History questions

The Norman Conquest Life in the UK Test Questions

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Question 1 Easy Often tested

Which was the last successful foreign invasion of England that took place in 1066?

The Anglo-Saxon Conquest

The Anglo-Saxons settled from around AD 410–600, before the Norman Conquest.

The Norman Conquest

William of Normandy's 1066 invasion was the last successful foreign conquest of England.

Correct answer

The Roman invasion

The Roman invasion (AD 43) preceded the Norman Conquest by over a thousand years.

The Viking invasion

Vikings raided and settled but never fully conquered England; the Norman Conquest was the last.

Explanation

The Norman Conquest was the last successful foreign invasion of England in 1066.

Question 2 Medium Often tested

Who led the invasion of England in 1066?

Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar led an unsuccessful invasion of Britain in 55 BC — over 1,100 years before 1066

William the Duke of Normandy

William of Normandy defeated Harold at Hastings in 1066 and became William the Conqueror

Correct answer

Harold the Saxon King

Harold was the defender who lost the Battle of Hastings and was killed in the fight

King Alfred the Great

Alfred the Great defeated the Vikings in the 9th century, not a participant in the 1066 Norman invasion

Explanation

In 1066, an invasion led by William, the Duke of Normandy (in what is now northern France), defeated Harold, the Saxon king of England, at the Battle of Hastings. Harold was killed in the battle. William became king of England and is known as William the Conqueror. The battle is commemorated in a great piece of embroidery, known as the Bayeux Tapestry, which can still be seen in France today.

Question 3 Medium Often tested

Which Saxon king of England was killed at the Battle of Hastings in 1066?

William the Conqueror

William the Conqueror led the invasion; he won and became King of England.

Henry V

Henry V defeated the French at Agincourt in 1415, four centuries after the Norman Conquest.

Harold

Harold, the Saxon king of England, was killed at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

Correct answer

Kenneth MacAlpin

Kenneth MacAlpin unified Scotland under one king; he was not involved in the Battle of Hastings.

Explanation

In 1066, an invasion led by William, the Duke of Normandy (in what is now northern France), defeated Harold, the Saxon king of England, at the Battle of Hastings. Harold was killed in the battle.

Question 4 Medium Often tested

What important event happened in England in 1066?

The Norman invasion

William of Normandy defeated Harold at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

Correct answer

The Battle of Bannockburn

Bannockburn (1314) was Scotland's victory over England, not an event of 1066.

The building of the Offa Dyke

Offa's Dyke was an Anglo-Saxon earthwork built in the 8th century, not 1066.

The Romans left England

The Roman army left Britain in AD 410, over six centuries before 1066.

Explanation

William of Normandy invaded England in 1066 and defeated Harold, the Saxon king of England, at the Battle of Hastings.

Question 5 Medium Often tested

Who invaded England in 1066?

Canute

Canute (Cnut) was a Danish king who ruled England earlier, dying in 1035 — over 30 years before 1066.

William of Normandy

William, Duke of Normandy, invaded England in 1066 and defeated King Harold at Hastings.

Correct answer

Harold of Wessex

Harold was the Saxon king who was defeated and killed at Hastings — not the invader.

Richard the Lionheart

Richard I (Lionheart) became king in 1189, over a century after the Norman Conquest.

Explanation

In 1066, William of Normandy invaded England and defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings.

Question 6 Medium Often tested

In 1066, ______ invaded England and defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings

Richard the Lionheart

Richard I came to the throne over a century after 1066, during the Crusades era.

William of Normandy

William, Duke of Normandy, defeated Harold at Hastings in 1066 and became king.

Correct answer

Harold of Wessex

Harold was the Saxon king William defeated, not the invader.

Canute

Canute (Cnut) was an earlier Danish king of England, not the 1066 invader.

Question 7 Easy

What English King introduced the Domesday Book?

William the Conqueror

William ordered the Domesday Book survey after the Norman Conquest

Correct answer

Harold, the Saxon king of England

Harold was defeated and killed at the Battle of Hastings in 1066

King Henry IV

Henry IV reigned 1399–1413, well after the Domesday Book was compiled

King Henry V

Henry V won the Battle of Agincourt in 1415; the Domesday Book predates him by over 300 years

Explanation

William the Conqueror sent people all over England to draw up lists of all the towns and villages. The people who lived there, who owned the land and what animals they owned were also listed. This was called the Domesday Book.

Question 8 Easy

Which two of the following records give us information about England during the reign of William I?

The Domesday Book

William commissioned this survey of English land and wealth after the Conquest

Correct answer

The Bayeux Tapestry

This embroidered cloth depicts the Norman Conquest and its events

Correct answer

The Canterbury Tales

Chaucer wrote these poems around 1400, well after William I's reign

The Magna Carta

Signed by King John in 1215, 150 years after William I

Explanation

The Domesday Book and the Bayeux Tapestry.

Question 9 Easy

Who built the Tower of London?

Henry VII

Henry VII reigned from 1485; the Tower was built four centuries earlier

Edward I

Edward I built Welsh castles like Conwy and Caernarfon; not the Tower of London

Henry VIII

Henry VIII used the Tower as a prison; he did not build it

William the Conqueror

William the Conqueror built the Tower of London after becoming king in 1066

Correct answer

Explanation

The Tower of London was first built by William the Conqueror after he became king in 1066. Tours are given by the Yeoman Warders, also known as Beefeaters, who tell visitors about the building's history. People can also see the Crown Jewels there

Question 10 Easy

When was the Domesday Book written?

After the Norman conquest

William the Conqueror commissioned the Domesday Book to survey England after his 1066 conquest

Correct answer

After the last Roman invasion

The Romans left in AD 410; the Domesday Book was compiled in 1086

After the Anglo-Saxon invasion

Anglo-Saxons arrived after 410; the Domesday Book was compiled much later by the Normans

After the Viking invasion

Vikings arrived from AD 789; the Domesday Book was a Norman creation in 1086

Explanation

William the conqueror sent people all over England to draw up lists of all the towns and villages. The people who lived there, who owned the land and what animals they owned were also listed. This was called the Domesday Book, which gives a picture of society in England just after the Norman Conquest.

Question 11 Medium

The Battle of Hastings is commemorated in a great piece of embroidery, which is known as:

The Bayeux tapestry

The Bayeux tapestry is an embroidered cloth depicting the 1066 Norman conquest; it is kept in France.

Correct answer

The Domesday tapestry

The Domesday Book is a written survey of England ordered by William; there is no Domesday tapestry.

The Normand tapestry

No such tapestry exists; the correct name is the Bayeux tapestry.

The Hastings tapestry

No tapestry is named after Hastings; the commemorating work is the Bayeux tapestry.

Explanation

The Battle of Hastings is commemorated in a great piece of embroidery, known as the Bayeux tapestry, which can still be seen in France today.

Question 12 Easy

When was the last successful foreign invasion of England?

1314

Battle of Bannockburn; Scottish victory but not a foreign invasion of England

1066

William the Conqueror's Norman invasion — the last successful foreign invasion of England

Correct answer

1200

No major foreign invasion of England occurred at this date

1415

Battle of Agincourt; England invaded France, not the other way round

Explanation

The Norman Conquest was the last successful foreign invasion of England in 1066.

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