OCR A-Level History A H505
Y101: Alfred and the Making of England 871–1016Unit group 1
Y102: Anglo-Saxon England and the Norman Conquest 1035–1107Unit group 1
Y103: England 1199–1272Unit group 1
Y104: England 1377–1455Unit group 1
Y105: England 1445–1509: Lancastrians, Yorkists and Henry VIIUnit group 1
Y106: England 1485–1558: The Early TudorsUnit group 1
Y107: England 1547–1603: The Later TudorsUnit group 1
Y108: The Early Stuarts and the Origins of the Civil War 1603–1660Unit group 1
Y109: The Making of Georgian Britain 1678–c.1760Unit group 1
Y110: From Pitt to Peel 1783–1853Unit group 1
Y111: Liberals, Conservatives and the Rise of Labour 1846–1918Unit group 1
Y112: Britain 1900–1951Unit group 1
Y113: Britain 1930–1997Unit group 1
Y201: The Rise of Islam c.550–750Unit group 2
Y202: Charlemagne 768–814Unit group 2
Y203: The Crusades and the Crusader States 1095–1192Unit group 2
Y204: Genghis Khan and the Explosion From the Steppes c.1167–1405Unit group 2
Y205: Exploration, Encounters and Empire 1445–1570Unit group 2
Y206: Spain 1469–1556Unit group 2
Y207: The German Reformation and the Rule of Charles v 1500–1559Unit group 2
Y208: Philip II 1556–1598Unit group 2
Y209: African Kingdoms c.1400–c.1800: Four Case StudiesUnit group 2
Y210: Russia 1645–1741Unit group 2
Y211: The Rise and Decline of the Mughal Empire in India 1526–1739Unit group 2
Y212: The American Revolution 1740–1796Unit group 2
Y213: The French Revolution and the Rule of Napoleon 1774–1815Unit group 2
Y214: France 1814–1870Unit group 2
Y215: Italy and Unification 1789–1896Unit group 2
Y216: The USA in the 19th Century: Westward Expansion and Civil War 1803–c.1890Unit group 2
Y217: Japan 1853–1937Unit group 2
Y218: International Relations 1890–1941Unit group 2
Y219: Russia 1894–1941Unit group 2
Y220: Italy 1896–1943Unit group 2
Y221: Democracy and Dictatorships in Germany 1919–1963Unit group 2
Y222: The Cold War in Asia 1945–1993Unit group 2
Y223: The Cold War in Europe 1941–1995Unit group 2
Y224: Apartheid and Reconciliation: South African Politics 1948–1999Unit group 2
Y301: The Early Anglo-Saxons c.400–800Unit group 3
Y302: The Viking Age c.790–1066Unit group 3
Y303: English Government and the Church 1066–1216Unit group 3
Y304: The Church and Medieval Heresy c.1100–1437Unit group 3
Y305: The Renaissance c.1400–c.1600Unit group 3
Y306: Rebellion and Disorder Under the Tudors 1485–1603Unit group 3
Y307: Tudor Foreign Policy 1485–1603Unit group 3
Y308: The Catholic Reformation 1492–1610Unit group 3
Y309: The Ascendancy of the Ottoman Empire 1453–1606Unit group 3
Y310: The Development of the Nation State: France 1498–1610Unit group 3
Y311: The Origins and Growth of the British Empire 1558–1783Unit group 3
Y312: Popular Culture and the Witchcraze of the 16th and 17th CenturiesUnit group 3
Y313: The Ascendancy of France 1610–1715Unit group 3
Y314: The Challenge of German Nationalism 1789–1919Unit group 3
Y315: The Changing Nature of Warfare 1792–1945Unit group 3
Y316: Britain and Ireland 1791–1921Unit group 3
Y317: China and Its Rulers 1839–1989Unit group 3
Y318: Russia and Its Rulers 1855–1964Unit group 3
Y319: Civil Rights in the USA 1865–1992Unit group 3
Y320: From Colonialism to Independence: The British Empire 1857–1965Unit group 3
Y321: The Middle East 1908–2011: Ottomans to Arab SpringUnit group 3
Y101: Alfred and the Making of England 871–1016
- 10 subtopics
- 26 things to know
- Unit group 1
- British period study and enquiry, one unit of thirteen
What Y101: Alfred and the Making of England 871–1016 covers
Alfred and the Making of England 871–1016 is unit Y101 of OCR History A, one of the thirteen options in unit group 1, the British period study and enquiry; a student sits one of them. Its seven key topics are Alfred and the Vikings, Alfred and the governance of England, the revival of literacy and learning: the Alfredian Renaissance, Edward the Elder 899–924, Athelstan 924–939, Edmund 939–946, Eadred 946–955 and Edgar 957–975, Aethelred 978–1016. 321 recall questions across 10 subtopics.
