred Year War?, Battles, The Battle of Sluys (1340), The Battle of Lanmeur (1341), The Siege of Calais (1346-1347), The Battle of Crécy (1346), The Battle of Poitiers (1356), The Treaty of Brétigny (1360), The Battle of Najera (1367), The Siege of Harfleur (1415), The Battle of Agincourt (1415), The Siege of Caen (1417), The Siege of Rouen (1418-1419), The Treaty of Saint-Maur-des-Fosses (1419), The Treaty of Troyes (1420), The Battle of Baugé (1421), The Battle of Cravant (1423), The Battle of Verneuil (1424), The Siege of Orléans (1428-1429), The Battle of Patay (1429), The Battle of Formigny (1450), The Battle of Castillon (1453), King Edward III, The Black Prince, King Richard II, King Henry IV, King Henry V, King Henry VI, King Charles IV, King Philip VI, King John II, King Charles V, King Charles VI, King Charles VII, Joan of Arc.

Medieval Life & The Hundred Years War
Over 200,000 words and numerous illustrations, to help you better understand Medieval life and the Hundred Years War -designed to support wargamers, a mine of information.
http://www.hyw.com/Books/History/1_help_c.htm

14 maps of France in the 100 Years War - simple, colour http://www.boisestate.edu/courses/hy309/topics/100yw/100yw.maps.html

The Hundred Years' War History Page
Go down the page and you will find a short but effective summary, pictures of rulers of England, France & Burgundy during the 100Years War and a timeline - so worth a visit early.
http://www.stupendousgames.com/hundred/history.htm

The Hundred Years War, 1361-1453
Just text - and dense, but it tells the story fully without getting over detailed.
http://www.oseda.missouri.edu/~kate/guardians/gailsden/100yrs.html

The Hundred Years War - Battle of Crécy
Excellent factual summary, with map, illustration & link to Agincourt similar page http://www.archeryweb.com/archery/crecy.htm

Causes of the 100 Years War
Good overview of the causes and results of the 100 Years' War, - just text.
http://www.ukans.edu/kansas/medieval/108/lectures/hundred_years_war.html

100 Years War Overview
Wordy overview followed by a good detailed timeline
http://xenophongroup.com/montjoie/hywchron.htm

Some important events in the 100 Years War
An essay with excellent illustrations
http://www.siue.edu/CHAUCER/14thcent.html

19 Medieval manuscript pictures of 100 Years War from Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris
http://www.bnf.fr/enluminures/themes/t_1/st_1_02/s102_002.htm

If you do a search for 'Trebuchet' you will find thousands of links!
Here are the best:
The Grey Company
This Australian group has specialised in medieval re-enactments.Their site is full of illustrations, medieval and modern, and has a mass of interesting information:
http://members.iinet.net.au/~rmine/gctrebs.html
'Secrets of Lost Empires'
NOVA ,part of the American PBS TV organisation produced a series 'Secrets of Lost Empires'. In one program a team of timber framers and other specialists design, build, and fire a pair of trebuchets. The accompanying site has a fascinating collection of illustrations and articles.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lostempires/trebuchet/
The Highland Fling
The Timber Framers' Guild of North America were the main group involved in the TV reconstruction above. This site is a full photographic record of their exploits.
http://www.tfguild.org/projects/fling0.html
Paul Carlisle's Trebuchet
An American enthusiast's Trebuchet page. Description and pictures of the Trebuchet he built http://www.ameritech.net/users/paulcarlisle/trebuchet.html
Castle Weapons
Page on weapons from the castles of Britain site:
http://www.castles-of-britain.com/castle36.htm
The Trebuchet at Caerphilly Castle
Photo of a recreated Trebuchet at Caerphilly Castle from the magnificent Castles of Wales site:
http://www.castlewales.com/trebucht.html

Biographies of all the Kings and Queens of England - and more
http://www.britannia.com/history/h6f.html

Spartacus Monarchs - Edward the Confessor to Edward III
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/MEDTkings.htm

Domesday Book

Focus on the Domesday Book
An excellent investigation from the Public Record Office
http://learningcurve.pro.gov.uk/FocusOn/domesday/home.htm
Learning Objectives:
To place Domesday Book in the context of the Norman Conquest;
To use Domesday Book as a source for finding out about life in the late 11th century;
To begin to assess the reliability of Domesday Book as a historical source.

