Lesson Y7-U02-L10

Y7-U02-L10 Why Did William Win Quiz: KS3 History, Unit 2

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson Y7-U02-L10, Why Did William Win: 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. Name the three groups of reasons historians use to explain why William won.

    • William's skill, Harold's mistakes, and luck
    • The navy, the cavalry, and the number of castles built
    • Religion, money, and the support of the common people
    • The weather, the size of the army, and the Church

  2. Which of these is an example of William's skill?

    • The Saxons breaking ranks to chase after the Normans
    • Using a feigned retreat to break the Saxon shield wall
    • The wind that changed at the worst time for Harold
    • Harold rushing his tired army south from Stamford Bridge

  3. Which of these was one of Harold's mistakes?

    • The Pope's banner that was given to William before the invasion
    • The death rumour that spread through the Norman army
    • Archers and cavalry being used together in the battle
    • Rushing his tired army south after Stamford Bridge

  4. Which of these is an example of luck in the Battle of Hastings?

    • Harold's housecarls fought with two-handed battle-axes in the wall
    • William's knights were trained to use a feigned retreat in battle
    • William built a fleet of ships in Normandy over many months
    • The wind changed at the worst moment for Harold, letting William cross the Channel

  5. Why was it a mistake for Harold's fyrd to break ranks?

    • It meant the fyrd had to fight on the Norman side at dusk
    • It opened gaps in the shield wall that the Normans could exploit
    • It meant the fyrd could no longer be paid in gold for the battle
    • It meant the fyrd was sent home before Hastings took place

  6. Which factor was partly caused by the wind?

    • Harold's army being exhausted after the march north and the battle at Stamford Bridge
    • The housecarls who fought with two-handed battle-axes in the shield wall at Hastings
    • The archers and cavalry that the Normans had brought with them across the Channel
    • The Pope's banner that William received before the invasion from Rome

  7. Why did the Pope's banner matter to William's invasion?

    • It gave William a fleet of ships from the Church
    • It gave William control over the English monasteries
    • It gave William a supply of gold to pay his soldiers
    • It made the invasion look as if it had God's approval

  8. Why is it important that historians group reasons rather than just list them?

    • Grouping shows how factors connect and which mattered most
    • Grouping means that only the luckiest factors can be included
    • Grouping makes the list shorter so that it can be learned by heart
    • Grouping stops historians from using any evidence from the sources

  9. Which two factors are linked by the idea that luck forced Harold to fight Hardrada first?

    • Luck and Harold's mistakes, because his army was exhausted at Hastings
    • Skill and Harold's mistakes, because William knew Harold would rush
    • Skill and luck, because William planned to use the wind
    • Mistakes and skill, because Harold had no cavalry to fight with

  10. Why did the feigned retreat work so well against the Saxons?

    • The Saxons were drunk and could not fight after the morning meal on the hill
    • The shield wall was the Saxons' greatest strength, and chasing the Normans broke it
    • The Normans had hidden their horses in the forest until dusk and then charged in
    • The archers had already killed every Saxon housecarl on the hill before the charges began

  11. Which of these best shows that skill and luck worked together for William?

    • His army was paid in gold coins, and the Pope sent the banner to Harold as a gift of peace
    • His cavalry cut down the Saxons after their wall broke, and the Saxons were already tired
    • His archers were not used at all, so he relied only on the wind to blow the Saxons away
    • His ships sank in the Channel, but he still won the battle by land at Hastings

  12. Why was Harold's army tired at the start of the battle?

    • It had marched north, fought at Stamford Bridge, and then marched back south
    • It had spent the summer digging ditches around the port of Hastings
    • It had been fighting the Norman fleet at sea for several weeks
    • It had been defeated by William's cavalry near Pevensey in the summer

  13. Which phrase best describes the Norman skill of combined arms?

    • Using ships and wooden castles together to block a river
    • Using monks and farmers together to build a shield wall
    • Using housecarls and the fyrd together to defend a hilltop
    • Using archers and cavalry together to weaken and break the enemy

  14. Into which group does the death rumour spread through the Norman army belong?

    • Mistakes
    • Preparation
    • Luck
    • Skill

  15. Which of these is an example of William's preparation?

    • Breaking the Saxon wall by chasing a fleeing enemy
    • Being lucky that the wind changed at the right time
    • Months of planning and building a fleet in Normandy
    • Rushing his army south after the battle at Stamford

  16. A student writes: 'William won because the Pope's banner made his army invincible.' Why is this answer weak?

    • It is too long and should have been written as a list of only three words
    • It uses the word 'invincible', which is only used by Norman writers
    • It ignores the military reasons and claims a banner alone decided the battle
    • It mentions the Pope, who was not alive during the battle at Hastings

  17. How could a historian show that a factor belongs to two groups at once?

    • By copying the factor onto a card written in a different colour so it stands out from the rest
    • By explaining how it links to a second factor, such as tired troops being both a mistake and a result of luck
    • By giving the factor a number from one to ten and then ignoring it when writing the final answer
    • By checking that the factor is also written in the Bayeux Tapestry caption about Harold's death

  18. What type of reason is 'the wind delayed William'?

    • Mistake
    • Luck
    • Skill
    • Religion

  19. Which description best matches the 'mistakes' group?

    • Traditions of the Church that gave the invasion holy approval
    • Choices made by William that strengthened his army
    • Events that nobody could control, such as the weather
    • Choices made by Harold that weakened his position

  20. Into which group does the Pope's banner belong?

    • Luck, because the Pope sent the banner by chance to Normandy
    • Skill, because William used the banner to gain support for the invasion
    • Mistakes, because the banner made the Saxons break their shield wall
    • Mistakes, because Harold should have asked the Pope for help

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