Where it is assessed
Unit group 1
British period study and enquiry, one unit of thirteen.
Check the OCR specification ↗The 10 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- Edward the Elder 899–924: avoidance of dynastic feuds, campaigns of Edward and AethelflaedRecall questions on the avoidance of dynastic feuds, the challenge of Scandinavian settlement and migration from Denmark, the campaigns of Edward and Aethelflaed.Open →
- Edward the Elder 899–924: ‘submission’ of the Welsh kings and extent of Edward’s power in 924Recall questions on the submission of the Welsh kings, the Scottish king and Raegnald, the threat of the Norwegians from Ireland, including Raegnald, the extent of Edward’s power in 924.Open →
- Athelstan 924–939: capture of York 927, relations with Scotland and continued problems with the VikingsRecall questions on the capture of York 927, relations with Scotland, including the battle of Brunanburh, 937 and continued problems with the Vikings.Open →
- Athelstan 924–939: connections with the Continent and Athelstan’s legal codesRecall questions on connections with the Continent, including Flanders, France, Germany and Norway, government and administration role of magnates and ealdorman, changes in the nature of the court and royal council, Athelstan’s legal codes.Open →
- Edmund 939–946, Eadred 946–955 and Edgar 957–975: return of the VikingsRecall questions on the return of the Vikings, including Olaf Guthfrithson as King of York, Edmund as liberator of the Danes, Eadred’s struggles with Eric Bloodaxe and Olaf Sihtricson and Eadred’s invasion of Northumbria.Open →
- Edmund 939–946, Eadred 946–955 and Edgar 957–975: Edgar’s reformsRecall questions on Edgar’s reforms: legal codes, Edgar’s patronage of new monasteries and monastic reform, developments in Church art and architecture, Edgar’s coronation as King of all England 973.Open →
- Aethelred 978–1016: crisis over the new monasticism and return of the VikingsRecall questions on the crisis over the new monasticism, the murder of Edward the Martyr and the return of the Vikings.Open →
- Aethelred 978–1016: legislation of Aethelred and cultural developmentsRecall questions on the legislation of Aethelred, cultural developments, including the Church and education, the roles of Wulfstan and Aelfric, Aethelweard’s translation of the Chronicle.Open →
- Enquiry: Alfred and the Vikings — Alfred’s position in 871 and return of the Vikings in the 890sRecall questions on Alfred’s position in 871, the defence of Wessex, the threat of the Great Heathen Army, reorganisation of the army and navy, reasons for and extent of military success, return of the Vikings in the 890s.Open →
- Enquiry: Alfred and the governance of England — burhs, law and the revival of learningRecall questions on the burhs and the Burghal Hidage, Alfred’s law code, the state of England in 899, the scholars of his court, the translation programme, Asser’s Life of Alfred and literature as propaganda.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
At what gathering did the northern rulers acknowledge Edward's overlordship, and when?
Describe how the nature of the court and royal council changed under Athelstan.
Why does the surviving legislation suggest Athelstan struggled to enforce order?
What happened at the Old and New Minsters at Winchester in 964?
Explain why monastic reform served Edgar's political interests as well as his piety.
Why did the murder of Edward the Martyr shadow the whole of Aethelred's reign?
What happened in 1013 when Sweyn Forkbeard invaded?
Why is the cultural achievement of Aethelred's reign a problem for the traditional picture of it as a failure?
What part did chance play in Alfred's survival?
Name four burhs used as examples of Alfred's fortress network.