Domesday Book online
http://www.domesdaybook.co.uk/
Excellent: explains nature, purpose. Explains terms used and gives outline information from counties covered.
Easy to use, good compromise between comprehensive coverage and accessibility.
Sections on: The Domesday Story Timeline Life in the 11th C. Landowners Place Name Origins William the Conqueror Glossary

Domesday Book - Anglia Multimedia
http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/jonah/curric/depts/history/domesday/domesday.html
Clear, factual account. Well illustrated and well-organised. Over 20 sections, including:
Introduction 1066: The Death of Edward the Confessor 1066, The Norman Conquest, The Domesday Survey (1086), The Purpose of Domesday Book, Land, Wealth and Power in Domesday Book, Glossary, Sources, Web Sites of Interest.
Datafile of Bedfordhire Domesday available to download - to use with Anglia Multimedia' KeyPlus program.
There is a page of possible enquiries.
This site is also available at the Freecampus site - if you prefer black on white text to vice versa! And with a link to the rest of the excellent Freecampus material:

Manor

The Origins of the English Village
From 'Current Archaeology' magazine: a simple, well illustrated investigation
http://www.archaeology.co.uk/issues/ca151/origins2.htm

Wharram Percy - the lost village.
As in the textbook. An investigation of what can be learnt from the archaeological work.
http://loki.stockton.edu/~ken/wharram/wharram.htm

A Glossary of Medieval Art & Architecture
Need to look up a word? It will be here, lightning quick!
Click on each word for an illustration.
http://www.pitt.edu/~medart/menuglossary/INDEX.HTM

Black Death

Discovery Black Death - an excellent illustrated site, with sound.
http://dsc.discovery.com/anthology/momentsintime/blackdeath/blackdeath.html
Interactive - places, expereinces, time.
Needs a fast internet connection for best advantage

Discovery Pestilence Tales
http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/tournament/pestilence/pestilence.html
In the 14th century a plague spread across Asia, Europe and Great Britain with such virulence that the course of human history changed forever...
Take an audio journey back to the Black Death.... Narrations from Crimea, Genoa, Florence, Parma, Ireland.

The Pestilence Tyme - if you can cope with the gothic text, the content is superb
http://www.godecookery.com/plague/plague.htm

Schoolsnet Black Death
http://www.schoolsnet.com/cgi-bin/inetcgi/schoolsnet/lessons/lesson.jsp?OID=405481
Excellent structured investigation.
'Lesson' covers: what actually caused the Black Death and what people thought caused it; what the symptoms of the Black Death were; what sort of cures were used; what the short-term and long-term consequences of the Black Death were. Interactive elements.
Also sections: Test with feedback;
'Homework' - a framework for a structured essay;
'Worksheet' - an investigation of Causes' file - long-term causes and short-term causes; actually causes and what medieval beliefs; Symptoms - a chronological sorting exercise; Cures - sorting into things that would help cure the Plague, things that would prevent the Plague, things that were no use at all; Effects - long-term effects and short-term effects; positive effects and negative effects.
'Reference' - Glossary, timeline & Internet search.

BBC History: Black Death: The Disease
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/society_culture/welfare/blackdisease_01.shtml
The bacteria which caused the Black Death moved rapidly through the towns and communities of 14th-century England. What caused it? And what afforded protection against it?
1. The Plague
2. Variations
3. Origins
4. Who was to blame?
5. Sin or prayer?

