Lesson Y7-U02-L07

Y7-U02-L07 1066 Who Should Be King Quiz: KS3 History, Unit 2

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson Y7-U02-L07, 1066 Who Should Be King: 20 multiple choice questions for the KS3 History (National Curriculum), Unit 2: Year 7: Battle of Hastings, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Who died on 5 January 1066 without leaving a son?

    • Harold Godwinson
    • William of Normandy
    • Edward the Confessor
    • Harald Hardrada

  2. Who was crowned king of England on 6 January 1066?

    • Harald Hardrada
    • Edgar the Aetheling
    • William of Normandy
    • Harold Godwinson

  3. Which of these was a claimant to the English throne in 1066?

    • Harald Hardrada, King of Norway
    • Aethelstan, the first King of all England
    • Hengist, the leader of the Angles in Kent
    • Alfred the Great, King of Wessex in the 800s

  4. What are the three main types of claim to a throne in 1066?

    • Trade, army size, and a royal wedding
    • Land, money, and the support of the Church
    • Blood, promise or oath, and power
    • Religion, language, and the support of the people

  5. Why did a disputed throne often lead to war in the Middle Ages?

    • There were no fixed rules for who should succeed, so claimants fought to win the crown
    • Kings had to pay wergild to each rival claimant before they were allowed to be crowned at all
    • Every king was required by law to fight a battle against each rival who challenged his right
    • The Church forced every claimant to fight in a public tournament held at the cathedral each year

  6. Why did William of Normandy claim the English throne?

    • He had defeated Harald Hardrada in battle and claimed the Norwegian crown
    • He had married Edward's sister and so inherited the kingdom of Wessex
    • He had been crowned king in Winchester by the Witan in 1064
    • Edward had promised it to him, and Harold had sworn an oath to support him

  7. Why was Harold Godwinson's claim considered strong by many English people?

    • Edward named him on his deathbed, and the Witan chose him as king
    • He was a Norman duke who had won the support of the Pope
    • He was a Norwegian king who had defeated the English army
    • He was a teenage boy who had been raised in a royal monastery

  8. What was the main weakness of Harold's claim?

    • He had no blood link to the old king
    • He had never been to England and did not speak English
    • He had been excommunicated by the Pope in Rome
    • He had lost every battle he had fought in his life

  9. What was the main weakness of William's claim?

    • He had no army and no ships to carry his men across the sea to the English south coast
    • He had been excommunicated by the Pope and so could not be crowned in any English cathedral
    • He was a foreigner, and the evidence for Harold's oath comes from Norman writers
    • He had killed Edward the Confessor and was therefore hated by almost all the English people

  10. Why was Harald Hardrada's claim considered very weak?

    • He was a child who had not yet reached the age of ten
    • It was based on an old agreement between earlier kings
    • He had been born in England but was not related to Edward
    • He had never commanded an army or led men in battle

  11. Why was Harald Hardrada still a dangerous claimant despite his weak claim?

    • He had a powerful Viking army and support from Tostig
    • He had married Edward's widow and inherited the English treasury
    • He had been crowned in Canterbury cathedral by the Archbishop
    • He had the support of the Witan and the Church of Rome

  12. Who was Tostig, who backed Harald Hardrada?

    • Edward the Confessor's son, who had been exiled to Normandy
    • The Archbishop of Canterbury, who opposed Harold's crowning
    • Harold's own exiled brother, who wanted revenge
    • A Norman duke who had been defeated by William at Hastings

  13. Why was Edgar the Aetheling passed over for the throne in 1066?

    • He had already died in battle against the Vikings in the north
    • He was a teenager with no army, despite being closest by blood
    • He had been excommunicated by the Pope for stealing a holy relic
    • He was a Norman who refused to swear loyalty to the English crown

  14. Which claimant was the most closely related by blood to Edward the Confessor?

    • Harold Godwinson
    • Edgar the Aetheling
    • Harald Hardrada
    • William of Normandy

  15. Why might the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle be a useful source about Harold's kingship?

    • It was written a hundred years later by a Viking historian in Norway
    • It was written by Harald Hardrada to record his victories in the north
    • It was written soon after 1066 by English writers close to the events
    • It was written by William's chaplain to prove William was the rightful king

  16. Why are historians cautious about the claim that Harold swore an oath to William?

    • The oath was signed by Harold but the Church later declared it invalid
    • The oath was never mentioned in any source written in any language
    • The oath was written on a stone that was later lost in the sea
    • The only evidence comes from Norman writers, who were on the winning side

  17. Which source was written by William of Poitiers, a chaplain to William, around 1071?

    • A Viking saga that describes the death of Harald Hardrada at Stamford
    • An English chronicle that describes the coronation of Harold in January
    • A Norman account that describes Harold swearing an oath to William
    • A letter from the Pope that gives William the banner of St Peter

  18. Why was a teenage king seen as a risk in 1066?

    • A young king would automatically be excommunicated by the Church
    • A young king would be too rich and would not care about his people
    • A young king would be required to marry a Norman noble's daughter
    • A young king would lack experience and might struggle to lead an army

  19. Which two English claimants were the strongest in 1066?

    • Harold Godwinson and William of Normandy, the English earl and the Norman duke
    • Edgar the Aetheling and Edward the Confessor, the boy with the closest blood claim and the old king
    • Harald Hardrada and Tostig, the Norwegian king and Harold's exiled brother
    • Alfred the Great and Aethelstan, the two great kings of Wessex who ruled before the Normans

  20. What did the Pope give William to support his invasion of England?

    • A large army of Roman soldiers to sail with his fleet
    • A promise that all English lands would be given to the Church
    • A royal crown that was made in Rome for the English king
    • A holy banner, which made the invasion look like God's will

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