Describe the state of England at Alfred's death in 899.
Give two kinds of evidence for the scale of Scandinavian settlement in eastern England.
What happened to Mercia's independence after Aethelflaed died in 918?
Name the three main allies who fought against Athelstan at Brunanburh in 937.
Why did Athelstan's success provoke a Scottish alliance with the Norse of Dublin?
Who took York on Athelstan's death in 939?
Why was Edmund celebrated as the liberator of the Danes?
State the terms of peace agreed with Guthrum after Edington.
Why did continuing migration from Denmark make the Danelaw a lasting problem rather than a temporary one?
In what year did the Welsh kings submit to Edward?
What role did magnates and ealdormen play in Athelstan's government?
Which other Norse claimant, besides Eric Bloodaxe, contested York under Eadred?
How were the localities administered under Edgar?
What was the anti-monastic reaction that followed Edgar's death?
Give two ways in which Alfred used literature as propaganda.
Take Y101: Alfred and the Making of England 871–1016 further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Burh vs Burghal Hidage
Burh: a fortified centre garrisoned by the surrounding district for the defence of Wessex. Burghal Hidage: the document listing the fortresses of Wessex with the hides assigned to maintain each one.
Danelaw vs Five Boroughs
Danelaw: the area of eastern and northern England where Danish law and custom prevailed rather than English law. Five Boroughs: the group of fortified Danish towns of the east midlands, Derby, Leicester, Lincoln, Nottingham and Stamford.
Asser vs Wulfstan
Asser: the Welsh bishop who joined Alfred's court and wrote the king's biography. Wulfstan: the Archbishop of York who drafted law codes for Aethelred and denounced English sins in a famous sermon.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
Who challenged Edward the Elder's succession in 899, and on what basis?
Model answer
His cousin Aethelwold, son of Alfred's elder brother Aethelred I, claimed the throne on the grounds of senior descent, seizing Wimborne before fleeing north.
- 2
How was the dynastic feud with Aethelwold finally resolved?
Model answer
Aethelwold was accepted as king by the Northumbrian and East Anglian Danes and raided Wessex, but he was killed fighting Edward's forces at the battle of the Holme in 902.
- 3
Explain why the avoidance of dynastic feuds mattered so much to the West Saxon dynasty after 899.
Model answer
Rival aetheling claims invited Scandinavian rulers to back a pretender, so eliminating them allowed Edward to direct all his resources outwards against the Danelaw rather than inwards against his own kin.
- 4
What is meant by the Danelaw?
Model answer
It was the area of eastern and northern England settled and governed by Scandinavians, where Danish law and custom prevailed rather than English law.
- 5
Give two kinds of evidence for the scale of Scandinavian settlement in eastern England.
Model answer
Place names with Scandinavian endings such as -by and -thorpe, and the unusually large numbers of free peasants and sokemen later recorded in the eastern shires.
- 6
Name the Five Boroughs of the Danelaw.
Model answer
They were Derby, Leicester, Lincoln, Nottingham and Stamford.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Y101: Alfred and the Making of England 871–1016 revision questions
- What does Y101: Alfred and the Making of England 871–1016 cover in OCR A-Level History A?
- 10 subtopics: edward the elder 899–924: avoidance of dynastic feuds, campaigns of edward and aethelflaed, edward the elder 899–924: ‘submission’ of the welsh kings and extent of edward’s power in 924, athelstan 924–939: capture of york 927, relations with scotland and continued problems with the vikings, athelstan 924–939: connections with the continent and athelstan’s legal codes, edmund 939–946, eadred 946–955 and edgar 957–975: return of the vikings, edmund 939–946, eadred 946–955 and edgar 957–975: edgar’s reforms, aethelred 978–1016: crisis over the new monasticism and return of the vikings, aethelred 978–1016: legislation of aethelred and cultural developments, enquiry: alfred and the vikings — alfred’s position in 871 and return of the vikings in the 890s and enquiry: alfred and the governance of england — burhs, law and the revival of learning. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Y101: Alfred and the Making of England 871–1016 organised?
- By the OCR H505 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Y101: Alfred and the Making of England 871–1016, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
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