BBC History: Black Death - Political and Social Changes
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/society_culture/welfare/blacksocial_01.shtml
The Black Death had a devastating impact on local communities, and the class of survivors created a country of higher wages and peasants with a determined sense of their own worth. Dr Mike Ibeji explores its legacy.
1. Social change
2. Age of the yeomen?
3. Questioning the elites?
4. Yeomen Revolt
5. Taxation without Power
6. King and Government: Conclusion

BBC History: The Black Death & the Countryside
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/society_culture/welfare/plague_countryside_01.shtml
The majority of the population lived in the countryside at the time of the Black Death. Dr Mike Ibeji traces the plague's devastating impact on the rural communities, looking at deserted villages and focusing on the village of Farnham in Surrey.

BBC History: The Black Death's lasting impact on British society
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/society_culture/welfare/black_impact_01.shtml
The long term effects of the Black Death (1348-50) were devastating and far reaching. Agriculture, religion, economics and even social class were affected. Professor Tom James examines the impact of the plague from contemporary accounts and asks, would things ever be the same again?
1. The onset of the plague
2. Contemporary accounts
3. Society turned upside down
4. Never the same again

Simon Schama History of Britain: King Death
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/programmes/hob/av/hob_05.ram
Vivid 4 min 15 sec clip from Simon Schama's inimitable narrative in his series on the History of Britain.

The Black Death Boise State University
http://history.boisestate.edu/westciv/plague/
Introduction, Origins, The Plague Approaches Europ, Arrival in the West, The Disease, Official Reactions, Medical Measures, The Flagellants, Effects.

Black Death - Insecta-Inspecta
http://www.insecta-inspecta.com/fleas/bdeath/
Colourful. Not the best and some off-beat angles - interesting if not essential.

About.com: The Great Mortality
http://historymedren.about.com/library/weekly/aa032698.htm
Three parts: 1. The devastating plague of 14th-century Europe and its death toll. 2. The toll the Black Death took in other ways. 3.Life in Europe after the plague.
Wordy, but lively style.
Articles contain useful links to other sites.

The Black Death by Steven Kreis
http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/lecture29b.html
Single page -well written and illustrated.
Map of spread of Black Death
http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/bdmap.html

Black Death Maps
http://www.ucalgary.ca/HIST/tutor/imagemid/blackdeath.gif
Map showing the spread of the Black death

Jean Froissart on the Flagellant Movement
http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/flagellant.html

Peasants' Revolt

Learningsite Medeval England The Peasants’ Revolt of 1381
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/peasants_revolt.htm
Single page that deals clearly and simply with this: What were the peasants angry about and why had they come to London ?

About.com: Conflagration: The Peasants' Revolt
http://historymedren.about.com/library/weekly/aa071798.htm
In 4 parts, advanced language (not over-academic but tough for most Yr7), lively style.
1. How conditions were ripe for a peasant uprising in fourteenth-century England.
2. What triggered the revolt and its immediate effects.
3. The actions taken by the rebels in the capital.
4. The outcome of those actions and the ultimate fate of the rebels.
Articles contain useful links to other sites.

The History of the 1381 Peasants' Rebellion - Wat Tyler site
http://www.otal.umd.edu/~mhill/wathistory.htm
Academic article.

The Peasants' Revolt 1381- Kim Milone
http://www.loyno.edu/history/journal/1986-7/milone.htm
Academic article.

Medieval Sourcebook: Statute of Labourers, 1351
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/seth/statute-labourers.html

Medieval Sourcebook: Anonimalle Chronicle: English Peasants' Revolt 1381
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/anon1381.html
A description, from a chronicle of the time, of the final meeting of king Richard II and the leader of the Revolt - Wat Tyler. Not an easy source - but useable if you want some 'original flavour'.

King Richard punishes the rebels in Kent.
[Tales from Froissart edited by Steve Muhlberger, Nipissing University]
http://www.nipissingu.ca/department/history/muhlberger/froissart/king.htm
King Richard, having dispersed the rebels in part by promises of pardon, begins to punish them.

Death of Wat Tyler
http://www.bnf.fr/enluminures/texte/manuscrit/aman2/i4%5F0008.htm
Illustration from Froissart [click on thumbnail for full jpeg]

General Medieval

Britannia's Gateway to the British Isles
Almost every person, place and document it seems!
Including Oakham Castle
http://www.britannia.com/history/h60.html

Kings and Queens of England and Scotland (and some of the people around them.)
http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/royalty/index.html
If you want short summaries on monarchs from Alfred to George IV.
Clearly writtten and not simplistic.
Also a small selection of key people associated with some monarchs.

