Worksheets and No Prep Teaching Resources Reading Comprehension Worksheets Middle Ages

The Norman Conquest Middle Ages

---

The Norman Conquest
Print The Norman Conquest Reading Comprehension with Fifth Grade Work

Print The Norman Conquest Reading Comprehension with Sixth Grade Work

Print The Norman Conquest Reading Comprehension

Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 5 to 7
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	6.45

Vocabulary

	challenging words:		barrage, battle-axes, Tostig, victorious, infantry, invasion, fearsome, frequently, ruthless, military, arrival, duke, cavalry, advisors, lies, throne
	content words:		Middle Ages, King Edward, King Harold, By August, On October, On Christmas Day

---

The Norman Conquest By Sharon Fabian

---

¹     The year was 1066 AD. The Middle Ages had already been going on for 600 years. During that 600 years, many battles had been fought, land had frequently changed hands, and rulers had often been replaced by new rulers all over Europe. Parts of Europe had begun to settle into large kingdoms, much like the countries of Europe today. Other parts were still disorganized with no central government.
 
²     England was one of those places. Each section was ruled by its own duke, and a central government was just beginning to develop. That meant that if England was attacked, it had no organized way to fight back.
 
³     And that is exactly what happened in 1066.
 
⁴     It is a complicated story full of action, promises, and lies.
 
⁵     It started back in 1035, in the Viking settlement of Normandy in France. There, William, a seven-year-old boy, was crowned king. For the first few years, William's great uncle ruled in his place, but William, like other boys of his time, grew up fast. At the age of 15, he was knighted. By the age of 20, he was not only ruling on his own, but also waging wars against his enemies.
 
⁶     He often had to defend himself against uprisings within his kingdom. He fought off invaders from other lands. Soon, William was an experienced and ruthless military leader.
 
⁷     Then, in 1064, he was paid a visit by an English duke, Harold of Wessex. Some reports say that Harold was sent there as a messenger by the king of England. Other reports say that the visit was an accident, when his ship was blown off course. The question of what really happened during this visit will become important soon.
 
⁸     The next big event occurred in 1065, when Edward, the King of England, died. Harold returned to England and claimed the throne for himself. William also claimed the throne, saying that it had been promised to him in a message sent to him by King Edward in 1064. A third claim to the throne was also made by a Norwegian ruler named Hardrada.

Paragraphs 9 to 17:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable

---

Weekly Reading Books

Create Weekly Reading Books Prepare for an entire week at once!

---

Feedback on The Norman Conquest

Leave your feedback on The Norman Conquest   (use this link if you found an error in the story)

---

Middle Ages

Middle Ages

---

Social Studies

Social Studies

United States History and Theme Units         American Government         Ancient America         Ancient China         Ancient Egypt         Ancient Greece         Ancient India         Ancient Mesopotamia         Ancient Rome         Biographies         Canadian Theme Unit         Country Theme Units         Crime and Terrorism         Economics         European History: 1600s-1800s

Explorers         Famous Educators         Geography         Grades 2-3 Social Studies Wendy's World Series         History of Books and Writing         History of Mathematics         How Can I Help?         Inventors and Inventions         Middle Ages         Renaissance         World Religion         World War I         World War II         World Wonders

Copyright © 2018 edHelper