Introduction
Below is a brief overview of the Kings of England from William the Conqueror, who seized the crown in 1066, to John, whose disgruntled barons forced him to sign the Magna Carta in 1215.
WILLIAM, Duke of Normandy in France, seized the English crown from Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.* It passed first to his son William Rufus, a rough and uneducated man, and then to Rufus’s brother Henry I, Rufus’s opposite in nearly every way.
When Henry’s son William died in an accident in the English Channel,* the King appointed William’s sister Matilda as heir; but after Henry died in 1135, her cousin Stephen intervened, and won the support of the public in London.
Their quarrel threw the country into a lawless chaos known as ‘the Anarchy’, until Stephen’s death in 1154. Matilda’s son Henry II succeeded Stephen, but the family strife continued. In 1189, Henry was harried into an early grave by his son Richard, who raised a revolt against him in France.
Richard won the nickname ‘Lionheart’ for his swashbuckling exploits in the Crusades, but died from a crossbow wound sustained in France,* and was succeeded in 1199 by his brother John.
See The Disaster of the White Ship.
On Richard’s fortunes in the Crusades in the Holy Land, and his death in France, see The Lion and the Ant.
Précis
A lasting Norman dynasty after 1066 seemed threatened when Henry I’s son died at sea, triggering a bitter struggle for the crown in 1135. Eventually, Henry’s nephew Stephen and daughter Matilda’s agreed to name Matilda’s son Henry as heir, and Henry II was succeeded in turn by his warrior son Richard I, and then by Richard’s brother John in 1199. (60 / 60 words)
A lasting Norman dynasty after 1066 seemed threatened when Henry I’s son died at sea, triggering a bitter struggle for the crown in 1135. Eventually, Henry’s nephew Stephen and daughter Matilda’s agreed to name Matilda’s son Henry as heir, and Henry II was succeeded in turn by his warrior son Richard I, and then by Richard’s brother John in 1199.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: because, besides, may, not, ought, whereas, whether, who.
Archive
Word Games
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Public. Seize. Their.
2 Death. Exploit. Know.
3 Her. Rough. Sustain.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Verb and Noun Find in Think and Speak
Many words can serve as noun or verb depending on context: see if you can prove this with the examples below. Nouns go well with words such as the/a, or his/her; verbs go well after I/you/he etc..
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Wind. 2 Win. 3 Channel. 4 Pass. 5 Man. 6 Support. 7 Battle.
Variations: 1.if possible, use your noun in the plural, e.g. cat → cats. 2.use your verb in a past form, e.g. go → went. 3.use your noun in a sentence with one of these words: any, enough, fewer, less, no, some.
Homonyms Find in Think and Speak
Each of the words below has more than one possible meaning. Compose your own sentences to show what those different meanings are.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1. Cousin. 2. Country. 3. Pass. 4. Grave. 5. Succeed. 6. Man.
Add Vowels Find in Think and Speak
Make words by adding vowels to each group of consonants below. You may add as many vowels as you like before, between or after the consonants, but you may not add any consonants or change the order of those you have been given. See if you can beat our target of common words.
ms (6+3)
aims. amuse. emus. moose. mouse. muse.
mas. mesa. moos.
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