The Britannia Lexicon is "an on-line glossary of keywords used during the Middle Ages. Organised like a dictionary, the user can discover the meaning of legal, feudal, chivalric, monastic, military and architectural terms associated with the Medieval period."
http://www.britannia.com/history/resource/gloss.html

Feudal Life - What was it really like to live in the Middle Ages?
http://www.learner.org/exhibits/middleages/feudal.html

Spartacus: excellent articles in the following sections:
Anglo-Saxons (Biographies, Groups, Aspects of Anglo-Saxon Life)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/MEDTsaxons.htm
Normans (Biographies, Aspects of Norman Life)
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/MEDTnormans.htm
Medieval Warfare
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/MEDTwarfare.htm
Monarchs - Edward the Confessor to Edward III
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/MEDTkings.htm
Medieval Farm Tools
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/MEDTfarming.htm
Writers/Illustrated Books
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/MEDTwriters.htm

Medieval Fiefdom - various articles of interest
Peasant House, Castles, Siege...
http://library.thinkquest.org/10949/

The History of the Crusades
http://libtext.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/HistCrusades/HistCrusades-idx?type=browse
Gatweway to full text of 6 volume History of the Crusades
The first hundred years: volume I (1969)
The later Crusades, 1189-1311: volume II (1969)
The fourteenth and fifteenth centuries: volume III (1975)
The art and architecture of the crusader states: volume IV (1977)
The impact of the Crusades on the Near East: volume V (1985)
The impact of the Crusades on Europe: volume VI (1989)

The Holy Crusades
http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/lecture25b.html
Single page lecture with links. Not simple but a good summary
From Steven Kreis

Medieval Monasticism
Dr Deborah Vess of Georgia College & State University - who obviously travels widely in the U.K. and takes a lot of trouble to put her courses on-line in an attractive and easy to follow way. A model tutor! http://www.faculty.de.gcsu.edu/%7Edvess/ids/medieval/4950.shtml
"Medieval Monasticism is a survey of the forms of religious life in the medieval west, and the major contributions of medieval monasticism to medieval and to modern culture."

Tudors

Tudor Family Tree
http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~stephan/Rulers/tudor.html
Neatly done, 3: Before, Tudors, After

Tudor England
http://englishhistory.net/tudor.html
Tudor Monarchs - Tudor Relatives - Tudor Citizens
The Six Wives of Henry VIII
Portraits of the Tudors and their contemporaries
E yewitness accounts of people and events in Tudor England
Letters written by the six wives of Henry VIII
Tudor Quizzes
Tudor Genealogy view the Tudor family tree
Life in Tudor England

History of the Monarchy: The Tudors
http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page11.asp
The 'Official Website'. Brief Intro, Links to articles on individual monarchs & family tree

Portraits/Images of Henry VIII - 15 with a link to another 12 and to a biography
http://tudorhistory.org/henry8/gallery.html

Detailed biography with portraits of Henry VIII
http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page19.asp

Portraits/Images of Elizabeth I - 17 with a link to another 30 and to a biography
http://tudorhistory.org/elizabeth/gallery.html

Detailed biography with portraits of Elizabeth I
http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page46.asp

Reformation

Wittenburg Martin Luther site - a lot on Luther, his life and writings, .
http://www.wittenberg.de/e/seiten/personen/luther.html
Also his associates and local sites of interest:
http://www.wittenberg.de/e/

Martin Luther - German site: Martin Luther, his times and people connected with him.
Quite advanced.
http://www.luther.de/en/index.html

Are you a Lutheran or a Catholic?
http://www.activehistory.co.uk/Miscellaneous/hotpots/earlyeurope/reformation/prot_or_cath.htm
Try this game to help you find out more about why Martin Luther attacked the Catholics in the sixteenth century.
From the excellent Wolverhampton Grammar School site.